Chapter 9: Conclusion

Since the end of the colonial era, the Ugandan military has emerged as the most decisive instrument for the reconstruction of the postcolonial state. This development has in turn precipitated a scramble to rearrange the balance of confrontational capabilities in the country. To that effect, the emergence of NSAGs contesting the authority of the state has been underpinned by the drive to employ strategies that progressively undercut the start-up superiority of the statemilitary apparatus. Although the NRM takeover underscored the effectiveness of guerrilla warfare as a strategy, its subsequent and indecisive use by UPDA, HSM I, HSM II and LRA coupled with the state’s indecisive response to the activities of these groups combined to prolong the conflict in northern Uganda…