Tag Archives: uganda

Survivors of Conflict Join Hands to Make Change

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Creating Global Connections

Justice and Reconciliation Project Head of Office, Mr. Okwir Isaac Odyia, JRP and WAN representatives, and exchange counterparts meet with the National Judicial Council of Nigeria. Photo Credit Benard Okot.

Survivors of conflict related sexual violence across the world, especially those who return from captivity with armed groups, face similar obstacles and challenges. These include stigmatization and rejection. Additionally, they suffer long term psychological distress as a result of the physical, sexual, and mental abuse they experienced in capacity.

This message shaped a five-day dialogue and experience sharing workshop, which took place between 21 and 25 of January 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The exchange activity was sponsored by Trust Africa, under the auspices of the International Criminal Justice Fund.  Representatives of the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) and Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) traveled to Abuja, Nigeria to interact with survivors of sexual violence and Boko Haram captivity there. The program was hosted by the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA).

The event provided opportunities for WAN members to share experiences with their counterparts at the Allamin Foundation for Peace. The participants’ focus was to illuminate the challenges faced in their countries and to think of strategies for overcoming these challenges together. Survivors from both countries shared their stories and experiences, allowing them to learn from one another and to build resilience.

Evelyn Amony, WAN chair and a survivor from northern Uganda, narrated how she was forced to marry Lord’s Resistance Army Commander Joseph Kony. She was ‘married’ to him for 11 years and had 3 children with him.

She was also taken to South Sudan, and faced great difficulties there. She recounted that many people drowned while traveling, because they were made to cross a dangerous river.

Her oldest child, who would be about 19 years old now, was captured during a clash. She never set her eyes on her again.

When Evelyn returned home in 2005, most of her relatives rejected her and the children. They were treated as outcasts.  Evelyn and other formerly abducted women wanted to show that what happened to them was not their will. Seven of the women came together to start a group known as ‘Rwotlakica’ (God is merciful) and she was chosen as the chair. This initiative grew into WAN.

Other WAN members also shared their stories. Survivors from North East Nigeria were inspired and talked of the horrors they endured in Boko Haram captivity.

Together, survivors from both countries learned that they had suffered many of the same human rights violations, and could come together in advocacy.

Women in North East Nigeria, however, face additional challenges, as war continues.

Hope Never Runs Dry

Allamin Foundation Founder Hajja Hamsatu speaks during the workshop. Photo Credit, Benard Okot.

 The fact that North East Nigeria is still in conflict has made it very difficult for the victims, especially those still returning home, to tell their stories.

Hajja Hamsatu, Founder of Allamin Foundation, noted that the victims in Northern Nigeria still face numerous human rights violations.

‘‘Even at the IDP [Internally Displaced Persons’] camp, there have been cases of rape by security personnels and vigilantes in the camps. One of the survivors, a 16 year old girl has a four month old baby, (allegedly from a police man in the IDP camp). Due to this form of treatment, many have gone ahead to be sex workers. Some survivors are being given away in cheap marriages by their parents,’’ she said.

Ms. Hamsatu described her work to support young girls who were abducted by Boko Haram. She started by organising them into social networks in Safe Spaces, providing them life skills, confidence building, self-esteem and empowerment workshops.  She  then matched existing programs with a grant so that survivors could explore their skills. She  noted, however, that there are still numerous obstacles to surmount as many more survivors are emerging, wanting to be part of the network. Affected survivors in the IDP camps do not have access to food on a constant basis. She appeals to the Nigerian government to take responsibility for  victims and for children born during captivity.

Interactions with human rights organisations during the workshop renewed hope for victims in northern Nigeria. At the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the National Human Rights Commission the government bodies pledged their commitment towards addressing the plight of survivors and encouraged that victims be supported to write petitions aimed at addressing their issues.

 A Brighter Future

Women from Uganda and Nigeria brainstorm ways to overcome the challenges they face and make change. Photo Credit, Benard Okot.

The exchange concluded with action points developed by both participants from Uganda and Nigeria. These are expected to feed into the broader attempts to develop a victim-centered transitional justice process for Nigeria, specifically facilitating survivors of sexual violence to build individual and collective agency as a means of kick starting survivor mobilization,  networking in order to influence policy and legislative discussions and processes and providing a space for learning from the lived experiences of survivors of conflict related sexual violence to develop better interventions and responses.

Despite the difficult subjects discussed, the week ended in celebration. The women from Ugandan and Nigeria exchanged gifts, and shared a meal.

JRP looks forward to continuing to partner with people from around the world, and push for social justice and change everywhere.

 

 

 

Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow: Success Stories in Photographs

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Margret leads JRP Staff to her Sorghum plantation near Pedar Town. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Conflict not only robs people of the present. It does not only cause constant fear, or snatch autonomy. It can also alter the future. Those in Lord’s Resistance Army captivity lost youth and education. They returned home deeply traumatized and with children born of war, who also bear trauma. Many are still treated as social pariahs, and excluded from day-to-day activities.

Justice and Reconciliation Project programs use community-based livelihood support to create a better and brighter future for the formerly abducted. In 2017 JRP, with support from the Uganda Fund, worked to uplift six different Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) groups, with loan capital and income generating items, such as seedlings and livestock. This November, JRP returned to those groups once again, and observed the incredible progress made. Members have improved and continued to improve their lives.

Here are a few of their stories.

Alero

Pauline gives JRP staff a tour of her farm in Alero. She raises chickens, goats and pigs and has also planted bananas, rice, oranges, pawpaw, and pineapples. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Pauline’s husband often denied her money, making it hard to care for the children, and causing discord between the couple. She lacked the resources to properly support herself. Joining the Tam pi Anyim Child Mother’s Group in Alero provided her with new opportunities and connected her to a powerful network of women. Inspired by the hard work of her fellow group members, Pauline took a loan from the group saving scheme to purchase pigs, and another to buy seeds.

She has since planted bananas, pineapple, pawpaw, oranges, cassava and rice. Pauline works the land each day, and cares for the animals.  Her farm is a beautiful and sun-soaked place; the plants lush and fertile.

She is now able to pay her children’s school fees, and to support her family independently.  She hopes one day to build a permanent house for her children.

Beatrice makes local brew outside of her home in Alero. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

The LRA took Beatrice when she was still a teenager. She was forced to become a rebel’s wife in captivity, and was infected with HIV/AIDs. She had been abducted in her youth, but her youth ended in captivity, and she returned with a child.

Home again, Beatrice married and had three more children. She passed HIV/AIDs on to her husband, and he died of the disease. She struggled, often working in neighbors’ farms to make some small money. Beatrice married once more. That man impregnated and abandoned her, leaving her with another child to care for, and no support.

She joined the group in Alero at the urging of a friend, and used a loan to purchase maize and cassava, in order to make local alcohol. She now sells the alcohol, and is able to pay rent and her children’s school fees.

She plans to purchase additional tools for her business, and eventually to buy land and a home for her children.

Gulu

Nighty laughs while selling cabbages at Ceraleno Market in Gulu Town. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Nighty is a member of Can Rwede Pe WAN group in Gulu municipality. She runs a small business selling cabbage. Nighty took a loan from the group saving scheme and used it to buy vegetables. She was able to quickly turn a profit and continues to do so. Nighty believes that additional financial training from JRP helped to make her work successful.

Another loan from the group helped her to pay her children’s school fees. Nighty asserts that it is particularly important that her children study, as captivity stole her chance to do so.

Grace stands among other group members in Gulu, holding a chicken and the eggs she has collected. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Grace is a young, single mother, with three children. She is a member of Kica Pa Rwot Women’s group in Gulu municipality. Before joining the group, Grace often struggled to provide for her children. She took a loan from the group saving scheme, and used it to begin a tailoring business. She also collects and sells the eggs from chickens given to group members by JRP.

The group and program have had enormous impact on her life.  “Being in this group has lifted me up to the level that I am. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be nobody,” she said.

Grace hopes that the women will continue to care for each other in years to come. “Our future plan is to keep uplifting each other so we can get out of this life that we are in and be in a better life,” she said.

Pabo

Charles works outside of his metal shop in Pabo. Photo Credit, Patrick Odong and Yorandos Melake.

Charles is a father of five, and a member of Dii Cwinyi Child Mothers’ group in Pabo. While WAN groups are primarily made up of war-affected women, men are also welcome, as true equality is only possible when all advocate for it.

 Charles used a loan from the group to open a metal workshop, where he also teaches young people his trade.  The money from his business has helped him send his children to school. Charles hopes to continue teaching youth group about metal work, in order to provide them with new knowledge and a source of income.

Atiak

Lucy and her children display freshly harvested Cassava to JRP staff. Photo Credit, Patrick Odong and Yordanos Melake.

Lucy used a loan from Lacan Pe Nino Group in Atiak to purchase and plant two hectars of cassava and three hectars of SimSim.  She used the money to pay her children’s school fees, and to purchase a cow which has since given birth.

She is proud of all she has accomplished so far, and wants to work to be more independent and self-reliant.

Pader

Margret shows the Sorghum she has planted. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Margret daughter was abducted was abducted by the LRA, and was a member of Okony Waa Group in Pader. She was often too busy farming to attend group meetings, so sent Margret in her place. Being in the group taught Margret about the horrors so many endured in captivity, and the obstacles they must surmount today.

When her daughter married and moved to a different district, Margret became an official group member. She took a loan to pay school fees for her grandchild, and used the balance to buy and plant sorghum.

The sorghum has grown tall. Margret will soon harvest and sell it, using the funds to feed her family.

A member of Can Rwede Pe group leads JRP staff to her home in Gulu, her baby strapped to her back. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

These are just a few voices, but they are proof of the power, hard work and determination in the community.

Show how very possible it is to construct a better life.

***

JRP is grateful to the Uganda Fund for its support in 2017. The program continues this year with the support of the Welfare fund, as JRP delivered livestock and income generating items to five WAN groups in various locations.

 

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

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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.

Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions

Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions

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Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions
Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions

 

Led by Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity and Peace (SAFE) programme, this report, titled Mapping Regional  Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions, examines key conflict drivers at the sub-regional and community levels in the Acholi and Lango sub-regions, specifically, and northern Uganda more broadly, and identifies effective mechanisms for constructive social change processes towards regional reconciliation. It is a significant step towards comprehensively identifying and analysing obstacles to positive peace and reconciliation in the region to ensure that post-war recovery, reconciliation and development interventions are conflict-sensitive and aligned with the social, political and economic needs of the communities.

The report also identifies strategic and effective mechanisms to foster regional reconciliation in ways that value embedded local capacities, narratives and forms of agency in the communities. The report concludes by highlighting recommendations directed to key actors across the horizontal and vertical axis of the society, eliciting a multi-stakeholder approach to engendering sustainable structures of lasting peace and reconciliation in the Acholi and Lango sub-regions.

Download this report here: Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda (pdf)

JRP Podcast Episode 2 – Mapping regional reconciliation in northern Uganda and Dominic Ongwen

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(Oryem Nyeko) Hello and welcome to the second episode of JRPs’ podcast. I am Oryem Nyeko, I am  with my colleague Okwir Isaac Odiya of JRP  to talk about a report title ‘ Mapping Regional Reconciliation In Northern Uganda: A Case Study Of Acholi And Lango Sub- Region.

(Okwir Isaac Odiya) Across Ethnic Boundaries project came from the background of our interactions with the community of Acholi, Lango, Teso and West Nile which we learned about the poor relationship and the accusations that is within these communities. We thought of doing this regional reconciliation project to understand whether there is need for regional reconciliation in northern Uganda. This made us to do a baseline study which we came out with the result. This baseline study or the regional reconciliation survey that we did was meant to provide us a baseline for peace building and reconciliation undertaking in northern Uganda. Basically to inform us whether it is true that there is need for reconciliation between the people of northern Uganda and what mechanism therefore should be adopted in order to foster reconciliation in Northern Uganda.

(Oryem)  So the baseline is reported in this report that we are talking about…

(Isaac) Exactly, the ‘Mapping of Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda’ is the result of the baseline survey that we did.

(Oryem) So what are some of the findings in the report? What did you find out about the need for regional reconciliation?

(Isaac) From the report, we came with key findings and one of it is the negative perception about the civil war – the war that was fought between the government of Uganda and the LRA. We realized that many people perceived the war as a war that was planned by one ethnic group against the other which basically in many communities that we interacted with, they claim that it was an Acholi war made to make other ethnic groups suffer. So that is one of the findings we realized on the ground.

The second finding is about the tension which is among the ethnic groups in northern Uganda as a result of the crimes that were committed among these communities. There is interpersonal community and ethnic tension which basically people think they were made to suffer because of some other individuals, because of some other community or because of some other ethnic groups.

From the survey that was conducted, we noted that 62% says that there is poor relationship among the people of Lango and Acholi which is as a result of LRA war. They feel that the people of Acholi planned to kill the people of Lango so because of this, there is that poor relationship between the people of Acholi and the people of Lango.

We also noted that in the communities or among the different communities there is fear of revenge by other communities because of what they did maybe. In some of the communities there are some individuals that were involved in some of the atrocities and because of what they did in the atrocities that they feel that their counterparts are going to revenge on them. So there is that fear of revenge within the communities. So generally there is that accusations among the communities, they claim that they suffered because of that individual or that community.

We also found that the community and the individuals are so bitter for lack of accountability and reparation programme. Many individuals and many communities were made to suffer but there is no acknowledgement of the crimes committed on them, there is no accountability for what they underwent and there is no programme to repair them. So the communities are so bitter on the government, they are so bitter on their leaders, they are so bitter on each other within the community because they feel they are not being repaired, they are not being acknowledged for the wrongs that happened to them. Generally the communities feel that they are being segregated in post-conflict service provision. There are a number of programmes that are enrolled by civil society organisations, by the local government but they feel that the services are balanced. It’s not reaching them all, it’s only being directed to one section of the community. Because of this they feel that there is segregation in provision of these services that should really help them to come out of the problem they went through to repair them, to recover from the shock of the war. And because of this segregation, they feel that they are not being honored, they are not being acknowledged as people who also suffered.

In our own analysis we feel that this is another potential source of conflict in that if they feel that one section of the community is being supported to recover from the problem, it means they are not being supported and easily they can begin to revenge, they can begin to cause another conflict on the government or on the communities that are benefiting from some of these services.

 (Oryem) I’m curious, what do you think are some of the root causes of what you are talking about – the segregation; some communities not receiving the programmes that are meant to address the legacy of the war. What’s the cause of that, do you think?

(Isaac)  I think there is lack of a baseline study to understand the different needs of the communities and what they went through. Our service providers – it looks like they don’t understand our communities, what they went through and the kind of services they need so they are kind of neglecting some of these communities to benefit from some of these services. To me I feel that they are not informed, they don’t know what services are supposed to be provided for which communities, which is a gap and that is the only gap I feel.

But also, it is important that we need to train our service providers to know how to work with the victims of conflict. In a way we may also be causing conflict by failing to understand the circumstances that our communities went through. Like when we were interacting with this communities, the people of Odek made mention about the kind of segregation that they are going through. We were made to know that the people of Odek are being considered as Kony, in that they have supported Kony, they groomed Kony to be what he is and Kong is now affecting.  So they contributed in making Kony who he is, and because of that they are being treated as Kony. So I feel that the service providers should be able to separate the people of Odek and Kony himself, taking the fact that they also suffered a lot in the hand of Kony.

(Oryem) So what needs to be done? I mean, you’ve elaborated a bit on that with service providers maybe needing to be more informed about the needs and experiences of the various communities, but what’s a next step in terms of reconciling some of these issues?

(Isaac) In line with service provision, that is basically one of the reasons why we did this report. We want this report to inform transitional justice processes in Uganda and in northern Uganda. We want these key findings and recommendations in this report, Mapping Regional Reconciliation, to really inform the different stakeholders – peacebuilders and reconciliation activists to really know what are the gaps in the community and then what are some of the steps that are required to be taken in order to mitigate or to provide remedies to some of these gaps in the community. So that is the first step.

I would urge the different stakeholders to really pay attention to this report so that they can learn the kind of community we are working with, the gaps in the community and the kind of careful steps they should take in order to provide reconciliation within these communities.

Secondly, it is important to work in partnership, the different civil society organizations, the NGOs and the government, the local government. We need to be coordinating so that we inform each other on the gaps on the ground and then the best step, we can brainstorm on the best steps that should really be taken so that we really reach this community so that we address the specific gaps in this community. And by doing this we are going to act in the interests of the community we are serving.

I want to mention another few things in regards to reconciliation gaps. What requires to be done. We also noted that there is a lack of platform to foster reconciliation, in that victims’ communities are there in the community, but they lack forums to which they should really communicate, to which they should really engage to address some of their own problems. This is also coupled with the criminal prosecution process that is going on, the trial of Kwoyelo, the trial of Dominic Ongwen, which is kind of fueling more conflict in the community. So there is also this problem that is existing in the community following the survey that we conducted, or working with these communities. Which my recommendation would go to the various stakeholders to really support the peacebuilding and reconciliation structures that we have on the ground or to establish more, so that they provide pillars to these conflict affected community to interact with, to discuss their issues, to support them in their reconciliation and recovery programme.

It’s all about providing a platform for these people to interact, to really try to see the best way of addressing some of their issues, to channel their problems so that it is heard and addressed by the stakeholders.

I would also recommend for a trauma healing project to really be enrolled in the community so that people find ways to move out of their problems instead of getting stuck. Much as accountability has not been done, much as there is no adequate reparation they still need to move on with their lives. So it is important to have such programmes.

(Oryem) Can I just ask how do the criminal proceedings fuel conflict in these communities?

(Isaac) From the interaction we had with these communities, we learned that they have varying interests in line with the result of the verdict. In the case of Dominic Ongwen’s trial, there are those who want to see Dominic Ongwen prosecuted, they want to see him guilty and there are those who want to see Dominic Ongwen coming back home acquitted from the sentence.

So you can see the communities are now looking at those who are in support of Dominic Ongwen as those who supported the atrocities that made them suffer in northern Uganda. Those who look at the people who want to see Dominick Ongwen jailed, they look at them as those who do not want reconciliation to be done so that people get to live back together.

(Oryem) Because of course the question of criminal accountability and Dominic Ongwen has implications on the communities that have been affected by the case for Lukodi, I imagine that’s what you’re talking about, and the other communities, Odek, Abok, and so on, that his charges are based on, they obviously have a vested interest in seeing some sort of accountability towards him. Whereas in other communities, in Coorom, for example, where Ongwen is from there is a sense that there should be more of a reconciliatory process. Although in my experience, I found that even people in Lukodi also want to reconcile with the people from where Ongwen is from, which I find interesting and I think it kind of speaks to the point that you’re making that these issues have a regional aspect to them. In that it’s not the same everywhere. Not everyone in northern Uganda has the same sense, not everyone in Acholi and Lango has the same feelings towards Ongwen or to criminal accountability or to the impact of the war. I think that’s kind of it

(Isaac) Exactly, and that’s where it calls for how do we manage the process?  So that at the end of it all, irrespective of the result of the trial, how are we going to ensure that there is reconciliation, how are we going to we to work together, the people of Lango, the people of Acholi, the people of Lukodi, the people of Coorom, irrespective of the results of the hearing. This is what we should manage.

 

 

ICC Judges Want Ongwen Charges Confirmed in Uganda

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Prayer Session for fallen victims @JRP
Prayer Session for fallen victims @JRP

ICC Judges Want Ongwen Charges Confirmed in Uganda

Judges seating at the Pre-Trial chamber II of the International Criminal Court handling charges against Dominic Ongwen have appealed to parties involved in Ongwen proposed trial in Uganda to expedite the process.

The crimes were committed in Uganda, confirmation of charges and hearing of his charges including counts on crime against humanity and war crimes slated scheduled for January 21 2016 lasting 5 days will determine if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Ongwen.

Dominic Ongwen ready to face the ICC

Dominic Ongwen ready to face the ICC

Addressing  the press today at Northern Uganda  Media Club, ICC Field Outreach Assistant, Jimmy Otim, said, the Pre-Trial judges on September 10-2015 recommended to ICC president to work out modalities with Uganda Government to enable the confirmation of charges take place in Uganda.

“ The Chamber considers that it would be desirable and in the interest of justice  to hold the confirmation of charges hearing in Uganda and preferably in Gulu” Jimmy said

Adding that it was at the peak of the alleged crime and where this is not possible then the ICC would consider the trials in Kampala.

Mass Grave in Lukodi

Mass Grave  Site in Lukodi @JRP

Dominic shocked the world when he on the 16th of January this year, denounced further rebellion against Museveni’s government when he abandon his gorilla troops under the Lord Resistance Army.

Women wonder over their missing children

Women wonder over their missing children

Loc2

Before he surrendered Ongwen was acting as Brigade Commander of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army where is alleged to have committed countless murder cases, enslavement of the populace, caused grave bodily harm an act that provoked ICC to count him in the wanted list of war lords on 8 July 2005.

Victims of the dangerous LRA war

Victims of the dangerous LRA war

He is accused to have masterminded the bloody attack at Lukodi Internally Displaced People’s Camp where innocent lives were shuttered in cold blood.

In trying to document the 29 years of LRA war in the region, a monument with the name of over forty slain victims sits near Lukodi Primary school in Bungatira Sub-county ten miles north of Gulu municipality.

 

http://www.northernewswire.com/news/featured-news/icc-judges-want-ongwen-charges-confirmed-in-uganda.html

Voices Iss1 2012 cover

Voices Magazine Issue 1, 2012 (Amnesty)

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Voices Magazine Issue 1, 2012 (Amnesty)

Click here to view.

Voices Iss1 2012 cover
Cover of the first edition of JRP’s Voices magazine

This is the first issue of the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s (JRP) latest publication, Voices magazine. JRP’s mission is to empower conflict-affected communities to participate in processes of justice, healing and reconciliation, and this magazine aspires to do just that. By providing a regular, open platform for victims and key stakeholders to dialogue on local and national transitional justice developments, we will be “sharing victim-centered views on justice and reconciliation in Uganda” each quarter.

The theme of this first issue is amnesty. With Uganda’s Amnesty Act up for expiration, renewal or renewal with amendments on 24 May, we have sought to present the views of the war-affected communities where we operate. In this issue, key stakeholders like Michael Otim of the International Center for Transitional Justice (pg 13), Ismene Nicole Zarifis, International Technical Advisor on TJ for JLOS (pg 6,) and members of the JRP team address the important question: What should be the future of Uganda’s Amnesty Act? Like all of our work, we hope this collection of views contributes to the policy-making process currently taking place in Kampala, and links the grassroots with the decision-makers.

Click here to view.

Note: If printing on a B&W printer, we recommend you print this grayscaled version.

#Ugandans 2012: An article by JRP’s co-founder Erin Baines

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Our co-founder and advisor, Dr. Erin Baines, has written a response to the media phenomenon by Invisible Children, “Kony 2012.” (As many of you are aware, “Kony 2012,” is a short film by IC that has garnered more than 75 million views in less than a week.) Erin’s article, titled “#Ugandans 2012,” highlights the work of many local organizations in northern Uganda who have been working tirelessly for peace and justice for conflict-related atrocities.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on  Twitter to read similar articles that highlight local peacebuilders and their reactions to this latest campaign to put an end to LRA violence.

And as always, you can view all of our past publications on this site to learn more about the dimensions of the conflict and victims’ views on justice and reconciliation for northern Uganda and conflict-affected regions.

“#Ugandans 2012,” Canadian International Council, 12 March 2012

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“#Ugandans 2012,” Canadian International Council, 12 March 2012

http://www.opencanada.org/features/ugandans2012/

By Erin Baines

After being relentlessly pursued by the Ugandan military for more than a year, eight-year old Aling – a daughter born of forced marriage to one of the high commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – was tired and scared. One morning after a particularly deadly attack, she turned to her mother and asked, “Mama, why can’t we just leave this army?”  Her mother had spent 14 years as a forced wife. She knew the risks involved in betraying the rebels, yet she could not refuse her child. They left that night.

The commander was enraged.  He sent 20 of his best soldiers to bring back his daughter and kill his wife. As they went, one of the soldiers said to the others, “Aling’s mother is a good woman. She has helped us many times when we were injured or needed comfort. Why should we not follow her instead of the commander?”  They too escaped, joining Aling and her mother at a rehabilitation centre in Pajule, Pader District. 

Some days later, having heard that his soldiers, wife and daughter were in the nearby centre, the commander dispatched another 70 soldiers to attack the place, ordering them to kill everyone.  As they got nearer, the soldiers surrendered their guns to the local officials.  They too followed the lead of Mama Aling, the mother of the child who asked if it was not time to go home.

Since the early 2000s, the Ugandan initiative, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), a Ugandan initiative, has recorded some of the worst human rights abuses that have taken place during the war, and the efforts of people like Mama Aling to stop them.  JRP documents the stories of ordinary people caught between the warring parties – of those pressed into fighting against their will, and those who are born of circumstances not of their choosing.  The organization got the help of dozens of persons in displaced camps who, for years, volunteered to keep track of, and record, what was happening there.

At the height of the war, the original JRP team walked, rode bicycles and boda boda (motorcycles), and travelled in the backs of trucks to reach areas that no international journalist or advocate would go to.  At the time, people weren’t permitted to travel even a few kilometres our to town after curfew.

Members of the JRP team – who are about the same age as Jason Russell, the maker of the Kony 2012 film – document the memories of massacre survivors.  They record stories of sexual violence and the ways women and men resist armed soldiers. They speak to parents whose children are still missing. They listen to commanders who surrendered and who regret the atrocities they committed. They try to move beyond the good-guy-bad-guy model, recognizing the extraordinary circumstances in which soldiers commit violence against others, as children who grew up in war and were forced to fight.

Sometimes this work is overwhelming. It often feels like documentation and advocacy is not enough. At some point, each member of the team has held heads in hands and wept following an interview, or after meeting a community. After the tears, they gather courage and write it all down. Then they go and talk about it with local officials and request a resolution.

They publish reports and news articles, do tours and hold radio programmes in order to bring the voices of communities to national and international debate and attention. This isn’t always an easy task.

In 2007, Boniface Ojok, the project’s coordinator, met with the LRA and government representatives to the peace talks. He sat in between the heads of the two delegations and told them what he has seen and learned about justice from people on the ground.  

Co-founder Michael Otim put his life on hold for more than two years, attending each and every peace talk between 2006 and 2008 as an advisor to a delegation of cultural and religious leaders.

JRP’s advocacy is not just with officials and leaders, however.  It also engages the communities most affected by the war. JRP’s members utilize oral history, dance, song, drama, poetry, radio programs, community dialogues and public marches to share what they have learned at national debates, and to promote ownership of advocacy. They help survivors found their own advocacy groups, and when resources are available, they bring survivors to meet with officials and leaders.

For example, JRP supports storytelling sessions among a group of war-affected women Gulu, a town in northern Uganda. These sessions provide a space in which women can speak freely about their memories of war and the challenges of daily life. As word spread about the group, so many women wanted to join that new groups started to form.  On International Women’s day this year, IRP formally launched the Women’s Advocacy Network, with over 200 members.  The group’s chairperson, Evelyn Amony, spent more than 10 years in captivity. She believes she survived the war to tell her story, and to help others tell theirs.

This is courageous and exhausting work, but JRP is not alone. Hundreds of local and national organizations work to document and remember, and to insist on justice. There is Human Rights Focus (HURIFO), for instance, which operated as the only human-rights organization in the region for many years.  There is also the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, an interdenominational group (Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Muslim) that has repeatedly met with the rebels and government in attempts to persuade them of the need for peace talks.  

There is Alice Achan, who rallied her community together to build a shelter for the hundreds of children who escaped rebel captivity but had no where to go, and no way to find their parents.  In the shelter, she loved and nourished each one of them until they could be reunited with their families. Then there is the Concerned Parents Association, which formed after 139 girls were abducted from St. Mary’s College in Aboke. Women like Angelina Atyam travelled the world over and back (she even met Oprah!) to find their children.

During the nearly 10 years I have worked in Uganda with advocates, survivors and researchers, I have never heard them lobby for military intervention.  In fact, the opposite is true: Ugandans have consistently insisted on an amnesty process for rebels, recognizing that many soldiers were forced into combat as children. Most prefer to talk peace rather than wage war. It is common knowledge that the first to be killed in military raids are the most recently abducted kids.

This is not to say that Ugandans do not want to stop Kony, or that they do not want justice. Nor is it to say that local leaders are perfect and know all the solutions, or that they speak with one voice. This is not the case. 

The point is, Ugandans, along with people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Sudan and many other countries around the world, are working for peace in both extraordinary and ordinary ways that are often off “the grid”.  

They do so that the world is a better place for their children – so that it is better for Jason Russell’s children – and they do it without ever being called a hero.

So alongside the current media hubbub around Kony 2012, how about celebrating the heroism of thousands of Ugandans like Aling, Boniface, Evelyn, and Alice, building peace and working for justice despite the war.  How about #Ugandans2012?

Obalanga Cover

Announcing JRP’s latest field note: “The Day They Came”

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Obalanga Cover
A survivor of the helicopter bombings in Angica B displays a bomb shell from the helicopter gunship, and survivors display injuries they received at the hands of the LRA.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our latest publication, a field note titled, The Day They Came: Recounting the LRA’s Invasion of Teso Sub-region through Obalanga Sub-county in 2003.

To read the full report, please click here. 

Our team will be launching this publication in Amuria town on Tuesday, March 13th at CV Villa beginning at 9:30am, and at the Obalanga sub-county headquarters at 1:30pm on Wednesday, March 14th.

A radio talk show will be held on Etop Radio from 7pm to 8pm on March 13th. The public is invited to attend either of the launches or tune into the radio programme.