The Ugandan army have struggled to defend many towns and villages from LRA attacks, and the Government has now started to foster and arm Acholis militias. However, some observers fear that the introduction of weapons in north Uganda will create more problems in the longer term.
It is estimated that nearly 9000 children have been abducted by the LRA between June 2002 and May 2003, and fear of continuing LRA attacks and abductions has created a widespread refugee problem. Thousands of families have had to leave their towns and villages for the safety of larger settlements, where they sleep on street corners and open spaces. Despite these nocturnal and longer term migrations, the plight of the Acholis people has received little media coverage in the developed world, and to date (November 2003), the subject has not been discussed by the United Nations.
The LRA and their impact on the people of North Uganda was the subject of Unreported World, a television documentary broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK on November 14th 2003.
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