Tag Archives: LRA

Peace is Temporary: Highlights from the International Criminal Court Meeting in Gulu

Representatives from the International Criminal Court gave a detailed update on the trial late last month. Photo Credit, Yordanos Melake.

Cultural and religious leaders, representatives of civil society organisations and district officials and chiefs met with two officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutions Office in Gulu on Tuesday, November 27. The meeting was organized by the ICC’s outreach team, based in Kampala.

The objective of this meeting was to provide updates to the relevant stakeholders on the on-going trial proceedings of alleged Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) Commander Dominic Ongwen and to discuss concerns. The ICC representatives of the Prosecutions Office also answered audience questions. This fits in with a many other outreach initiatives by the ICC, including rural screenings and discussions, to better link the affected community and the court.

The meeting was characterized by constructive and critical questions raised by the audience and with a high level of participation and engagement. Since Gulu has been heavily affected by the LRA insurgency, community leaders and members showed great interest in following the current trial and the national discourse surrounding it.

After a brief introduction from all participants, the ICC representatives summarized the key elements and points from the current state of the trial.

The trial against Ongwen began in December of 2016. Ongwen is accused of 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed in northern Uganda.

The Prosecution has completed its presentation of evidence and legal representatives of victims have called witnesses to testify before the chamber.  In September of 2018, the Defence made its opening statement and began presenting evidence on October 1.  So far, twelve out of 60 witnesses of the Defence have been heard. The remaining witnesses and testimonies are expected to be concluded in the end of 2019.

A judgement is estimated to be made in 2021.

Key issues of the Defence during the opening speech as well as witness presentation have included the following:

  • Provision of an understanding of the Acholi culture and the conflict in northern Uganda
  • The role of Spiritualism within the LRA and its impact on abductees
  • The relationship between Ongwen and LRA leader Joseph Kony.
  • The role of and crimes committed by the Government Forces
  • The coercive environment and the fact that Ongwen was himself a victim

The importance of traditional Acholi values and the destruction of these values due to attacks on and abductions of civilians have also been highlighted.

Additionally, Ongwen is charged with crimes on grounds of gender-based sexual violence. The defence has claimed that men also had no choice other than taking the women, due to the orders given. This view is not shared with the Prosecution since women were not only distributed to soldiers and combatants as wives, but were also victims of forced marriage and sex slaves.

For their part, witnesses of the Defence have concentrated on crimes and atrocities committed by other actors than the LRA, such as the Ugandan Government. The lack of a solid basis of evidence at the current moment for such claims led the Prosecution to not investigate the allegations.

The Prosecution is also aware that crimes have been committed against men during the conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan Government. It did not, however, perceive these crimes as systematic and widespread.

The introduction of spiritualism during the trial has caused the Prosecution to use careful tactics during to cross-examination. Spiritualism played a vital role for the LRA and more importantly for the abductees. The indoctrination of children into the armed group has included spiritual practices which reinforced the belief that Kony can predict the future. This made any attempts to escape impossible and severely punishable.

The complexity of bringing the spirit world to the court room caused the prosecution to use limited cross examination tactics when engaged with these witnesses, avoiding cross examination about spirits.

Several questions were raised by community members and stakeholders during the meeting. Those included the role of victims and affected communities, as well as reparations. One CSO has strongly questioned the Court’s effort on pursuing the arrest of Kony and highlighted Ongwen’s attachment to the sole decision-maker within the LRA. Furthermore, reconciliation and healing processes within communities are still on-going and many will not find peace until justice is served. It was emphasized that peace is temporary, leading to demands for redress for victims and calls to boost ICC’s strategy for state cooperation.

The meeting gave people a platform on which to share concerns, and provided crucial information about the trial. As always, JRP will continue to share all developments as information comes to light.

 

Local Leaders Commit to Aiding Survivors of Conflict at JRP Hosted Regional Dialogue

Local leaders divide into smaller groups in order to best discuss strategies to support survivors of conflict. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Local leaders divide into smaller groups in order to best discuss strategies to support survivors of conflict. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

The Mayor of Pader Town Council, Kilama Fearless Wodacholi, folded his hands and leaned across the table. “It touched me so much that my country has not yet done enough for [the survivors], he said. “It touched me that a lot of them say the war has not ended. It is only the silence of the guns.”

Mr. Wodacholi had just come from a regional dialogue, organized by the Justice and Reconciliation Project. The meeting took place on Wednesday, October 31st and brought together local leaders from across Northern Uganda, as well as victims’ representatives. Almost 90 people attended. It was sponsored by the Trust Africa Fund and hosted at Global Friendship Hotel in Gulu Town. The goal was to discuss the challenges victims currently face, and come up with comprehensive strategies to tackle those challenges, ahead of a national conference in January.

Post -conflict restoration is an oft forgotten battle-ground.  Wars finish with an exodus. Weapons are laid away, journalists turn off their cameras and aid organizations depart. Yet, peacetime brings its own set of obstacles, and the world turns a blind eye. The exodus complete, national and international attention is diverted to problems considered more pressing.

Wednesday’s regional dialogue empowered survivors to be activists, as they illuminated post conflict issues and demanded action. A woman identified as Winnie spoke passionately about the trauma latent in her community. Many of her fellow abductees have never received counseling or medical care. They still carry the burdens of war. Daily torment rubs salt in these wounds. She described being taunted when she left her home; her movements restricted. She also claimed that there have been few initiatives to support survivors. “Our very leaders are fighting us. Do we still belong to the community, or have they rejected us?” Winnie asked. Her voice rose and her eyes were wet.

Another woman, called Lily, explained how stigma is passed on to the next generation. Children born in captivity are punished for the simple fact of their existence. Some are bullied by their classmates and teachers to the extent that they stop attending school. “They stay in fear,” she said.

Leaders were moved. “There has been a gap,” said Abia Sub-County Chief, Sylvia Ometo. “We have not been following up on our women and girls who have come back from captivity . . . when I go back [home] I will give special concern to them.”

Leaders spent the rest of the meeting developing blueprints for change. They discussed using existing structures, such as the radio, community gatherings and the church to promote acceptance, and implanting livelihood initiatives to alleviate poverty. They also spoke of gathering data on how many former abductees exist in their communities, in order to better understand the problem and allocate aid.

There were also calls to push for an act of parliament, and to support survivors of conflict via affirmative action. “The most painful thing on earth is the memory of what you saw,” said Mr. Wodacholi. “Being a slave in your own land is a very painful moment . . . to reduce the suffering of these young people, and to give them hope, there must be an act of parliament.”

Leaders took careful notes, while brainstorming new stratagies. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Leaders took careful notes, while brainstorming new strategies. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Rampant corruption, however, impedes change, particularly at the national level. “For long are we going to pretend that we are standing for the plight of vulnerable persons?” asked Chairmen LCV of Omoro, Peter Douglas Okello. He added, “We must make the parliament and government accountable to the citizens. We must have a government that is accountable to the people.” He spoke at the official close of the meeting and appealed to the collective audience.

Later, standing in the bright sun outside of the hotel, Mr. Okello recalled his time as the District Speaker of Gulu. He presided over a petition submitted to parliament by WAN. Parliament deliberated over the document, but there has been no action from the central government of Uganda. That was nearly five years ago. He indicated that in addition this stalemate, the state of corruption in Uganda is such that services are poorly delivered and money is misspent. Mr. Okello called ardently for action. “The government of Uganda and the development partners all over the world need to review the development agenda for Northern Uganda, to focus on post-conflict recovery, transformation and development,” he said.

On the whole, leaders considered the meeting a success, and remained optimistic about future proceedings. Lapono Sub-County Chief, Akullu Margaret Otto, claimed that leaders will now, “advocate so much that [survivors] should be treated as our own people.”

JRP will continue to work directly with vulnerable communities and with officials in order to develop the strategies discussed, and will bring those strategies to the national conference in January.

A previous version of this article stated that the WAN petition was submitted to parliament seven years ago, rather than five. JRP deeply regrets this error.

Community Theatre Gives a Powerful Platform to Survivors of Conflict

Community members gather to watch a theatre program in Nomakora. They share snacks and soda. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Community members gather to watch a theatre program in Nomakora. They share snacks and soda. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

The journey to Nomakora sub-county is difficult. One must first drive from Gulu towards Kitgum and from Kitgum veer off tarmac and on to red dirt roads. Rains have not come this year, and the dust seems to predict another sort of storm. Vehicles kick up enough of it to obscure everything. Dust leaves a fine film on the skin. It comes into the nose. It makes lungs feel dirty.

Justice and Reconciliation Project staff traveled to Nomakora last week, in order facilitate a community outreach program. Women’s Advocacy Network group members designed a theatre piece in order to teach their neighbors about the horrors of abduction and life in the bush. The goal was to reduce stigma within the community, by showing both the difficulty of the past and the promise of future reconciliation. The program also helps to empower women previously silenced, and gives them a powerful platform and voice.  JRP has a history of facilitating similar community theatre programs, with great success.

The afternoon sun blazed and women sat in the shade, away from the dusty road. They made props, weaving tiny AK47s from stiff grass. Children picked at the false weapons, eager for new toys. Babies nursed. A DJ arrived to set up a sound system for the program, and community leaders and other villagers arrived as well, settling into wooden chairs or simply sitting on the ground.

Before the play came a prayer for those still in the grip of the Lord’s Resistance Army. According to the LRA Crisis Tracker, sponsored and created by Invisible Children, the rebels have been active in the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo as recently as September of this year, with an attack near Yalinga, DRC. A number of children remain in captivity.

This prayer complete, a woman named Evelyn asked the community for peace. Her voice soft and earnest she said, “If you have killed everyone, who will help us? Who will be the next generation?”

The drama itself began with a portrait of daily life in the shadow of violence. Children supposed to help their mother cook begged to play outside instead. Then, without warning, they were snatched from their homes and taken to the bush. The actors mimed beatings and battles and being forced to carry guns and heavy loads.

It was not difficult to image the same scene playing out here and nearby, in the surrounding villages, and along the porous parts of maps. It was not difficult to imagine also those traumas not portrayed; to imagine the forced marriage of young girls, offered up like objects to senior commanders.

WAN group members reencact scenes of LRA captivity. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
WAN group members reencact scenes of LRA captivity. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

At last, the story came to its cautiously hopeful conclusion. Those children once supposed to help cook, returned home and to their mother. She cried out in joy and gripped them to her, but the children were too tired to speak about their experiences. “Let us rest,” they said. Family reunions were haunted by other ghosts.

While it ended with a reunion, the play made clear that a new set of challenges lay ahead. The formerly abducted face daily discrimination. Unable to finish school, they lack job skills, making it difficult to support themselves and their families. Many are victims of domestic abuse.

One woman, identified as Jennifer, spoke directly about this violence.  The program had ended and the sun was setting fiercely. We had stepped away from the crowd. Jennifer said, “Whenever [our husbands] go on a drinking spree they take that opportunity to insult us, stigmatize us and abuse us.” Her comments implied alcoholism and a lack of security, even within the home.

The war is over in Uganda, but many obstacles remain.

Counselor Five Nomakora Sub-County , Kenneth Nyero, speaks about the need to create more programs for survivors of conflict. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Counselor Five Nomakora Sub-County , Kenneth Nyero, speaks about the need to create more programs for survivors of conflict. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

As a result of the drama, local and cultural leaders and community members have become increasingly aware of the hurdles returnees must surmount. District officials are eager to ameliorate the situation. Following the drama, many made passionate speeches.

Counselor Five Nomakora Sub-County, Kenneth Nyero, seemed particularly eager to aid the formerly abducted. He was deeply moved by the program. Following his speech, we talked in more depth. The DJ had begun to play by then, and music echoed over the conversation.

Mr. Nyero hopes that the government and non-profit organizations can form long term partnerships in order to support vulnerable people, and specifically those returned from captivity. “We will work together as a team supporting humanity,” he said. “We have to support the ones who have come from the bush . . . the government does not have a specific program targeting [returnees]. If possible, there is need to design a specific program that will target these groups.”

Community members were also touched by the program. An older woman, called Anette, claimed that piece truly showed what happened in Namokora.  Her tone implied memories awakened and a sense of watching history on repeat.  Her daughter was abducted during the insurgency, but has now returned, even serving as secretary for the WAN group in Namokora.

Anette spoke little about her own experiences and past, focusing instead on the future. During the play she observed community members crying, overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. She hopes this is a sign of change to come. “There is going to be great impact for those who have the feelings,” she said.

The drama and speeches complete, Namokora returned to its normal rhythms. Children turned summersaults in the grass. Others rushed back down the road with yellow water jugs, trying to reach home before dark. The chairs were brought back. Women took advantage of the DJ and danced wildly.

Life went on.

Community members in Namokora dance, while a DJ plays. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Community members in Namokora dance, while a DJ plays. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

The drama program in Nomakora is a microcosm; one aspect of a much larger  initative. Following, JRP staff visited Lapono and Adjumani, where community theatre performances also took place. Women in Lapono shared stories of alcoholism and domestic abuse, presenting possible situations for redress through continued dialogue and active leadership. Performers in Adjumani reenacted battles, while leaders called for more services, overwhelmed by the ongoing transitional justice process and South Sudanese refugee crisis simultaneously. Meanwhile, women in Soroti staged a radio program about stigmatization.

Community members in Adjumani portray scenes of conflict. Photo credit, Sophia Neiman.
Community members in Adjumani portray scenes of conflict. Photo credit, Sophia Neiman.

According to Community Development Officer Lapono Sub-County, Bena Sarah Ongom, there is profound desire to share these dramas more widely, in order to increase their impact. “Clearly the play is based on a true picture of the community. Whatever challenges they gave in the role play, is the actual truth on the ground. I think from the good practices they picked from the drama they can be in position to improve, especially against gender based violence and how they can overcome it. We advise that this kind of play should be expanded to most of the parishes,” she said.

Community dramas speak to the fortitude of returnees and to the strength it takes to rise up and teach others, no matter how exhausting or difficult the task. They speak to the capacity for learning and forgiveness, and to the possibility of complete reconciliation within the community. They also speak to the vast scale of the problem and to the clear need for continued support; for more support. Many returnees have not been able to form non-profit supported groups, and so cannot take part in programs such as these. Thus, the performers represent a fraction of the voices and stories within the northern region.

JRP will remain invested in these communities through community theatre programs and other means, and continue to amplify marginalized voices and foster reconciliation. Information gathered will also aid the development of a best practices guide of other non-profits working with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, ultimately expanding JRP’s reach.

Women in Namokora carry chairs used in the community theatre program back home. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.
Women in Namokora carry chairs used in the community theatre program back home. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

International Criminal Court Presents Community Screenings of the Ongwen Trial

The trial of former LRA Commander Dominic Ongwen resumed on Tuesday, September 18, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, with an opening statement from the defense. Miles and miles away, Ugandans gathered around televisions and hunched over radios, following each detail of the proceedings. Many attended screening events organized by the ICC itself. The court endeavored to make the trial accessible to those people whose lives were torn apart by conflict. The Justice and Reconciliation Project hosted one such screening in the organization offices at Koro-Pida.

Some one hundred participants arrived by bus from various locations. They crammed together on white, plastic chairs. Mothers brought small children, who sat in their laps or played on the floor. The screening was near silent. Attendees only spoke during the breaks, when they shared snacks and soda, or relaxed in a courtyard.

The ICC strove to create an open space, where the community could truly engage with the trial, however distant. Eric MP Odong, a field assistant, said, “We are here to execute the mandate of the registry of the court, and to serve the victim community.”

The screening at JRP was not the first of its kind nor was it the only event in the area. Another screening, this one at Gulu District Hall, was so packed that people spilled on to the ground outside. Engagement in the case is high. “We are responding to the interest and the demand of communities, who want to follow the trial,” said Jimmy Otim, another field assistant. In fact, the ICC has organized screening events since Ongwen’s trial began two years ago. Court representatives travel to areas with little electricity and bad roads in order to disseminate information.

Many of these locations were the sight of LRA attacks. Emotions run high and memories of war are fresh. “My better half of my life is the conflict,” said Otim. “That is why I studied conflict, to understand why people suffer.” His work is personal. Otim also vividly remembers trial screenings at which community members corroborated the information on screen, pointing to places where violence occurred. As a result, counselors and facilitators are always present.

community members watch the Dominic Ongwen defnese at the JRP offices in Koro-Pida. Photo credit, Sophia Neiman
Community members watch the Dominic Ongwen defnese at the JRP offices in Koro-Pida. Photo credit, Sophia Neiman.

Responses to these screenings have been overwhelmingly positive. According to Otim, “[The community] is happy that what happened to them is being heard in an independent court, they are happy that what happened to them is being recognized. They are happy that maybe, ultimately, they’ll get justice.”

Odong agrees. “I see justice being done,” he said. “The prosecution did its part and now it is the defense’s turn. I see justice by allowing different parties to express themselves.” Odong claims he will be satisfied regardless of the outcome. “The process of the trial will have cleansed the accused, even if he is set free,” he said.

The trial culminates a longer hunt for Ongwen and his fellow rebels. More than eleven years ago, the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest, along with warrants for Vincent Otti and enigmatic leader Joseph Kony.  In 2014, Ongwen was captured along the border between South Sudan and the Central African Republic, and turned over to the court. His is a painful saga, and one that contains the complex history of the conflict itself.

Ongwen was abducted by the LRA when he was nine years old. He was walking to primary school near Gulu. Like many other young boys, he was forced to watch and later commit heinous acts, and was brutally inducted into the army. Unlike many, however, Ongwen ascended the ranks. He reached the LRA control alter and came to command the notorious Sinia Brigade. This wing of the LRA attacked internally displaced person’s camps, specifically Abok, Odek, Lukodi and Pajule. Ongwen himself is charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including abducting children to use as soldiers and sex slaves.

Thus, Ongwen can be cast as both victim and perpetrator; a man whose life was altered by the conflict, and a man who altered the lives of others. He is also the first and lowest ranking member of the LRA to be tried internationally. Kony is still at large. Otti is presumed dead.

Seeing such a man stand trial can be divisive and upsetting. Some want him in jail, punished for years of havoc, while others believe he was boy brainwashed, and so deserves amnesty. Many community members are former abductees themselves, and do not understand why they have been forgiven and Ongwen has not.

Andrew Simbo has worked in transitional justice in both Uganda and Sierra Leone. He is currently the executive director of Uganda Women’s Action Program. The organization helps to bring more women and children to the ICC screenings. He claims that communities have now become fully reintegrated, “Those who actually carried out the atrocities are in the communities now. They have been given amnesty. They are the boda boda riders; some are musicians. They are there. They have been integrated into the community,” He added, passionately, “people have moved on.” While UWAP remains a neutral body, Simbo asserts it can be difficult to explain the mere fact of Ongwen’s charges to community members.

Justin Ocan, a community representative from Lukodi, believes that the screenings themselves will lead to a better future. “We tell these populations that this is also a learning environment, because we need to learn this time, so that you transfer the knowledge you gained from this screening to your children, so that in the future they don’t engage themselves in such kinds of practices,” he said.

Regardless of what the court decides, or even of divided opinions, one thing is certain. Sharing information, and making that information accessible, is crucial. It brings people together. It binds them in knowledge and informed conversation. It cements community. Justice itself is a long and twisting process, and its outcomes can never be universally satisfying. Yet, Ocan puts it beautifully, if simply: “Justice is a collective effort to attain a peaceful life.”

As the trial continues, people of many different opinions, can come together and watch it unfold.

Standing together with the community of Atiak

Laying a wreath at the memorial prayers for the Atiak massacre of 1995 on 20 April 2017. Credit: Patrick Odong/JRP.
Laying a wreath at the memorial prayers for the Atiak massacre of 1995 on 20 April 2017. Credit: Patrick Odong/JRP.

As longstanding partners with the community of Atiak, we at the Justice and Reconciliation Project felt it was important to join the commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the Lord’s Resistance Army’s massacre here today.

As an organization, we envision a just and peaceful society and believe that it is only by involving and empowering grassroots communities that this can be achieved.

We also believe in the use of commemoration as an important tool. It can be used to help people heal and reconcile. It can also be used to advocate for justice as well as redress for victims and the wider community.

As such, we see the theme of “moving towards economic empowerment amidst torture” as chosen for today, as a call for us all to continue to work together as community members, local and national government, non-governmental organisations and other partners.

As we remember the loss of our loved ones on 20 April 1995, we ask that we all continue to join hands to work for justice and reconciliation. JRP remains committed to support justice, accountability and reconciliation efforts of conflict affected people and we shall always be there for and with victims.

Lukodi: justice and reparation can bring healing and reconciliation

A man speaks during a dialogue in Lukodi village, Gulu on 2 June 2016. Credit: Niklas Jakobsson/Let's Talk, Uganda
A man speaks during a dialogue in Lukodi village, Gulu on 2 June 2016. Credit: Niklas Jakobsson/Let’s Talk, Uganda

On the 19 May 2004, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) raided the village of Lukodi, and carried out a massacre that led to the deaths of over sixty people. Lukodi village is located seventeen kilometres north of Gulu,. It is one of the many villages in northern Uganda that suffered from persistent LRA attacks.

On 2 June, Let’s Talk, Uganda – a platform for conversations about justice and reconciliation – organised a dialogue with the people of Lukodi. The message from the 160 attendees was clear: “When gross human rights violations occur, then justice and reparation can bring healing and reconciliation”. The objective of the dialogue was to gather community perceptions and stories from the community. Ahead of the dialogue, the community members suggested a list of topics they wanted to discuss:

  1. Do you think it is important to repair the lives of people after the conflict?
  2. Can justice bring healing?
  3. Is it right for forgiveness to take place after a conflict or problem has occurred?
  4. Is the government thinking about the people in Lukodi?
  5. Is it right to provide counselling for people in war-affected areas?

 

Some of the issues that arose during the dialogue were that for forgiveness and reconciliation to take place, there is need for justice to prevail and reparations to occur.  A community member said ‘where killings have taken place and there is so much sorrow then justice must first prevail. Then the heart of forgiveness can be there. Justice brings about healing. The government should pay families that lost their people to bring about healing.’

Community Voices

Another said ‘forgiveness is very difficult when there has been a mass killing.  In my opinion, there should be forgiveness for justice to occur.  I can forgive if someone accepts the wrong they did and justice has prevailed. When killings take place and there is so much sorrow, then justice must prevail for the heart of forgiveness to be there.’

Another said ‘if your life is repaired, you can heal. Those who committed crimes should be punished’. Members cried out that these steps should not be delayed. A woman said ‘many people are dying. More than 50 people who filled in the form have died’.

Communities also said that psycho-social support is an important aspect of reparations. However, they also said that counselling and psycho-social support should be coupled with economic support. One participant said ‘even if you are counselled, as soon as the counselling is finished and you cross the road, you will be reminded that you have no wealth, your child is being chased from school. She/he may sleep hungry’. They also attributed the use of traditional justice mechanisms to support people in rebuilding life after violations occur.

A long and painful conflict

Northern Uganda has experienced conflict for over twenty years, the result of a civil war waged mainly between the rebels of the LRA and the government of Uganda (GoU). The impact of the conflict has been devastating, with over 1.8 million people forced into IDP camps. There has been tremendous loss of lives and the abduction of over 38,000 children by the LRA to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves. Lukodi, like many other villages in northern Uganda, was severely affected by the conflict.

Today, the community is still facing the brunt of the conflict and this dialogue is designed to highlight the challenges they continue to face. The goal is to generate a conversation throughout the country in order to create awareness and a lobbying mechanism for support.

This article was originally published on Let’s Talk, Uganda.

Living in unity and seeking justice – Lukodi massacre survivors to hold memorial prayers

Lukodi massacre memorial 2015-05-19 (38) 2

On 19 May 2016 survivors of the Lukodi massacre with the chiefdom of Patiko, Ker Kal Kwaro Patiko, members of the community and well wishers will host their annual prayers to commemorate the 2004 LRA massacre.

The theme of this years event is “living in unity and seeking justice” and it will take place at Lukodi P7 School in Bungatira sub-county just outside of Gulu.

 

TJ Monitor: Thomas Kwoyelo trial postponed to July

Thomas Kwoyelo Timeline

 

The trial of alleged Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo, which was supposed to start today in Gulu, 2 May 2016, has been postponed to 18 July. Four weeks ago, the Registrar in charge of Special Projects and the ICD, Harriet Ssali Lule, alluded to the possibility that the trial may be postponed because planned outreach with victims had not been conducted by the prosecution team. According to reports, Kwoyelo has already been transferred from prison in Kampala to Gulu and will attend a “formal postponement of the trial”.

Monuments in Odek and Burcoro bring communities full circle

When the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s Documentation team began working with the community of Odek in Gulu district in 2014, the sense was that the community wanted acknowledgment for the many violations they experienced during the war. As the ancestral home of LRA commander Joseph Kony, the area suffered the stigma of that association, and many there said that their experiences had been ignored over the years.

A similar feeling was held in Burcoro, a village in Awach sub-county, for survivors of an NRA operation where civilians, accused of being rebel supporters, were tortured, sexually violated, abducted and killed over the course of four days in April 1991.

So when this past week, the JRP’s Community Mobilisation department worked with those two communities to launch monuments to commemorate those experiences, it felt like the communities calls had come full circle.

In Odek, at the sub-county headquarters, on a white-tiled block the names of 44 people that died during an attack by the LRA on an internally-displaced persons’ camp there on 29 April 2004 are listed on a plaque (the LRA’s massacre, and other experiences are documented in JRP’s 2014 field note, “Forgotten Victims: Recounting Atrocities Committed in Odek sub-county by the LRA and NRA”). Clan chief Rwot Ocan Jimmy Luwala of Puranga and Gulu District Council Speaker, Okello Douglas Peter Okao, joined the community, survivors and relatives of the victims to officially launch this monument on 2 December 2015.

A week later, on 8 December, Burcoro Primary School – the scene of the NRA’s 1991 operation – also hosted community members, survivors and relatives to launch a monument in the shape of a tree for their experiences. The tree symbolizes the community’s experiences, in particular the place where a man called Kapere Alfoncio, who was accused of being a rebel, was shot and killed by fire squad on the final days of the operation. The launch of the monument was also used to share JRP’s field note “The Beasts at Burcoro”, which recounts events that took place, with the community.

Following a blessing of the monument by religious leaders in Burcoro, Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Gulu, Okot Lapolo, received a memorandum from the Burcoro 1991 Military Operation Survivors Association addressed to Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, and calling for support. The RDC promised to deliver it to the president and to remind him about pledges he made in 2011 to provide compensation.

Survivors, relatives of victims, invited guests and the JRP team pose infront of the monument for the atrocities committed in Burcoro by the NRA in April 1991.

Now that both communities have their experiences documented and have monuments in place, they plan to host memorial prayers at their respective monument sites in the future to commemorate the events.

“Many people were thinking that their plight was not known but now they feel relieved,” a survivor of the Burcoro incident told me, “What was disturbing was the [fear that because the Burcoro incident was state-led] that if you exposed yourself as a victim, you may be in trouble.”

See pictures of both launches on JRP’s Facebook page.

Oryem Nyeko is the Communications and Advocacy Team Leader at JRP.

Holding Dominic Ongwen’s confirmation of charges hearing in The Hague is a missed opportunity

Community members participate in a memorial for the Lukodi massacre of 2004, Lukodi 19 May 2015.
Community members participate in a memorial for the Lukodi massacre of 2004, Lukodi 19 May 2015.

For many years the issue of justice related to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)-Government of Uganda war has been a farfetched dream for communities affected by it until the recent arrest and transfer of alleged LRA commander Dominic Ongwen to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On the 28th of October 2015, however, the Presidency of the International Criminal Court (ICC) made a decision that a confirmation of charges hearing for Dominic Ongwen’s case scheduled for 21 January 2016 will be held at the seat of the court in The Hague and not in Gulu town as had been recommended by the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber II. This is disappointing because holding the hearing in the community affected by the atrocities for which Ongwen is alleged to have been responsible for was a huge opportunity to provide closure for victims.

In northern Uganda, there is a disconnect between the ICC and the communities to which it aims to serve. Despite outreach programs on the ICC, many people here do not understand the work of the court and the justice remedies it can deliver to them. This gap between the affected community and the court could have been filled by holding this hearing in Gulu since it would have brought the justice process closer to them while allowing the work of the court to be experienced by people who have been affected by the conflict. It would have gone a long way to address negative perceptions about the court which are held by many people in the communities in northern Uganda and in Africa in general. Also, it would have been an opportunity to stir up action on justice processes in Uganda such as stalled proceedings at the International Crimes Division of the Ugandan High Court.

That said, the ICC Presidency’s decision not to hold the confirmation of the charges hearings in Uganda during the peak of the political season is a good one given the brutality, chaos and violence that is usually associated with Uganda’s election period. In the past, Uganda’s political campaigns and elections have been marred with violence which could possibly interfere with the court processes.

Nevertheless, it is important that the court continues to work to find ways to bring its work closer home in the future.

Nancy Apiyo is a project officer with JRP’s Gender Justice department.