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Preventing violent extremism in Uganda The role of resilience and dialogue Akinola Olojo, Romi Sigsworth and Nuwagaba Muhsin Kaduyu This report explores two distinct but complementary approaches to addressing violent extremism at the local community level in Uganda. In the first approach, communities engage their agency in building resilience to the conditions that contribute to violent extremism. In the second, dialogue within and between communities, as well as between communities and the security and justice actors active in them, is used to address and resolve problems that might otherwise result in radicalisation to violent extremism. EAST AFRICA REPORT 34 | NOVEMBER 2020 Key findings The challenges currently facing local Although communities recognise the communities include issues that are major risk Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and factors for radicalisation to violent extremism. the Church of Uganda as institutions that These communities do, however, also can facilitate dialogue, there is a general demonstrate protective factors that can lack of awareness about public platforms be leveraged for resilience against violent that could also be instrumental. extremism, including some level of integration There are multiple fallouts from the and trust between different identity groups. strained relationship between Communities identified various strategies to communities and security agencies on build inherent resilience, such as strengthening the one hand, and between communities social support networks, developing and the justice sector on the other. community resources, increasing community These challenges are wide-ranging, safety and building a collective identity. irrespective of gender or age. Recommendations Community: Cooperation between community leaders from groups that have been the victims of all identity groups must be strengthened and human rights violations. increased through more regular dialogues Communities need to be empowered with and meetings. knowledge about the security challenges The voices of those who feel marginalised – that face them, including violent extremism, because the more aware they are, the more such as women and youth – need to be included agency they have to be resilient to the threats. deliberately and listened to in community discussions by local leaders. Policymakers: Law enforcement and justice actors: An inclusive cross-section of local actors and community leaders should be involved Law enforcement agents who work within in conducting an initial mapping of strengths, communities should receive training on engaging resources and examples of resilience in in non-criminal spaces and interacting with a specific community, which can be used people from different cultures and religions. to set policy priorities in collaboration with This will develop and promote trust between the community. community members and law enforcement. District leaders and local councils need to There is a need to establish transitional justice engage the community in a more comprehensive mechanisms within communities to facilitate way across the entire lifespan of government healing among community members and programmes aimed at that community. 2 PREVENTING VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN UGANDA: THE ROLE OF RESILIENCE AND DIALOGUE Introduction of violent extremism in a proactive and constructive way. This may happen organically or as a result of intervention, East Africa continues to face multiple threats relating all the while building resilience to the dynamic forms of to violent extremism and terrorism. Although Somalia violence that threaten peace and development. is at the epicentre of the problem, researchers and policymakers are also looking at ways to address and This report seeks to examine two distinct but possibly prevent the spread of violent extremist narratives, complementary approaches to addressing violent ideologies and recruitment in countries such as Kenya, extremism at the local community level in Uganda. In the Tanzania and Uganda. first approach, it looks at the potential for communities to engage their agency and resilience to the conditions While Uganda has not suffered any direct terrorist contributing to violent extremism. The second examines attacks since the 2010 al-Shabaab bombings in Kampala, it is dealing with many of the macro-level the use of dialogue to address and resolve problems that factors associated with the emergence of violent might otherwise result in radicalisation to violent extremism. extremism (and conflict more generally). These include Methodology socio-economic and political grievances, inter- and intra- community tension, marginalisation, poor governance This study focused on Kampala and Bugiri in eastern and low levels of development. Uganda. Kampala, the country’s capital, was targeted by al-Shabaab in a major terrorist attack in July 2010. Many studies on violent extremism in East Africa focus on the pathways to or risk factors associated with The Bugiri district has experienced a number of murders radicalisation to violent extremism and the impact of linked to violent extremism and has been associated with violent extremism on affected communities.1 recruitment by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), as well as a high number of returnees.2 However, less is known about the factors that enable a community (or identity groups within a community) to The study used a qualitative methodology approach. adopt strategies and relationships that address the threat Desk-based literature reviews were conducted on the Figure 1: Map of Uganda, showing Bugiri and Kampala South Sudan Kenya UGANDA Democratic Republic of Congo Kampala Bugiri District Tanzania Rwanda EAST AFRICA REPORT 34 | NOVEMBER 2020 3 two themes of community resilience to violent extremism also been driven by more practical motivations. Some and the role of dialogue in the context of violent of these include the desire to escape poverty or extremism in Uganda. unemployment, frustration with the government or false promises of future opportunities. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with non-governmental In addition to violence perpetrated against local organisations (NGOs), traditional and religious community communities, the ADF has also been involved in business leaders, law enforcement officers, criminal justice actors ventures such as cross-border trade, agriculture and and a member of the academic community. Focus the taxing of timber forests.7 While Jamil Mukulu, a group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with selected central figure in the ADF for many years, was recently identity groups within communities, including men, apprehended,8 the ADF remains a threat. women and youth.3 The 40 FGD participants were recruited using established Community resilience describes networks in communities and a snowballing technique. how well a community navigates and The fieldwork was conducted by Nuwagaba Muhsin Kaduyu, the ISS’ in-country partner in Uganda. responds to adversity of any kind Violent extremism in Uganda A third significant group is the Harakat al-Shabaab Outlining the trends and key actors involved in violent al-Mujahideen (known as al-Shabaab), which poses the extremism in Uganda is vital in understanding the most significant violent extremist threat to countries in the country’s risk factors. These factors underscore entry region. In July 2010 over 70 people were killed in suicide points for the complementary approaches of enhancing bombings by al-Shabaab in Kampala.9 community resilience and dialogue. Al-Shabaab declared its allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012, First group is the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) highlighting the transnational scope of the challenge. which emerged in the late 1980s in northern Uganda. Since 2007 Uganda and its neighbours have instituted It has exploited Christian rhetoric while brutalising various responses, some of them military, as reflected communities in Uganda, the Central African Republic, in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South peacekeeping mission.10 Sudan. The group has also launched an armed While Uganda, unlike Somalia, may not be directly in rebellion against the Ugandan government. the line of persistent al-Shabaab attacks, the societal In 2005 the International Criminal Court issued arrest risk factors highlighted at the beginning of this report warrants for the LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony, and four of remain prevalent. his commanders for crimes against humanity and war crimes.4 The LRA’s sadism discouraged resistance among Building community resilience to violent extremism local communities, while ensuring a steady influx of forced child recruits used on the front lines of battles.5 What is community resilience? A second group is the ADF which has its origins in the mid The concept of community resilience to violent extremism to late 1990s and has drawn, to some extent, on Islamist has emerged over the past decade. There has been ideas. The ADF operates in the Rwenzori borderland of a shift away from a sustained focus on the risks and western Uganda and the eastern DRC. Despite having to vulnerabilities of a community towards an equal if not contend with offensives by the Ugandan and Congolese more enhanced focus on building communal strengths armies, as well as a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and protective factors. mission, the ADF has proven resilient.6 At its most basic, community resilience describes how While some Ugandan and Congolese Muslims joined well

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