Following a violent post-independence period, Uganda gained relative peace and economic growth with the rise to power of President Yoweri Museveni and his non-party National Resistance Movement in 1986. However, President Museveni has been accused of suppressing multiparty democracy, allowing human rights violations to be committed by the military and involvement in conflicts in neighbouring countries. Since 1987, the notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been using terror tactics on local populations in its fight against government forces in northern Uganda and, more recently, across the border.

In January 2000, the Ugandan parliament established the Amnesty Commission in an effort to build security in Uganda. By the end of 2008, nearly 23,000 rebels had received amnesty. (Read more about the commission.)

In December 2003, President Museveni requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate war crimes committed by the LRA in northern Uganda. The ICC has charged several LRA commanders with crimes against humanity and war crimes. (Read more about the ICC cases.)

In 2008, Uganda set up an International Crimes Division within the High Court to facilitate prosecutions of those accused of committing war crimes in the north. (Read more about the International Crimes Division.)

The use of traditional mechanisms rather than blanket amnesty or prosecutions continues to shape dialogue related to justice and peacebuilding in Uganda. For example, mato oput, a northern Ugandan traditional justice process, has been used to promote reconciliation and reintegrate former LRA rebels into communities.

In May 2010, the United States Congress passed a bill obliging it to aid the Ugandan government in tracking down and dismantling the LRA, as well as rebuilding communities affected by the conflict.