UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
Money rarely materialised, and the WNBF soon moved to mass abductions to replenish
fighters, 261 rendering the WNBF increasingly unpopular among the civilian population.
Attacks by the WNBF were
primarily aimed at the
Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF), and as such the number of victims among
the general population was initially small. However, in September 1996 the fighting
reached a climax with the bombing of Moyo town and the WNBF became increasingly
feared for their forced abductions and planting of landmines. 262 Further, as the WNBF
relied on the Sudanese Government for financial support and the establishment of
bases outside Uganda, its forces were also heavily involved in countering advances of
the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Capitalising on ever decreasing civilian support for the WNBF and increasing pressure
on the group by the SPLM, the UPDF dislodged the group from its bases in Sudan. A
final battle occurred in 1997 in Kaya in Sudan, after which the WNBF formally ceased to
exist. However, WNBF-affiliated elements, such as groups organised by Captain Moses
Chaku and Taban Amin, 263 continued to forcibly recruit individuals and carry out acts
of violence in both Uganda and DRC until their voluntary repatriation back to Uganda
261 Gersony, R. (1997) The anguish of Northern Uganda, USAID [Internet], August. Available from: [Accessed 28 May 2014]
262 Spelten, A. (2000) Krisenprävention und Konfliktbearbeitung in Uganda. Eschborn: GTZ
263 Azollell, K. and Namutebi, A. (1998) Uganda: Revived WNBF raids Arua, abducts 220. The Monitor
[Internet], 2 September. Available from: [Accessed 2
September 2012]
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