For more than 25 years, an army made up mostly of child soldiers, some barely capable of holding weapons, led by a man named Joseph Kony has massacred and kidnapped civilians throughout Uganda. This conflict has since spread from Uganda north and west to other regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and areas of southern Sudan. The conflict also affects other key areas of Central Africa as Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army have killed thousands of people and displaced millions of native Africans. Despite several attempted encounters and arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court against Kony and his troops, Kony has refused to cooperate and this war still rages as one of the longest conflicts in African history. Context and causes of the conflict The conflicts in Uganda, historically a power struggle between two primary actors such as the northern tribes against the south, the Acholi against the Langi and the Bantu speakers against the Niolithics, is specifically triggered by the central themes of control . During the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s, also known as the colonial period, Uganda was divided between southern Bantu-speaking groups and northern Nilotic-speaking groups. While the Bantu speakers were favored politically and economically, the Niolithics had military dominance. This remained so during the presidencies of Milton Obote and Idi Amin. (S1) General elections were held in 1980 following the overthrow of Idi Amin and Milton Obote won. Obote returned to power during his second presidential term until 1985. The general election is believed to have been rigged to allow Obote to regain power. The formation of the army, traditionally dominated by northern Ugandans, has led to a polarization between the north… the center of the paper… of the ICC. “The International Criminal Court in Uganda depends on the Ugandan state, which is, obviously, the protagonist of the conflict. It also means that the ICC has effectively been asked to deal with criminal activities that are outside the control and capabilities of the Ugandan justice system.” (S10) Several critics have suggested initiatives to examine traditional justice against ICC mandates. If charged under ICC warrants, the LRA will be able to prepare a defense that could in turn embarrass the Ugandan government. With a traditional system, the Acholi are believed to be more primitive and would only involve countries in the regional conflict instead of outsiders. The traditional system is designed to “facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation within communities” and would not provide Kony and the LRA with a platform to defend against the Acholi..