ICTJ in the News

October 16, 2006

U.S. Doubts Acholi Justice

New Vision

The Acholi traditional method of reconciliation and traditional justice remains a difficult practice for the Americans to understand as far as dealing with impunity is concerned.

 
This system of justice was a hard sell for the northern Uganda delegation that was invited to the US under the International Visitor Leadership Programme. The theme of the programme was Conflict Resolution - a case for northern Uganda.

The Ugandan delegation discussed with their hosts the peace talks going on between the LRA and the Uganda government in Juba, Southern Sudan and requested for development assistance for the war-affected areas.

The delegation also raised the issue of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) indictment, appealing for a temporary suspension of the indictment of the LRA's top commanders in order to have peace first and justice later. The LRA rebels committed atrocities, raped women, abducted people, caused sex slavery, human slavery and havoc not only in northern Uganda, but also in Southern Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The major point of contention was how the traditional methods of justice would handle the crimes committed by the top commanders of the LRA against the people of Uganda during the 20 years of war. The Acholi sub-region was the most affected for 20 years besides other sub-regions of Lango, Teso and West Nile where the war also spilt over in 2003.

While in Washington, the delegation held meetings with officials from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Senior Conflict Advisor Bob Leavitt and Leonard Rogers, the Washington Deputy Assistant Administrator Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.

At the US Department of State, the delegation met with the Foreign Affairs Officer, Karen Gilbride, and visited the US National Security Council and the Brookings Institution.

The Ugandan team also held a meeting with members of the department of peace, conflict resolution of Columbia University, the oldest university in the US. The Department of War Crimes said it was paramount for the five top commanders indicted by the ICC to face court because that was the only way to provide justice and avert impunity in northern Uganda.

The delegation held series of meetings with top leadership of the various universities in Boston, including Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University where the group met with Jeremy Sarkin, a professor of International Human Rights.

The group also met the Director of Coexistence Research and International Collaborations, at Brandeis University, International Institute of Mediation and Historical Conciliation. Another meting was held with the Cherry Muse and Maggie Herzig of The Public Conversations Project.

The Conversations Project, a brainstorming group dealing with family therapists in conflict situations, offered to provide some training for the traditional institutions of the Acholi to enable them to handle families affected by the war.

The Ugandan team also held meeting with the president and vice-president of Uganda North America Association (UNAA), Abdul Kimbugwe and Moses Nekyon respectively. The UNAA promised to forward the concerns of the northern Uganda to the Acholi and Uganda living in the Diaspora.

In New York City, the consultant for Network and Capacity Building at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Samar Al-Bulushi, said the major task was to reconcile the ICC with the traditional system in Acholi. He said the situation in northern Uganda was a complex one that needed intensive advocacy at international and local levels.

At the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the group met with Bruce Nelson of the US Mission to the UN. He promised continued direct support to northern Uganda.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) promised to continue supporting children activities and to keep pressurising the LRA to release the children still in LRA captivity and advocate for their rights.

Ambassador Donald Steinberg, the vice-president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), counselled against ignoring the crimes committed by the LRA rebels against the people of northern Uganda.

"I am not going to trust Kony to bring peace, justice and development to northern Uganda. Nobody wants to turn around and ignore the crimes committed by the LRA. We believe that giving amnesty to Kony may not be necessary because it does not address impunity," said Steinberg.

The delegation also held meetings with the Chris Hyslop and Steve O'Malley of the Office of the Co-ordinator for humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and department of Department of political affairs. The UN's Deputy Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Margaretta Wahlsprom, promised relief support directly to northern Uganda through the UN's regional offices in Gulu, like the UN OCHA and UNICEF.

The Ugandan delegation to the United States included the Acholi Paramount Chief, David Onen-Acana II, the Pader Resident District Commissioner, Santo Okot-Lapolo, Lt. Col. Francis Achoka-Ongom (Security in Internally Displaced Persons camps) in northern Uganda, Women Members of Parliament Beatrice Atim Anywar-Odwong and Rebecca Amuge Otengo for Kitgum and Lira districts respectively, and Elizabeth Ayot, an Assistant Lecturer at Gulu University's department of Business Law.