Uganda

Uganda is bordered by Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Kenya, with Lake Victoria to the east and the Rwenzori Mountains to the west. Following its independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda struggled through a series of coups and counter-coups in which the military dictatorships of Idi Amin and General Milton Obote destroyed the national economy and committed countless human rights abuses that killed over 800,000 Ugandans. In 1986, Yoweri Museveni came into power, bringing the hope for democracy, stability, and economic prosperity to Uganda. He was elected president in 1996 in Uganda's first popular election, and reelected in 2001.

Conflict in Northern Uganda

While much of Uganda has lived in peace and stability since Museveni's election, the northern region is plagued by violent war. Since 1987, an armed rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, has waged war against the Uganda government and terrorized the Acholi people who live in the north. Throughout the last two decades, the LRA has committed numerous massacres and kidnapped many civilians, including 30,000 children. Upon capture, children are tortured and forced to become child soldiers, often made to attack their own villages, family, and friends. In order to avoid getting kidnapped, many children become "night commuters ," leaving their homes at night to sleep on verandas and in guarded hospitals in towns. Due to the conflict, about 1.7 million people have also been displaced from their homes and now live in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps. The conditions of these camps are so poor that 1,000 people die each week from malnutrition and disease. Although peace talks have begun, the conflict continues. In 2003, the United Nations undersecretary for humanitarian affairs declared that the most forgotten humanitarian crisis is in northern Uganda. The conflict, however, is not unsolvable: it simply needs the political will of the international community to achieve peace.

HIV and AIDS in Uganda

On a continent where AIDS has taken a severe toll, Uganda stands out as a country whose HIV rates of infection have decreased. Uganda has been praised for its efforts to control the HIV and AIDS epidemic with several government run campaigns including the AIDS Control Program and the Uganda AIDS Commission. Uganda was the first country in Africa to open a voluntary HIV testing clinic. Although HIV and AIDS still takes a toll, killing tens of thousands each year, in much of Uganda, its prevalence has decreased from 15 percent in the 1990s to around 5 percent in 2001 .

Uganda has great potential for development. While war ravages the Acholi region of the north, the rest of the country lives in relative peace. The warm climate and two rainy seasons means that the country has the ability to grow an abundance of crops, including coffee, a primary export. With political stability and investment in these regions, Uganda's economy has continued to improve.