Identity and the Lord's Resistance Army: A study of the impact of identity on the LRA-conflict Northern Uganda

In this paper, I will focus on the role of identity in the ongoing conflict in northern Uganda and assess the impact of religious, ethnic, national, and group identity. I evaluated statements from Joseph Kony, LRA commanders, and former LRA soldiers taken from existing sources. The statements show that the LRA specifically relied on religious and ethnic identity throughout this conflict by focusing on the role of religion in the LRA's formation and actions and by dictating and recreating the Acholi ethnic identity. The LRA also relied on the manipulation of group identity to build and maintain the organization's rank and file and to indoctrinate abducted soldiers. The conflict has changed throughout the past several years, but peace attempts must include a focus on the impact of identity to account for the LRA's past atrocities and to create lasting peace, justice, and reconciliation throughout Uganda.