Why do we complain when we have everything we need and more? A deep concern of mine, is to bring attention to the current situation going on now in Uganda Africa. These kids called " invisible children" have no family, no records of their existence, barely any food, maybe one pair of clothes, and nobody to really depend on such as friends or relatives. These kids are caught right in the middle of the longest running war in history. Yet it is the most neglected. When asked about the current situation in Africa, people merely said that that was Africa, you can't compare us and Africa, and it is hopeless to try to do anything. Why can't we though? As a developed and flurishing nation, I would think we would be striving to help such a sickened country instead of being so caught up in our own realm. What is going to define a country and make it a flurishing nation? Power, or the eagerness and ability to be an alli to those who can't help themselves? You’re eight years old. You had to sit in the corner of your so called "house" and watch a soldier cut off your mothers breasts, rape her, and force you to kill her and your father. They then force you to become part of the rebellion. Now you are in the middle of no where, being desensitized. You have to watch another 8-year-old be beaten to near death, than slowly tortured until killed. Than it’s your turn, you have to do it...kill. It doesn’t matter if it’s your best friend, your brother, maybe your sister. If you don’t do it, it will happen to you. Then after you are desensitized you go out, you kill, and abduct others to join you.
This is how the Northern Ugandan War is being fought. The war in Northern Uganda has been the most neglected emergency for nearly 21 years. Let’s put our thoughts in the history of the war, the current situation of the war, and the attention of the war. The war first began in the early 1980’s. A woman named Alice Lakwena started a rebellion against the Ugandan Government for being unjust to the Acholi people: she and her followers, known as the Holy Spirit Movement. When the rebellion got worse, Alice Lakwena was executed. Later, her cousin John Kony took control of the movement and renamed it the LRA, or Lord’s Resistance Army. John Kony didn’t receive the support that Alice Lakwena did, so he resorted to abducting children and forcing them to be guards, concubines, and soldiers. John Kony and his child fighters have killed, abused, raped, hacked, burned, and abducted more than 38,000 children, according to Samuel Egadu and Caesar Kampala allafrica.com, June 28, 2007. He is anything but a defender of the people. He terrorizes. “ Your nose will be cut off together with your ears and in the end the sword will kill you. Your children will be taken into captivity and they will be burnt to death”, says NBC news “Children of War in Uganda”, by Keith Morrison and Tim Sandler, Sept. 26, 2006. Families of Northern Uganda now have to separate, just to keep safe. With the situation these children are in, having fear of being abducted, these children must walk miles and miles everyday to sleep in the bus park, under the verandahs, in the hospital, large tents , others will just huddle with a group on a patch of grass. And if they are not so lucky, they will get kidnapped.
This is how the Northern Ugandan War is being fought. The war in Northern Uganda has been the most neglected emergency for nearly 21 years. Let’s put our thoughts in the history of the war, the current situation of the war, and the attention of the war. The war first began in the early 1980’s. A woman named Alice Lakwena started a rebellion against the Ugandan Government for being unjust to the Acholi people: she and her followers, known as the Holy Spirit Movement. When the rebellion got worse, Alice Lakwena was executed. Later, her cousin John Kony took control of the movement and renamed it the LRA, or Lord’s Resistance Army. John Kony didn’t receive the support that Alice Lakwena did, so he resorted to abducting children and forcing them to be guards, concubines, and soldiers. John Kony and his child fighters have killed, abused, raped, hacked, burned, and abducted more than 38,000 children, according to Samuel Egadu and Caesar Kampala allafrica.com, June 28, 2007. He is anything but a defender of the people. He terrorizes. “ Your nose will be cut off together with your ears and in the end the sword will kill you. Your children will be taken into captivity and they will be burnt to death”, says NBC news “Children of War in Uganda”, by Keith Morrison and Tim Sandler, Sept. 26, 2006. Families of Northern Uganda now have to separate, just to keep safe. With the situation these children are in, having fear of being abducted, these children must walk miles and miles everyday to sleep in the bus park, under the verandahs, in the hospital, large tents , others will just huddle with a group on a patch of grass. And if they are not so lucky, they will get kidnapped.
NBC reporter Keith Morrison tells a story of an escapee named Patrick. “It was the very first night of his abduction. Patrick, his parents and his siblings, were forced at gunpoint into the bush near a river. And then he watched as the rebels killed his father. He watched as they slashed away at his mother with their knives. And then as she lay there badly wounded, the rebel commander turned and spoke to the Patrick. He told him to kill his mother. The rebel commander threatened that if he didn’t he would kill him and his siblings , and with fear, he killed his own mother. Patrick told Morrison how he killed other kids, and babies too.. Keith Morrison also states "what makes this stand out from other wars is that it is being fought with children. Children stolen from their families who are forced to become soldiers. At age eight, or ten, eleven or twelve. . . they kill. It is one of the biggest scandals of our time and generation."
Since the abductions and murders, the Ugandan Government evicted over two million people from their homes and relocated them in overcrowded camps in hope to provide protection. But they still struggle to survive of disease, poverty and starvation, says Invisible Children.com, “Uganda today”. More and more attention is being focused on the war, but not near enough. It is very sad, that there has been nearly no world-wide attention on this war until just recently. InvisibleChildren.com held a survey asking people WHY? The response was that we can’t compare America and Africa. But again WHY? America would never stand for our children fighting, so why are we not taking a stand for the War in Uganda?
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