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.
GULU – Children born of war and their mothers still face challenges reintegrating into their communities and families in northern Uganda. This was the key message sent during a dialogue between cultural leaders and war-affected women organized by the Women and Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project on 28 April 2016 in Gulu.
The event, which brought together participants from Acholi, Lango, Teso and West Nile, offered a space for women survivors of conflict to share their experiences with representatives of cultural institutions from the Greater North.
The dialogue was punctuated by a presentation from the WAN members appealing to cultural leaders to help reintegrate children born of war into their communities.
Nighty, a member of the WAN, spoke about how when she returned home from the captivity of the LRA she discovered that a child of hers she had been separated from had been mistakenly placed in the home of another family on his return.
“I would like you, my elders, to help let my child come back home,” she asked the cultural leaders in attendance.
The WAN spoke at length about the difficulties they and their children are undergoing today. Many children are unable to trace their patrilineal lines and are consequently unable to access land and other life necessities that are linked to their fathers.
On their return home, some children have either not been reunited with their actual families or have been taken in by the wrong families. As explained by WAN Chairperson Evelyn Amony, this has partly been so because while in captivity their parents would have used fake names to protect their families back home. On return, this has created a problem for mothers, fathers and children eager to trace families that were separated.
Poverty also was cited as the biggest social problem facing children born of war and their children, with facilitating education and health care provision being very hard if not impossible. The issue of land is yet another problem, with children and their mothers landless due to stigma and poor community acceptance.
In attendance of the event was His Highness Drani Stephen Musali Izakare, the Lopirigo of Madi, who appealed to the cultural leaders present to address the issues that arose during the discussion.
“Culture is not static, [it] is dynamic and cultural change is inevitable and welcome where change is needed,” he said, “In Madi, there’s no right way to have a child because children are all of ours.”
At the close of the event, the WAN members and the cultural leaders in attendance worked together to come up with action points for how cultural institutions could be better involved in the reintegration of children born of war.
Some of the commitments generated during the group discussions included to hold clan meetings to create clan laws that would prohibit stigma within communities, integrating war-affected women and their children into cultural leadership at community level and collectively engaging the Ugandan government to address the issues raised.
The meeting was held as part of a JRP project aimed at ensuring the reintegration of children born of war through family reunions in partnership with the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and the Women’s Advocacy Network.
By Benard Okot, with additional writing from Oryem Nyeko
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”.
JRP’s 23rd Field Note, We Are All the Same: Experiences of children born into LRA captivity documents the views, experiences and hopes of 29 children living in the urban centre of Gulu over the course of a three year project. In this blog, researcher Beth W. Stewart reflects on the process and the lessons learned from the children that participated.
“I want to ask, why are you writing this?”
Every year the same boy asked us this same question. To my research assistant and I, the reason seems obvious: children born into the LRA, like this boy, have unique identities, experiences, and needs that are both valuable to society to understand and necessary to address. But to this boy, and the other children like him, they are just children. They laugh, love, play, learn, and dream just like everyone else. Children are children, no matter where they come from, no matter who their fathers are. And yet, there are aspects of their lives that are unquestionably unique and undoubtedly shaped by their pasts and identities. Doing a long term project with the same group of children has provided a rare and intimate look into the children’s special lives revealing why we should care about them.
The project that informed this Field Note began in 2011 after many mothers who had children born in LRA captivity repeatedly requested attention for their children. They wanted to raise awareness of their children’s needs and fight the stigma they faced. Once the project began, JRP became the safe space where the children gathered, away from prying eyes and ears. It became the one place in their lives where everyone could be open about that part of themselves, about their pasts and identities that they normally had to keep secret to avoid stigma. Also significant to the children, JRP became synonymous with a place for play. Through play and open sharing, the children made important new friends. For years now, the children have supported each other in numerous ways, from listening when times got hard to sharing their bed when the other had none. The children, who are now quickly becoming adults, continue to meet and support each other almost five years on.
An exceptional aspect of the project is not only the connections made between the participants, but also the trust and care that grew between the participants and the researchers. It’s common for research projects to begin then leave shortly thereafter, especially in war-affected areas. But this project has persisted, resulting in meaningful relationships and giving the researchers important insight into the more nuanced and vulnerable dynamics of the children’s lives. The project’s research assistant, Aloyo Proscovia, has been the crux of the project and an always caring figure in the children’s lives. This consistency is evidenced in the comfort and ease of the children that participated and also in the depth of knowledge they shared. It’s also worth noting that for the researchers, building relationships with each of these children has been an enjoyable and deeply moving process – these are remarkable children, full of laughter with so much to say.
It is difficult, however, to watch as the children’s pasts follow them into their adult lives. As northern Uganda moves further away from its experience of active war, the ramifications continue to be lived each day. The case of children born into the LRA challenges us to question if a war is ever truly over. Without measures to address their needs and rights, the violence of the war continues. This Field Note presents the children’s contributions toward educating us (readers), their communities, and their leaders about what remains to be done for northern Uganda to transition to peace. As one girl put it: “We have to be treated equally, in other words by treating us well by loving us the same way like the other children.”
Beth W. Stewart is a a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia.
We at JRP are very excited to launch a new podcast where we’ll be reflecting on justice and reconciliation issues in northern Uganda and Africa’s Great Lakes region. The first episode features Oryem Nyeko, Lindsay McClain Opiyo and Nancy Apiyo talking how about JRP’s new field note, My Body, A Battlefield: Survivors’ experiences of conflict-sexual violence in Koch Ongako came about.
Listen to the podcast below:
A transcript of this episode can be read here: http://justiceandreconciliation.com/media/audio/2015/jrp-podcast-episode-1-documenting-conflict-sexual-violence/
Sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV), especially in the context of protracted conflict, continues to be one of the least accounted for crimes in Uganda and the world. In January 2013, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) embarked on a process to document, through storytelling and other participatory methods, the experiences of conflict sexual violence that occurred during more than two decades of conflict between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Koch Ongako, a community in Gulu district, northern Uganda. The purpose of the exercise was to document and acknowledge these violations and their long-term consequences on the lives of male and female victims and the community in which they live, to help survivors come to terms with the past, and to inform policies and processes to provide redress and accountability. It is envisaged that this document shall inform and feed into national processes for transitional justice (TJ), both in terms substance and the participatory process used to engage victims.
Download this publication here: My Body, A Battlefield 2015-12-01(pdf)
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.
On 15 September 2015, the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) at the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) convened a round-table meeting between 24 local government officials and 16 WAN members. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities for war-affected women to benefit from existing and proposed government programmes as an interim avenue for redress for conflict-related wrongs they experienced during northern Uganda’s longstanding conflicts. The meeting was attended by sub-county chiefs, community development officers (CDOs), district community development officers (DCDOs), chief administrative officers (CAOs) and district speakers from Adjumani district in the West Nile sub-region; Gulu, Amuru, Pader and Nwoya districts in Acholi sub-region; and Lira district in Lango sub-region.
The meeting was supported with funding from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), through a grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women as well as the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), Kampala. The objectives of the meeting were to share findings of a recent needs assessment survey conducted by JRP; to explore opportunities for war-affected women under current and proposed government programmes; and to facilitate discussion between war-affected women and their leaders on matters of justice, reconciliation and redress.
This policy brief draws upon the discussions and recommendations that emerged from the meeting and seeks to inform local governments across Uganda on the avenues through which they can work within their existing mandates to better meet the unredressed justice needs of war-affected women through targeted development assistance. It is divided into four sections: a background on transitional justice (TJ) including the major development programmes in the country, conflict sexual violence and the advocacy of the WAN at JRP; the needs and challenges facing war-affected women in northern Uganda; gaps, challenges and opportunities for local governments in meeting these needs and challenges; and practical recommendations for local and national government officials, war-affected women and civil society organisations.
Read the full policy brief here: Policy Brief – Addressing the Unredressed (PDF)
With funding support from USAID-SAFE Program, the Community Mobilization department at JRP conducted a series of trainings on themes of memory and reconciliation with 39 members of Community Reconciliation (CORE) teams in seven communities across Lango and Acholi sub-regions. Held in May, 2015, these trainings covered a range of topics including conflict mitigation, peace building, forgiveness and reconciliation, gender mainstreaming in peace building and reconciliation programs, trauma healing and counseling skills, and memory and memorialization. This helped the members of the CORE teams to understand the importance of memorialization and to envision an ideal memory and reconciliation project for their communities.
During the training, the participants examined the following questions in order to come up with an ideal memory project for each of the seven communities:
These guiding questions helped the CORE team members to come up with ideas for memory projects in consultation with their respective victims’ communities, which could be implemented within five months in their communities. The seven communities came up with the following innovative ideas for community memory projects which are now nearing successful completion.
Lukodi: The community of Lukodi chose to write a book which documents life before the war, and also emphasizes how culture has been eroded by war and makes suggestions on how it can be rejuvenated. They also chose to legally register the acquired piece of land which serves as the memorial site for the Lukodi massacre of 2004. This would enable the community to transfer a monument for the massacre which is in another area to this land and to develop the site.
Parabongo: The community of Parabongo, with guidance of the CORE team, chose to construct a new memorial stone to replace an older barely visible monument. They envisage having a more visible monument in memory of the people killed by LRA in Parabongo in 2006.
Atiak: Together with the CORE team, the victims’ community in Atiak chose to develop a list of conflict memorabilia to be preserved to document their memory of the war. They also decided to develop a profile of those who were killed in the 1995 massacre, and after verifying the list of names, they will engrave and place it onto a memorial monument. The community also pledged to facilitate a process of community-led documentation through the use of arts to preserve memories of events that became a turning point in the lives of the people of Atiak at the peak of the war.
Burcoro: The community of Burcoro chose to construct a monument in memory of the people killed during the military operation led by NRA in Burcoro in 1991. They wished to preserve memories of state-led atrocities that were never acknowledged.
Odek: The people of Odek also felt they were never publicly acknowledged to have suffered during the LRA war. To them, putting up a memorial monument would communicate what they went through in order for them to also be considered for post-conflict reconstruction services. They, therefore, chose to construct a memory stone in memory of the mass killing by LRA in Odek.
Barlonyo: The community of Barlonyo decided to beautify their memorial site in order to celebrate the lives of their loved ones who perished in the 2002 massacre. They chose to fence and beautify the memorial site with a variety of beautiful flowers blooming in gardens adjacent to well-paved walkways.
Abia: In Abia, the community chose to erect a monument in the form of a statue of a helpless woman which depicts their plight in the aftermath of the massacre of 2004. They also decided to make a painting on the wall of memorial school in memory of their war experiences.
JRP pledged to support the seven communities in the implementation of their respective community memory projects, which have been shaping well over the last five months. As the projects near completion, JRP is proud to reaffirm its support to showcase community-relevant approaches to justice, healing and reconciliation.
On the 21st September 2015, Gulu district joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 33rd International Peace Day at Pece stadium, as a sign that violence and conflict can be eradicated. The theme for the celebration was “partnership in peace and, dignity for all.” The event was attended by various stakeholders including officials from the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI), UN Human Rights, Gulu district officials, CAP Uganda and the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP).
The celebration started with an opening prayer by Bishop Mark Baker Ochola who prayed for the people of Apaa for the land conflict in their area, and appealed to those in power to exercise their power in a way that promotes peace. This was followed by a march from the district administration offices to Pece stadium accompanied by St Mauritz Primary School’s marching band. Prayers were also held at Gulu’s main roundabout and in front of Mega FM radio station.
Muslim cleric Sheikh Musa Khalil read the Quran and emphasized that people should remember that God created mankind from generation to generation including those who shed blood and that it is important to forgive. Other readings were done by Pastor Orach Julius and Rev Loum Godfrey who read from the Bible. Rt Bishop Onono-Onweng noted that on this day the world needs peace because it there are many injustices including hunger, cruelty and other forms of suffering.
Hon Newton Ojok who represented Gulu district chairperson Ojara Mapenduzi, said that the choice of Pece Stadium as venue for the celebration was deliberate as the stadium was built to commemorate the participation of Acholi in World War II and it is also the place where the first peace negotiations with the LRA took place. Peace, he said, means freedom and living in harmony and without peace, there is no development.
Jimmy Patrick Okema the regional police commander said that the region has witnessed several wars which should never happen again and that it takes both the police and the public to maintain peace. Whereas it is the duty of the police to maintain peace, he said, civilians also have a duty to report any suspicious activity to the police.
Kilama Calvine is a volunteer working with the Justice and Reconciliation Project. He is a holder of a Bachelor of Laws Degree of Gulu University and he lives in Laroo, Gulu District.