Taken from the BBC News website:
Since the late 1980s Uganda has rebounded from the abyss of civil war and economic catastrophe to become relatively peaceful, stable and prosperous.
But the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the north remain blighted by one of Africa’s most brutal rebellions.
In the 1970s and 1980s Uganda was notorious for its human rights abuses, first during the military dictatorship of Idi Amin from 1971-79 and then after the return to power of Milton Obote, who had been ousted by Amin.
Overview
During this time up to half a million people were killed in state-sponsored violence.
Since becoming president in 1986 Yoweri Museveni has introduced democratic reforms and has been credited with substantially improving human rights, notably by reducing abuses by the army and the police.
In addition, Western-backed economic reforms produced solid growth and falls in inflation in the 1990s. However, Mr Museveni has bemoaned his country’s failure to industrialise.
The president came under fire for Uganda’s military involvement, along with five other countries, in neighbouring DR Congo’s 1998-2003 civil war. DR Congo accuses Uganda of maintaining its influence in the mineral-rich east of the country. Uganda says DR Congo has failed to disarm Ugandan rebels on its soil.
At home, the cult-like Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has perpetrated massacres and mutilations in the north for nearly two decades.
The group’s leader has said he wants to run the country along the lines of the biblical ten commandments. The violence has displaced more than 1.6 million people and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or kidnapped. The UN estimates that the group has abducted 20,000 children.
The LRA and government signed a permanent cease-fire in February 2008 aimed at ending the long-running conflict.
However, a final peace agreement remained elusive throughout 2008, with rebel leader Joseph Kony repeatedly failing to attend signing ceremonies.
Uganda has won praise for its vigorous campaign against HIV/Aids. This has helped to reduce the prevalence of the virus – which reached 30% in the 1990s – to single-digit figures.
