Gulu, Uganda
| Gulu | |
|---|---|
| Municipality | |
 Gulu
|
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| Coordinates: 02°46′54″N 32°17′57″E / 2.78167°N 32.29917°E | |
| Country | Uganda |
| Region | Northern Region |
| Sub-region | Acholi sub-region |
| District | Gulu District |
| Elevation | 1,100 m (3,600 ft) |
| Population (2014 Census) | |
| • Total | 152,276 |
| Website | Official website |
Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of Gulu Municipality are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, is approximately 340 kilometres (210 mi) by road. The town is served by Gulu Airport and a railway line.
During British colonial rule in the 18th and 19th centuries, northern Uganda was less developed than the rest of the country. The people were conscripted into the army and the police. Many were sent to fight in the first and second World Wars.
Several rebel groups formed by the end of 1986. These rebel groups were former soldiers, i.e., the Uganda National Liberation Front from the government before Yoweri Museveni took power. By 1987, most of these rebels had joined Museveni's force. Then came another rebel group led by Alice Auma, who was known also by the name Lakwena, after a deceased soldier who she claimed possessed her body, from 1988 to 1989.
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) sprang up in the 1990s after Auma/Lakwena went to Kenya. The LRA became increasing violent in Gulu and surrounding communities. Up to 15,000 children, known as "night commuters", were fleeing into the city for safety every evening. In 1996, the Ugandan government ordered all civilians in northern Uganda to relocate to internally displaced person (IDP) camps. Several organizations, such as Stop the Genocide in Northern Uganda, called these camps "concentration camps" and demanded their immediate closure. At one time, an estimated two million people lived in these camps. In April 2009, all the IDP camps were closed and the people were allowed to return to their villages. By July 2009, an estimated 1,452,000 people (80.7 percent of those living in the camps) had voluntarily left the camps to return home. Since the spring of 2007, there has been relative peace in the region as the LRA has became a much less significant threat.
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Wikipedia