Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda: A Case Study of the Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions Shilpi Shabdita Okwir Isaac Odiya Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda © 2015, Justice and Reconciliation Project, Gulu, Uganda All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: Justice and Reconciliation Project Plot 50 Lower Churchill Drive, Laroo Division P.O. Box 1216 Gulu, Uganda, East Africa [email protected] Layout by Lindsay McClain Opiyo Front cover photo by Shilpi Shabdita Printed by the Justice and Reconciliation Project, Gulu, Uganda This publication was supported by a grant from USAID SAFE Program. However, the opinions and viewpoints in the report is not that of USAID SAFE Program. ii Justice and Reconciliation Project Acknowledgements This report was made possible with a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity and Peace (SAFE) Program for the initiation of the year-long project titled, “Across Ethnic Boundaries: Promoting Regional Reconciliation in Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions,” for which the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) gratefully acknowledges their support. We are deeply indebted to Boniface Ojok, Head of Office at JRP, for his inspirational leadership and sustained guidance in this initiative. Special thanks to the enumerators Abalo Joyce, Acan Grace, Nyeko Simon, Ojimo Tycoon, Akello Paska Oryema and Adur Patritia Julu for working tirelessly to administer the opinion survey and to collect data, which has formed the blueprint of this report. By candidly sharing their needs and experiences, all the respondents to the survey hailing from different communities of Acholi and Lango sub-regions contributed immensely to our understanding of the challenges and opportunities for regional reconciliation. Their voices have shaped this report and we deeply thank them for their time and trust in us. We are also deeply grateful to the local leaders who offered consistent support in the mobilisation of community members for our research. Staff of the Community Mobilisation department at JRP provided valuable help with transcriptions on which this report draws. We deeply value the timely and constructive feedback provided by the Publications Committee at JRP as the report took shape. For the layout and design, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Lindsay McClain Opiyo. iii Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... iii Contents ............................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. vii Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 Fieldwork Methodology ...................................................................................................... 6 Sampling and Respondent Profiles .................................................................................... 7 The Need for Reconciliation: Exploring Obstacles and Conflict Drivers ............................... 11 Obstacles to Reconciliation within Communities .............................................................. 14 Land Grabbing and Land Conflicts ............................................................................... 14 Reintegration Challenges and Stigmatisation ............................................................... 16 Gender and Generational Conflicts amidst Changing Social Realities .......................... 18 Economic Insecurity, Class Conflicts and Corruption ................................................... 19 Political, Economic and Social Disengagement of Youth .............................................. 21 Obstacles to Reconciliation across Sub-Regions ............................................................. 22 Accusations, Ethnic Stereotyping and Trust-Deficit between Sub-Regions .................. 22 Perception of Unequal Distribution of Recovery and Development Assistance ............ 25 Lack of Accountability and Justice by the State ............................................................ 27 The Case of Odek ........................................................................................................ 29 The Promotion of Reconciliation ......................................................................................... 32 Truth-Telling Dialogues.................................................................................................... 35 Exchange Visits ............................................................................................................... 36 Sensitisation Programmes and Mediation by Traditional Leaders .................................... 36 Apology and Acknowledgment by Government and Other Actors .................................... 37 Traditional Justice ............................................................................................................ 38 Rekindling Exchange of Trade Activities .......................................................................... 39 Ensuring Reparations for Abuse ...................................................................................... 40 Willingness to Forgive ..................................................................................................... 41 Memorialisation ............................................................................................................... 41 Recommendations: Charting the Way Forward ................................................................... 44 Recommendations to Top Leadership ............................................................................. 45 Recommendations to Middle-Range Leadership ............................................................. 45 Recommendations to Grassroots Leadership .................................................................. 46 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 48 iv Justice and Reconciliation Project List of Figures Figure 1: The armed conflicts that most affected northern Uganda, field findings, April 2015. 1 Figure 2: Major Human Rights Violations Experienced during the War in Northern Uganda, field findings, April 2015. .................................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Conflict Drivers in Acholi and Lango Sub-Regions ................................................. 6 Figure 4: Location of Respondents of Opinion Survey across Districts and Sub-Counties .... 8 Figure 5: Categories of Respondents to Opinion Survey ....................................................... 9 Figure 6: Gender of Respondents to Opinion Survey ............................................................ 9 Figure 7: Age Brackets of Respondents to Opinion Survey ................................................. 10 Figure 8: Educational Qualification of Respondents to Opinion Survey ............................... 10 Figure 9: Direct Experiences of Atrocities during the War, field findings, April 2015. ........... 11 Figure 10: Has the LRA-led war affected relationships between your community and other communities? Field findings, April, 2015. ......................................................................... 12 Figure 11: How has the LRA-led war affected your relationship with other communities?, field findings, April 2015. .......................................................................................................... 13 Figure 12: To what extent has the LRA-led war affected relationships between the people of Acholi and Lango sub-regions?, field findings, April 2015. ................................................ 23 Figure 13: To what extent are the Acholi to be blamed for the suffering of the people in your community?, field findings, April 2015. ............................................................................. 24 Figure 14: Do you think there is need for regional reconciliation initiatives between people of the Acholi and the Lango sub-regions?, field findings, April 2015. .................................... 33 Figure 15: To what extent is regional reconciliation a step towards achieving national unity?, field findings, April 2015. .................................................................................................. 34 Figure 16: Who are the key stakeholders in fostering regional reconciliation?, field findings, April 2015. ........................................................................................................................ 44 v Mapping Regional Reconciliation in Northern Uganda Acronyms CSO Civil society organisation FAP Formerly-abducted person FoM Families of the missing GoU Government of