UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
LANGO
Together with Acholiland, Lango is part of the Central North. Until 1974, the Lango
sub-region was a single district called Lango District, but was afterwards divided
in different districts. The Langi and the Acholi, related ethnic groups both hailing
from the north, together accounted for the fact that the armed forces under
Obote were regionally unbalanced, as together they constituted the majority of
the army. Both communities suffered revenge attacks under the Amin regime,
which saw both ethnic groups as allied to Obote, who was a Langi. They also
both suffered as a result of the post 1986 northern conflict, although the Acholi
experienced the full extent of the violence before the Langi. This section reflects
conflict perspectives that were found to be particular to the Lango sub-region.
73. Langi perspectives on conflict between the Acholi and Langi (1957 –
present)
In Lango, the tension between the Acholi and Langi was traced back to disagreements
over the Minakulu border between Lira and Gulu in 1957. After Independence and
during Obote’s first regime, this tension was exploited and exacerbated by a number of
Baganda royalists (such as Abu Mayanja) to undermine Obote’s rule. 352
352 Research conducted in Lira District
160