Category Archives: Blog

Joining hands for regional reconciliation

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A woman speaks during a dialogue held in Abia, Aleptong district as part of JRP's Regional Reconciliation project, 5 June 2015.
A woman speaks during a dialogue held in Abia, Aleptong district as part of JRP’s Regional Reconciliation project, 5 June 2015.

The Justice and Reconciliation Project’s Regional Reconciliation initiative is a one year program designed to foster social cohesion and reconciliation in northern Uganda following the growing tension among communities in the north. Northern Uganda went through a number of conflicts and the most recent was that of LRA war that left a land mark effect on the population: the violent nature of the war caused tension among ethnic groups in northern Uganda as some ethnic groups are accusing other ethnic groups for their suffering during the war. To improve on the fragmented social fabric of life in northern Uganda, JRP’s project seeks to reconcile the people of Acholi and Lango sub regions by combining the effort of every stakeholder in peace building processes.

With funding support from USAID’s Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity and Peace program, JRP worked in four districts in northern Uganda (Amuru, Gulu, Lira and Aleptong) to foster social cohesion and reconciliation among the Acholi and the people of Lango sub-regions. In enrolling the project in the four districts, we introduced our organization and the project to districts, sub-counties, cultural institutions and civil society offices to help them understand the initiative and to seek their collaboration in fostering reconciliation within communities and between the people of Acholi and Lango. With great enthusiasm, local government officials in the districts and sub counties, CSOs, cultural and religious leaders, peace committees and victims and survivors of war all embraced the program and joined together to support regional reconciliation initiative.

“This is one area that no one has taken seriously during this post conflict reconciliation era,” said the LC III Chairperson of Agweng sub-county in Lira, “The war left societies torn apart and people are living in fear of each other including people in my area. I’m so much in support of this reconciliation project and I will give full support to the program.”

A man speaks during a community dialogue in Abia, Aleptong district as part of JRP's regional reconciliation project, 6 June 2015.
A man speaks during a community dialogue in Abia, Aleptong district as part of JRP’s regional reconciliation project, 6 June 2015.

 

In order to make total peace possible in this post conflict period, forgiveness and reconciliation are two things that needs to be emphasized. Having been hurt and violated immensely during the conflict, many individuals, communities and groups still point fingers and blame one another for making them suffer as individuals, community or as an ethnic group.

Since the introduction of regional reconciliation project in Lango and Acholi sub regions, there has been overwhelming positive responses and support from local government leaders, cultural and religious leaders and the community members to contribute to addressing the legacy of war in northern Uganda to avoid re-occurrence of further conflict. In Atiak sub-county, Amuru district, the sub-county Community Development Officer (CDO) expressed with deep sorrow the bitter relationship that exist between the Acholi people of Atiak sub county and the neighbouring Madi of west Nile that escalated due the LRA war. This has affected trade and intermarriages between the two communities. To him the reconciliation process is desperately needed in northern Uganda. While in Abia sub-county, Alebtong District, victims and survivors of war bitterly expressed their anger for bearing the consequence of the war and for not being repaired for the atrocities committed to them. However, they showed the heart to forgive and reconcile and to cooperate with other stakeholders in the social reconstruction process.

The willingness and active participation of various stakeholders in this project is a big boost to the project success and in enhancing sustainability of reconciliation process in northern Uganda. For example, CDOs, Sub- County Chiefs and LC III’s are far playing lead roles in mobilizing for reconciliation processes in each district while traditional and religious leaders are providing technical support to achieve reconciliation within communities and at regional level. Mobilization efforts and technical skills being provided by CSOs in facilitating capacity building workshops on reconciliation themes is also acknowledged in contributing to the success of regional reconciliation.

It is our hope that when this collaboration is enhanced, regional reconciliation will definitely be achieved on a silver plate.

Grace Acan is a Project Assistant with the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s Community Mobilisation department.

How the people of Odek are remembering the past and honoring their loved ones

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A sign for Odek Primary School in Gulu District.
A sign for Odek Primary School in Gulu District.

Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. It is also the process of creating meaning over the past events. In lay man’s term I can say that ‘making the past becoming part of me i.e. looking at the past conflict events positively’. Memorialisation is honoring the lives of people or events by preserving memories which is one of the key parts of transitional justice that is vital for promoting recognition and acknowledgement of past violations of human rights and also bringing healing, reconciliation to those whose rights were violated.

Odek is a sub-county located in the eastern direction of Gulu District in northern Uganda near to the border between Lango and Acholi that was also severely affected by the two decade war. It is also the birth place of the LRA leader Joseph Kony the LRA leader. This is one area that also experienced two remarkable massacres that were perpetrated by both government soldiers and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Last year, JRP documented the experiences of the community in its field note, “Forgotten Victims”.

For long, the people of Odek have spoken about wanting to honor their loved ones who were massacred during the conflict. This year, with support from USAID-SAFE, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) is working with Odek as one of seven northern Ugandan communities that will be supported to implement a memory project.

To do this a Community Reconciliation (CORE) team, a team of five people that were selected to represent Odek community from the Kica Ber (forgiveness is good) group, were trained on various topics and among which was Memory and Memorialization. During the training, the team went through a process to come out with what their ideal memory project would be, which they chose as the construction of a monument.

During our recent monitoring and support visit, the chairman Local Counselor (LC) III of Odek said: ‘For long the community of Odek has desired to have a monument constructed here and at last we are going to have one. I am very grateful to JRP for their interventions here in Odek. The first one was the documentation of the Odek massacres that created awareness to other groups like the ICC [which] has now visited Odek to seek our opinion on Dominic Ongwen’s case.’

JRP will continue to work with Odek as part of the project ‘Across Ethnic Boundaries: Promoting Regional Reconciliation in Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions’ which aims to promote conflict memory and promote reconciliation at community and regional level through community and public dialogues as well as training on transitional justice. Other communities JRP is working with are Lukodi, Burcoro, Atiak, Parabongo, Abia and Barlonyo.

Acknowledging children born of war on the Day of the African Child

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On the International Day of the African Child, 16 June, special attention needs to be paid to children born of war.
On the International Day of the African Child, 16 June, special attention needs to be paid to children born of war.

Every June 16, African Union member states and their partners celebrate the International Day of the African Child (DAC) to renew efforts to improve the lives of children on the continent. In its petition presented to the Gulu District Local Government (GDLG) in August 2013, 73 members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) emphasized the challenges they are facing in caring for their children born in captivity (CBC) and of conflict-related rape. They called for comprehensive bursary packages for these children, training for teachers on how to best support these children, psychosocial support for the children, and changes in laws that require knowledge of paternal lineages. In response to this presentation, the GDLG supported the WAN in presenting a follow-up petition before the Parliament of Uganda in Kampala, which ultimately resulted in a resolution being passed by the Parliament on the plight of persons affected by the war in northern Uganda. Prayers 7 and 8 of the resolution call on Government to instate a regional mechanism to “identify, integrate and regularise stateless children born in captivity” and review laws that require information on the paternity of a child to disclosed.

Recognising the necessity to better understand the needs of these “children born of war” (CBW), a term we have adopted to refer to any child conceived as a result of conflict-related sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV), JRP set out last year to consult WAN members and their local leaders on the needs and challenges facing CBW and their mothers. Among 380 the WAN members who participated, we documented 437 children conceived out of an act of conflict SGBV against their mothers during the war, with 88% of the fathers believed to have been members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and 12% of the fathers believed to have been members of the State’s National Resistance Army (NRA) or Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).

Major challenges facing CBW include: stigmatisation and rejection, trauma and behavioural challenges, inability to meet basic needs, identity, and access to land. Further, we learned that there are unique gender dimensions to the needs of CBW, with female CBW being more susceptible to sexual exploitation and abusive marriages, and male CBW being without resources for dowry and land to settle on once married. Both male and female CBW of school-going-age face challenges with school fees. Local leaders we spoke to reported being aware of CBW in their communities, but suggested lack of data is an obstacle to the development of programmes and policies that benefit them. There is a general belief among local leaders that CBW and their mothers access more existing programmes than they do in reality.

Today, in honor of the Day of the African Child, JRP has released a briefing on the consultation findings and recommendations, titled, Alone like a Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda. Key findings include:

  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support to women as they provide to male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

The WAN and JRP encourage additional efforts by local and national government authorities to recognise CBC and other categories of CBW, such as children born of rape by state forces, and the development and implementation of measures to meet their needs and deliver redress and justice for the human rights violations they and their mothers have faced.

Read JRP’s situational brief on children born of war here.

ICD outreach on Thomas Kwoyelo

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Kwoyelo with Wardens
Kwoyelo arrives at the Gulu court building on Nov. 11, 2011

In April 2015, the Ugandan Supreme Court held that former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo could be tried at the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda (the ICD). On 27 May, Avocats Sans Frontières and judges from the ICD held an outreach session meeting with victim and civil society organisations in Gulu town followed by a community outreach session with Lukodi village on the 28th of May with people who suffered during the LRA massacre attack on Lukodi village on the 19th May 2004. The purpose of the outreach was to introduce the ICD court to the communities and to discuss the way forward for Thomas Kwoyelo’s case.

In Lukodi, the people present included orphans, widows and widowers among others. The four ICD judges that conducted the outreach included Justices Nahamwa and Mukizi Ezekiel and during the session, they informed participants about the background of the ICD, including when it was formed and the law applicable to its jurisdiction. Justice Mukizi also highlighted the work of the Justice, Law and Order Sector of the Government of Uganda (JLOS) and police in the contributions they make to the court and said that the ICD court is not the government but rather a small part of the government which was formed to address capital crimes to stop impunity.

According to the judge, the first objective of the court is to try the case and make sure that if enough evidence is presented to the court that an accused person such as Kwoyelo would be convicted. Objective two is aimed at taking into account the rights of the victims and giving them an opportunity to be heard, which he said would be unlike traditional courts and allow them to testify and give evidence of their experiences, be present in court and be provided for their suffering in terms of compensation or reparation. 

The judges pronounced that their duties are bound by the law and that they have international standards to follow when a person is brought to court for a fair trial. Kwoyelo, they said, is also entitled to a lawyer for representation and to be allowed witnesses to support his case. If enough evidence is found to support him, he would not be convicted. His trial will be referred to Gulu where all people would be welcome to participate. Judge Nahamwa said that he is encouraging victims to report crimes to the police and JLOS for investigation though they can either choose to report the crimes or not.

During the outreach, Justice Mukizi pointed out that while there has been a provision for amnesty for LRA returnees, there are some crimes, such as those alleged to have been committed by Kwoyelo, which the Supreme Court confirms that amnesty cannot be extended to because of the graveness of the offences alleged to have been committed. The judge mentioned that Kwoyelo is charged with 52 counts of crimes against humanity and if there are victims who suffered according to his acts, they are called upon to come up and offer evidence to the court. Any efforts, he said, will help to stop impunity so that the acts are punished.

 

 

Working for gender-just reparations

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Members of the Women's Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project prepare to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face.
Members of the Women’s Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project prepare to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face.

Since 2012, the Women’s Advocacy Network has worked to advocate for the inclusion of war-affected women’s reparations and accountability, to promote and respect of the rights of children born of war and to empower and build the capacity of its members to be more effective leaders. Last March, WAN successfully presented a petition to Parliament through the Uganda Women Parliamentarian’s Association seeking its intervention in addressing issues and challenges faced by war-affected women in the Acholi sub-region. That petition and others presented by other similar organisations working to provide redress for victims of the LRA insurgency were consolidated and resulted in a Parliamentary resolution on 9 April 2014.

In order to ensure that the resolutions adopted by Parliament are put into action, WAN and the Justice and Reconciliation Project are carrying out a campaign to ensure the inclusion of gender-just and age inclusive reparations in national policies and programmes in Uganda. As part of the campaign, WAN and JRP intend to meet policy-makers to ensure that interim measures will be set up to address the issues war-affected women and their children face as the Ugandan government works to implement Parliament’s resolution.

This May, WAN accompanied by staff from JRP’s Gender Justice team traveled to Kampala to meet with Delta Partnership, consultants brought on by the Office of the Prime Minister to assist with the third phase of Uganda’s Peace, Recovery and Development Plan. The objective of the meeting was to inform the consultants about the challenges faced by the war affected women and children of northern Uganda so that such needs and challenges are catered for in the design of the new PRDP and other government programmes. During the meeting, we discussed the priority of needs of war affected women that comprise WAN and that only being indicative but also reflective of the needs of other war-affected women based on assessment JRP carried out in April.

We also paid a courtesy call at Uganda Women’s Parliamentary Association and the Uganda Law Reform Commission to discuss how existing and upcoming programs can benefit war affected women and children of northern Uganda. We also requested for a meeting with the office of the Prime Minister to get involved in the campaign. During these visits, we also got leads on other gainful strategies for the petition follow up.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the WAN and JRP’s campaign to ensure gender just reparations in Uganda here.

What justice means for the communities tied to Dominic Ongwen’s case

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The memorial site for the Lukodi massacre of 2004. JRP.
The memorial site for the Lukodi massacre of 2004. JRP.

In early March this year, the JRP team visited the villages of Lukodi and Coorom to find out what community members there think about former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen and his case at the International Criminal Court. Because people in Lukodi have been wrangling with the after-effects of an LRA massacre that killed between 40 and 60, people there call out openly for solutions to the challenges they face. In addition to being victims of the attack, many there lost property, family and numerous opportunities to improve their lives. For Lukodi, justice means compensation and government accountability.

People in Coorom in Amuru district were more wary about speaking with strangers. Coorom is the village from which Dominic Ongwen hails and because its most famous son is someone that was indicted by the ICC for seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, people there are afraid that their association with Ongwen may lead to revenge attacks by other communities or government forces. Justice for Coorom means protection, a fair hearing for Ongwen and support for the many children that have been orphaned by the war.

Before visiting these communities we were aware of the conflicting views that people in northern Uganda, and in particular in Acholi, have towards Ongwen. Acholi religious leaders argue that Ongwen’s status as someone that was abducted as a child and ostensibly forced to commit the crimes he is accused of make him a victim of the war rather than a perpetrator. The other view that is held is that holding Ongwen accountable is an important step in addressing impunity for international crimes. These two sets of views were also reflected in the communities we spoke with. Survivors of the Lukodi massacre want Ongwen to be tried and convicted so that they can receive compensation for their losses, regardless of how young he was when he was abducted. People in Coorom, on the other hand, were adamant that Ongwen should not be the person tried at the ICC. Instead, government forces and the commanders that abducted him should be held accountable for what happened during the LRA conflict.

Despite these differences, the two communities shared a similarity in one key area: the importance of traditional justice and reconciliation. People in both communities don’t see a possible trial of Ongwen as an end to addressing the war. Rather, Acholi traditional ceremonies that emphasise reconciliation, such as mato oput and gomo tong, were spoken of as lasting solutions and as just as important as formal court processes. Both communities also spoke of the need to reconcile with other communities, with Lukodi proposing a dialogue between community leaders there and with elders from Coorom, to sort out any differences that may arise from the ICC case. Similarly, in Coorom people call for reconciliation between their community and other places that suffered during the war. Ultimately, for both these communities justice means more than the ICC.

Read JRP’s situational brief ‘Community Perceptions on Dominic Ongwen’ here.

Women establishing a new peace agenda

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From 26 April to the 2May 2015, Women’s Advocacy Network chairperson Evelyn Amony and I travelled to The Hague to attend a conference organised by the Women’s International League for peace and Freedom (WILPF). The trip was organised by Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ). This conference was aimed at bringing together hundreds of women peacemakers from all over the world to establish a new peace agenda for the 21st century. Members who attended the meeting joined other international activists to celebrate the work of women peace makers all over the world. One of the outcomes of the conference was a resolution condemning bombing, blockading and the use of explosive weapons in populates areas in Yemen.

During this period we also attended the launch for the WIGJ publication Women’s Voices.  During the launch of the WIGJ publication Evelyn shared her experience as a female survivor of the war in northern Uganda and discussed  how she has managed to pick up and become an advocate for gender justice r with other women.  She also shared about the work of the Women’s Advocacy Network.

We also participated in an open lecture at the Interntional Criminal Court premises with the prosecutors, investigators, analysts and advisors to the prosecutor on the conflict in northern Uganda. We shared our experience working towards ensuring victim-centred justice with the ICC team, including the aspect of reparation, reconciliation and victim’s involvement.  We also shared about the dynamics of the conflict in northern Uganda were a victim can also at the same time a perpetrator.

Read more about the work of the Women’s Advocacy Network here.

How important is regional reconciliation for Acholi and Lango?

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Conducting a survey on regional reconciliation in Lukodi, 17 April 2015. JRP.
Conducting a survey on regional reconciliation in Lukodi, 17 April 2015. JRP.

In April, JRP’s Community Mobilisation team conducted an opinion survey to assess the need for regional reconciliation in seven different communities in Acholi and Lango. With support from USAID-SAFE, the survey is part of a wider project JRP is implementing that deals with ensuring effective reconciliation between different communities in northern Uganda following conflict.

The survey was conducted to seek an understanding of the gaps that exist in securing reconciliation, to assess community perceptions on the need for reconciliation, and to identify mechanisms that could be adopted to foster reconciliation within these communities and across ethnic groups of northern Uganda.

This survey was conducted with 207 people in seven locations of Acholi and Lango Sub-regions – Atiak, Lukodi, Burcoro, Odek, Parabongo, Barlonyo and Abia – between 15 and 29 April 2015. Respondents of the survey were victims and survivors of war, members of peace committees, religious and traditional Leaders, members of the community and local government leaders.

During the survey, we observed growing bitterness among the communities. Many people in Lango, for instance, blame communities in Acholi for their suffering, which we identified as a possible conflict trigger. The survey also helped us realise that there are still many people that need medical help to deal with remains of bullets and other injuries to their bodies from the violence that occurred during the war. Although this was not part of the survey sought to find out, the participants freely shared with us the effect of the war on their lives. During the survey, we also realised that many in these communities still have their relatives or loved ones missing as a result of the war.

We identified that there is need to carry out a well-organised process of reconciliation in the two regions through dialogues and frequent exchange visits by the Langi to Acholi since the Langi are very bitter towards the Acholi for the suffering they went through. There is also need to look towards other regions if possible since the conflict affected the whole of northern Uganda.

Look out for the results of this survey in JRP’s forthcoming UG Reconciliation Barometer.

Victoria Nyanjura, a powerful woman

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Victoria Nyanjura featured in the May 2015 edition of Marie Claire Spain.

Victoria has been at JRP since August 2013, when she began volunteering with JRP’s Gender Justice department. Her mobilisation skills, hard work and dedication eventually led to her becoming a full time staff with JRP. As a formerly-abducted person herself she says that she is specially placed to do the work JRP does.

“There is a way that I’m strong and can understand the women,” she says, “They really feel comfortable interacting with me.”

Currently, Victoria is key in implementing JRP’s livelihood project funded by Uganda Fund through planning, ensuring activities are effected and providing support for the women’s groups. As a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network, Victoria is also involved in creating awareness for the network and engaging potential partners. She has attended numerous national and international conferences where she has presented on the needs and challenges of war-affected women and their children. In the past, she has also been responsible for coordinating Gender Justice activities, facilitating community mediation and outreach and report-writing.

“What do I enjoy about working at JRP? Working with the women. The interface. All along I had wanted to work with women and children, and now I’ve achieved what I wanted.”

Victoria graduated with a Bachelors degree in Development Studies at Kyambogo University in Kampala, where she learned about conflict-resolution and ethics, community initiatives and gender studies, all of which, she says, has contributed enormously to her work at JRP.

“I want to be a great woman,,” she admits, “I would love for the experiences I went through to open doors for somebody who cannot speak for themselves. I want to use my experience to improve the lives of many people by talking to them and giving them courage. They’ll say, ‘Victoria was this and now she is able to be this. What about me?’ They can learn from that.”

JRP is moving!

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Almost ready! JRP's new home will be occupied at the beginning of July 2015.
Almost ready! JRP’s new home will be occupied at the beginning of July 2015.

 

We’ve made memories at our current premises along Lower Churchill Drive since we moved here back in 2010, but with growth comes change. At the end of June, the Justice and Reconciliation Project will be moving to a new home owned by JRP (and still in Gulu) at Plot 176 in Koro Pida along Kampala Road near Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) at the beginning of July 2015.

Right now We’re excited about continuing to build on our work for justice and reconciliation with grassroots communities, so look out for updates and pictures in the coming months!

For anyone interested in taking up JRP’s current premises, please contact Lino Owor Ogora at ogoralino@justiceandreconciliation.com or 0772 835 076.