Christian Dimensions of Violence: The Séléka/Anti-Balaka Militias And The Lord’s Resistance Army In The Central African Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-23
Author(s):  
Ana Raluca Alecu ◽  
Andrei Miroiu
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Central African Republic ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Lord's Resistance Army ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Lord’S Resistance Army

"Beginning in 2013, the Central African Republic has been engulfed in a civil war pitting successive governments against a substantial number of armed groups who also compete against each other for control over territory, population and resources. Some of these groups are claiming to be defenders of religious groups in the country, with the Séléka militias fighting for the Muslim communities and the anti-Balaka groups claiming Christian roots and inclinations. Other religiously inspired armed groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army are also present in the country. The following study is an attempt to understand how the “religious” label can be applied to such armed groups and whether it can influence their behavior, thus bringing into light a valuable, albeit lesser known example on how AGs and religion are connected in contemporary Africa. Keywords: armed groups, religion, Central African Republic, violence, civil war "

scholarly journals Insecurity in Northern Uganda: Are People Being Given the Protection They Deserve?

Refuge ◽  
1998 ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
Cathy Majtenyi
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Lord's Resistance Army ◽  
The North ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
The Government ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Lord’S Resistance Army

The civil war between the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rages on in Northern Uganda, leaving behind a trail of kidnappings, death and destruction despite measures to protect civilians. Ultimate security for the Acholi and others who live in the North will only come about with an end to the12-year-old conflict, which would be accomplished by negotiations between the two sides. Unfortunately, misinformation -- and a noticeable lack of information, especially from the LRA--are major impediments to determining the war's root causes and who is responsible for the instability. This paper argues that, for a successful end to the war, the government must cease its propaganda war, which is mainly being played out in an uncritical and biased media, and the LRA must be clear about its message. Honest discussion and analytical reporting will greatly facilitate the negotiation process.

scholarly journals Why Acholi Traditional War Rituals Cannot Reintegrate Female Lord’s Resistance Army Combatants: A Case Study of Kwero Merok War Ritual

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-79
Author(s):  
Wotsuna Khamalwa ◽  
Emeline Ndossi
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Gender Role ◽  
Traditional Culture ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Lord's Resistance Army ◽  
The Status ◽  
Lord’S Resistance Army

The Acholi are Nilotic Negroes who are part of the Lwo speaking people who migrated from Bahr-el Ghazal in the Sudan about 1600 AD. A section of the Acholi community under the umbrella of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) waged a civil war against the sitting government of Uganda in 1986. LRA rebels abducted numerous children from Acholi-land and the neighbouring Lango community in northern Uganda regardless of their gender. The female returnees, whether they were recruited willingly or otherwise, are believed to have committed atrocities towards their own Acholi people during the period of insurgency. During their re-integration, these women were culturally challenged, not only for the atrocities they were believed to have committed while in the bush, but because of their status as women who violated their gender role status. The Acholi traditional culture does not approve of female combatants and some of the society members hold strong reservations regarding the new status of these women! They argue that the status of these former combatants who took lives of their own kin and kith is incongruent with Acholi perception of women as life givers, carer-givers and protectors! The article cautions that the stigma that the female returnees experience even after going through the different rituals is an indication that they are not fully reintegrated! Acholi traditional culture was in this case selected because it has been a pioneer through its traditional rituals to reintegrate these women in the Northern Ugandan community. However, it was noted in this article that cultural rituals such as kwero merok cannot fully reintegrate LRA female combatants.

Encouraging Rebel Demobilization by Radio in Uganda and the D.R. Congo: The Case of “Come Home” Messaging

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-55
Author(s):  
Scott Ross
Keyword(s):  
Central African Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Radio Stations ◽  
Lord's Resistance Army ◽  
Radio Programming ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Lord’S Resistance Army ◽  
Important Shift ◽  
Local Radio

Abstract:For several years, local radio stations in Uganda have broadcast “come home” messages that encourage the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army to demobilize. Since the rebels began carrying out attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic, several international actors have introduced the same messages to these regions. This new effort has internationalized radio programming, benefited local radio stations, provided new forms of messaging, and functioned in collaboration with military actors. This article provides an overview of how “come home” messaging functions in different contexts, examines the effects of these actions, and calls for research into an important shift in military–humanitarian relations.

scholarly journals What Stymies Action on Climate Change? Religious Institutions, Marginalization, and Efficacy in Kenya

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Lauren Honig ◽  
Amy Erica Smith ◽  
Jaimie Bleck
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
State Repression ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
History Of ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Critical Link

Addressing climate change requires coordinated policy responses that incorporate the needs of the most impacted populations. Yet even communities that are greatly concerned about climate change may remain on the sidelines. We examine what stymies some citizens’ mobilization in Kenya, a country with a long history of environmental activism and high vulnerability to climate change. We foreground efficacy—a belief that one’s actions can create change—as a critical link transforming concern into action. However, that link is often missing for marginalized ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious groups. Analyzing interviews, focus groups, and survey data, we find that Muslims express much lower efficacy to address climate change than other religious groups; the gap cannot be explained by differences in science beliefs, issue concern, ethnicity, or demographics. Instead, we attribute it to understandings of marginalization vis-à-vis the Kenyan state—understandings socialized within the local institutions of Muslim communities affected by state repression.

scholarly journals The Lord's Resistance Army and Forced Conscription in Northern Uganda

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong N. Pham ◽  
Patrick Vinck ◽  
Eric Stover
Keyword(s):  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Lord's Resistance Army ◽  
Lord’S Resistance Army
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