In August 1986, Alice Auma, a young Acholi woman in northern Uganda, proclaiming herself under the orders of a Christian spirit, raised an army called the 'Holy Spirit Mobile Forces' and with it waged a war, not only against the National Resistance Army of the government but also against internal enemies in the form of 'impure' soldiers, witches and sorcerers. She came close to her goal of overthrowing the government but was defeated and fled to Kenya. This book gives an account of the movement from within, based on interviews with and writings of its members, and concludes with an account of the successor movements into which Alice's forces fragmented, including the 'Lord's Resistance Army', actively involved in the civil wars of the Sudan and Uganda. North America: Ohio U Press; Uganda: Fountain Publishers

In August 1986, Alice Auma, a young Acholi woman in northern Uganda, proclaiming herself under the orders of a Christian spirit named Lakwena, raised an army called the “Holy Spirit Mobile Forces.” With it she waged a war against perceived evil, not only an external enemy represented by the National Resistance Army of the government, but internal enemies in the form of “impure” soldiers, witches, and sorcerers. She came very close to her goal of overthrowing the government but was defeated and fled to Kenya. This book provides a unique view of Alice’s movement, based on interviews with its members and including their own writings, examining their perceptions of the threat of external and internal evil. It concludes with an account of the successor movements into which Alice’s forces fragmented and which still are active in the civil wars of the Sudan and Uganda.

Accompanying DVD is entitled: "Satan crucified : a crusade of the Catholic Church in western Uganda / a video by Armin Linke and Heike Behrend.

Capture and early days.

A noted expert provides a detailed, if chilling, examination of one of the most brutal and long-lived insurgent groups in Africa: Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. Operating in four African nations, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) routinely engages in human rights violations that include mutilation, murder, mass-scale abductions, and sex trafficking—and it has done so with seeming impunity for more than 20 years. This timely book offers a concise, expert analysis of Joseph Kony's terrorist organization, covering its historical antecedents, membership, operations, and ideology, as well as the ways in which it fits into a broader pattern of insurgencies. To facilitate a full understanding of the threat posed by the LRA, the author exposes the army's many atrocities, among them forced recruitment of child soldiers. Central Africa's ethnic, religious, and political tensions are examined, as is the corruption that feeds LRA operations. Finally, regional security measures, international responses, and issues related to the LRA and the International Criminal Court are examined in full.

For several decades a brutal army of rebels has been raiding villages in northern Uganda, kidnapping children and turning them into soldiers or wives of commanders. More than 30,000 children have been abducted over the last twenty years and forced to commit unspeakable crimes. Grace Akallo was one of these. Her story, which is the story of many Ugandan children, recounts her terrifying experience. This unforgettable book--with historical background and insights from Faith McDonnell, one of the clearest voices in the church today calling for freedom and justice--will inspire readers around the world to take notice, pray, and work to end this tragedy.

In Africa as well as in Europe, many spirits and their mediums are part of local as well as global cultures. Christian spirits named Hitler, Mussolini, or King Bruce (Bruce Lee) flourish in a pantheon of new holy spirits in Uganda waging war against the government. Spirits of airplanes, engines, guitars, and angels are found in Central Africa; and thunder, snakes, and rain as well as playboys and prostitutes inhabit the spirit world in West Africa. Spirit possession cults have continued to proliferate, even in the secular West, and continue to be a subject of intense interest. Despite the continuous expansion of the field, some problems are only now beginning to be explored. The experts in this volume focus on questions of power, the history and inner dynamics of cults, the role of gender and images of the other, based on research conducted during the last fifteen years in Africa. The contributors document changes taking place across the continent as possession beliefs and practices respond to new circumstances and address the shifting local implications of an increasingly global socio-economy. Gender, ethnicity, and class are examined as intersecting forces and features of spirit phenomena. The case studies presented are richly contextualized: history, social organization and upheaval, alternative religious options--all are considered relevant to an understanding of possession forms. Contributors: Leslie Sharp, Heike Behrend, Adeline Masquelier, Mathias Krings, Jean-Paul Colleyn, Alexandra O. de Sousa, Susan Kenyon, Tobias Wendl, Ute Luig, and Linda Giles Co-published with James Currey Publishers, U.K. The Wisconsin edition is not for sale in the United Kingdon, the traditional British Commonwealth (excepting Canada), nor in Europe.