Amy Finnegan

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers: War in Northern Uganda

?Lyeci Aryo Ka Lwenyo Lum Aye Nongo Peko, an Acholi proverb, means "When Two Elephants Fight, it is the Grass that Suffers." In Northern Uganda, the grass is the Acholi people and nothing could be closer to the truth of this proverb. In a rebellion that began in 1986 between an insurgency called the Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government, the Acholi people have largely become the targets. Today, over 30,000 people have been abducted in the 18-year war, many of whom have been transformed into child soldiers and sex slaves. Over 25,000 people commute into the relative safety of municipalities to sleep every night and over 1.6 million people live in congested Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps where the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is estimated at double what it is in the rest of the country, sanitation is abominable, infrastructure and supplies for schools is dismal, and people lack basic livelihoods to sustain themselves.

As tragic as the narratives are, the Acholi people are also a powerful voice for forgiveness. Still suffering today from atrocities instigated by both parties to the conflict, many speak insightfully of forgiveness and nonviolent means to end the war. I am deeply indebted to the many people in Northern Uganda with whom I had the opportunity to learn from and interact. These photographs were taken during the summer months of 2004 when I lived in Gulu and worked with Human Rights Focus, a local human rights NGO. I hope that these images capture some of the intensity and begin to tell the story of the horrors of war in Northern Uganda.