On Wednesday, June 24, 1981, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) attacked civilians who had taken refuge at Ombaci College, four kilometres from Arua town in Uganda’s West Nile sub-region. The “Ombaci Massacre” eventually claimed the lives of close to 100 people and left countless wounded.
In 2013, the Justice and Reconciliation Project be- gan conducting research for a report which would document the events of that day, its aftermath and the recommendations of the survivors and their descendants. It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing (see an excerpt on page 18), JRP’s 20th Field Note, details how today the remnants of this massacre still exist for many of the survivors of the massacre: the children that were orphaned on that day live with lost opportunities for education, financial and emotional support, while survivors who lost property continue to seek compensation.
Many survivors also suffer from health complications and injures. As such, it is evident that reparations form a significant part of the call for redress for survivors of the Ombaci massacre, however a recurring theme that surfaced among them was the call for reconciliation and dialogue among the different peoples of northern Uganda.
Many witnesses of the massacre have expressed the belief that the massacre was an act of revenge by the majority Acholi UNLA for the treatment the Acholi people had received at the hands of Idi Amin’s soldiers when he was in power. This was also reflected during a dialogue held at the Ombaci Catholic Mission, as part of the annual com- memoration of the massacre in June this year, many speeches by survivors, community members and political leaders called for reconciliation and dialogue between the people of Acholi and West Nile. This issue of Voices magazine examines the importance, role and implementation of regional reconciliation in the vein of that which was called for in Ombaci in northern Uganda’s transitional justice.
The Right to Know communicates the findings of a pilot study done in in Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem sub-counties in Lamwo District, to establish the circumstances under which people disappeared, examine past and present coping strategies used by the affected communities, evaluate surviving families’ needs, and provide recommendations for civil society organisations, the Ugandan government and international actors.
Overview
Increasingly, the missing victims of mass atrocities around the world are being formally recognised as a key impediment to genuine social repair and transitional justice. A recent conference organised by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) found that where a concerted effort was made to locate and identify the missing victims of mass atrocities some of these impediments were overcome. Going forward, the international community now recognises that the missing victims of past and ongoing mass atrocities are an urgent global concern that warrants a structured and sustained response that works in tandem with local government and civil society organisations. As such, the Government of Uganda and Ugandan civil society organisations, in collaboration with relevant sectors within the international community, have a legal and moral obligation to address the missing victims of Uganda’s recent civil war in order to promote genuine social repair and transitional justice in northern Uganda.
In line with these international developments, and building upon its history of working with families affected by the recent civil war, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), in collaboration with the families of the missing, launched the “Right to Know” campaign in 2012 to promote awareness of the plight of the missing and the anguish of their families. JRP has since completed a pilot study in Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem sub-counties in Lamwo District that establishes the circumstances under which people disappeared, examines past and present coping strategies used by the affected communities, evaluates surviving families’ needs, and provides recommendations for civil society organisations, the Ugandan government and international actors.
This policy brief communicates the findings of this pilot study, drawing upon individual interviews and focus group discussions with families of the missing, formerly abducted persons, cultural leaders and local government leaders. These categories of participants were chosen to gain a multidimensional understanding of the lingering challenges faced by northern Ugandans whose lives have been intimately impacted by their missing relatives. Specifically: the needs of the surviving families, their sources of information on the missing, the impact of their search for information on the community, and any cultural or governmental processes that have allowed them to move forward while living with ambiguous loss. It then draws upon outreaches conducted by JRP in communities across northern Uganda to gain a better grasp of the situation.
Key recommendations
This policy brief recommends that the Government of Uganda, in collaboration with the international community and civil society organisations (CSOs) in northern Uganda, should take the following actions:
Formally and publicly acknowledge the missing victims of war and related atrocities in northern Uganda as a prominent obstacle to social repair;
Ensure a comprehensive transitional justice policy framework and subsequent legislation that reaffirms forced disappearance as a crime against humanity and, within this legal prohibition, formally recognises the rights of the missing and their surviving families;
Establish an independent commission on missing persons to collaborate with surviving families to generate a centralised database and oversee search efforts;
Provide economic support and skills training for the families of the missing so they can better overcome their unique economic burdens; and
Support ongoing research in northern Uganda beyond Palabek toward identifying regional particularities related to the needs of families of the missing.
JRP’s Annual Report outline’s the organisation’s activities in 2013 under four key areas: 1) the preservation of memory of conflict-affected communities; 2) advocacy for locally sensitive approaches to transitional justice; 3) mobilisation of communities to engage in processes of redress, reconciliation and healing; and, 4) supporting vulnerable groups and individuals in their pursuit of justice.
After years of engaging with survivors of conflict in northern Uganda, the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s work has revealed sexual and gender based violence as one of the most complex defining characteristics of the war that took place in the region. As such, addressing the issue has proven to be one of the biggest challenges facing peace-builders. In JRP’s recent Field Note – The Beasts at Burcoro – community members describe the molestation, rape and torture both men and women suffered at the hands of the National Resistance Army’s 22nd Battalion in 1991. Over twenty years after the occurrence, many survivors still harbour the lingering effects of the attack because mechanisms designed to address their specific needs have not been provided for them. This issue of Voices magazine deals with this very relevant aspect of transitional justice today, and examines the ways in which it can be addressed. Read more here (pdf)
It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing: The Ombaci Massacre: June 24, 1981 JRP Field Note 20, June 2014
Located just 4 kilometres north-west of Arua town on the Kaya Highway/Rhino Camp Road, in Arua District is Ombaci College. On Wednesday, June 24, 1981, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) attacked civilians who had taken refuge at Ombaci Colleges, claiming the lives of close to 100 people and leaving countless wounded.
This report presents a detailed account of what took place during the Ombaci Massacre and the lasting effect it has had on the survivors based on individual interviews and focus group discussions with survivors and relatives of the victims.
The massacre was by all accounts extremely chaotic, with groups of soldiers entering from all sides of the school and mission, and roving from room to room shooting and looting. This highlights the challenges survivors continue to face and make a number of recommendations which arose from our interviews, chiefly a call for compensation of survivors, as well as support for livelihoods, education, and reconciliation.
Occupation and Carnage Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986 JRP Field Note XIX, March 2014
Namokora is located 56 kilometres east of Kitgum town and is one of the sub-counties that frequently come up when there are discussions or debates regarding state orchestrated abuses in northern Uganda. On the 19th of August 1986, the 35th Battalion of the National Resistance Army (NRA) allegedly massacred up to 71 men and women from Namokora and other surrounding sub-counties in a lorry at Wiigweng in Oryang village, and Namokora sub-county. These men and women were accused of being rebel collaborators and/or having plans to oust the newly formed NRA government in Kampala.
Herded into the lorry, over 89 civilians founded themselves being piled onto each other with hardly any space as they were driven to an unknown destination while being closely followed by a white pickup filled with armed NRA soldiers. After driving for about three kilometes, they were indiscriminately shot at, resulting in the death of 71 men and women and the injury of scores of others. Since burials did not happen immediately after the shooting most of the bodies were feasted on by dogs and other beasts within that area.
This report provides narratives of key events leading to the Namokora massacre of 1986 based on the testimonies of survivors and relatives. It also looks at developments in that community from 1986 to date and makes specific recommendations to the government and non-governmental organisations to provide compensation to the survivors of the massacre, to address the health consequences of the NRA operation in Namokora and to support the formation of a community based victims support groups.
THE JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION PROJECT came into being at a time when the conflict in northern Uganda became the focus of a discussion at the centre of which were two seemingly different points of view regarding the future of the conflict in the country. On the one hand, supporters for criminal justice processes felt the International Criminal Court’s indictments of key commanders in the Lord’s Resistance Army would provide accountability and justice for victims of the conflict. On the other, some advocates for peace negotiations argued that these indictments would prevent the end of the lengthy war. It seemed, on the face of it, to be a battle between peace and justice. Which was more important? Were they the same thing? Most importantly, what do the people that were directly affected by the conflict think? This is where JRP came in. Since 2005, JRP has succeeded in engaging victims of conflict in discussions about their needs and aspirations and played a key role in transitional justice processes and discussions. The organisation contributed to the Juba peace talks, has consistently recorded human rights abuses through the documentation of massacres and other atrocities, assisted vulnerable groups and individuals to advocate for their needs and supported com- munity-led peace-building efforts. Read more
Voices Issue 5, September 2013 – Victim participation in transitional justice
This edition of the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s quarterly magazine Voices deals with an important aspect of transitional justice – victim participation. The extent to which victims of conflict contribute to TJ processes has significant implications for policy development and the lives of grassroots communities that were affected by war. Fortunately, the Government has recognised the importance of victim participation. In May 2013, the Justice Law and Order Sector of the Government of Uganda (JLOS) asked JRP and Avocats Sans Frontiers (ASF) to conduct a victim stakeholder consultation on the recently developed TJ Policy to garner views of victims on a policy that would affect their lives. The result was a wide array of opinions that were shared and which will hopefully shape the policy to be as victim-centred as possible.
In this issue, we have articles dealing with the challenges and successes victims of conflict have experienced in organising themselves. Read more.
