Since the late 1980s, Uganda has rebounded from the abyss of civil war and economic catastrophe to become relatively peaceful, stable and prosperous. But the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the north remain blighted by an internal armed conflict with a notorious non-state armed group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

In the 1970s and 1980s, Uganda was notorious for its human rights abuses, first during the military dictatorship of Idi Amin in 1971-1979 and then after the return to power of Milton Obote, who had been ousted by Amin. Since becoming president in 1986 Yoweri Museveni has introduced democratic reforms and has been credited with substantially improving human rights, notably by reducing abuses by the army and the police.

The president was criticised for Uganda's military involvement, along with five other countries, in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo's 1998-2003 civil war. DR Congo accuses Uganda of maintaining its influence in the mineral-rich east of the country. Uganda says DR Congo has failed to disarm Ugandan rebels on its soil. Parliament abolished a constitutional limit on presidential terms in 2005, paving the way for Mr Museveni to seek a third elected term and alarming some Western donors.

The LRA has perpetrated massacres and mutilations in the north for nearly two decades. The group's leader has said he wants to run the country along the lines of the biblical ten commandments. The violence has displaced more than 1.6 million people and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or kidnapped. The UN estimates that the group has abducted 20,000 children.

The LRA and government signed a permanent cease-fire in February 2008 aimed at ending the long-running conflict. However, a final peace agreement remained elusive, with rebel leader Joseph Kony repeatedly failing to attend signing ceremonies.

^{This overview is adapted from the BBC online country profile of Uganda.}