ICTJ in the News

July 25, 2005

Report: 45 per cent lost relatives in northern Uganda war

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

As many as 45 per cent of the civilians in war- ravaged northern Uganda have lost relatives in the 19 year conflict and 23 per cent have been mutilated by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, a study launched in Kampala Monday reported.

A survey of 2,585 people carried out in April and May by researchers from the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley and the New York-based International Center for Transitional Justice also found that 66 per cent of the respondents were in favour of punishing the rebel leaders.

The 57-page report also found that: "40 per cent of the respondents had been abducted by the LRA, 45 per cent had witnessed the killing of a family member and 23 per cent had been physically mutilated at some point during the conflict."

The survey entitled "Forgotten Voices: A Population-based Survey on Attitudes about Peace and Justice in Northern Uganda" has a margin of error of 1-3 percentage points.

The LRA wages its war from bases in Sudan and targets civilians, killing and maiming thousands as a punishment for allegedly supporting the Ugandan government.

The rebels replenish their forces by abducting children whom they force to join their army or use as sex slaves.

Current estimates of the number of LRA members range between 1,000 and 3,000 with a core of 150 to 200 commanders some of whom have military backgrounds, it added.

The study recommends that efforts at justice for former rebels should involve the international community, the national government, local authorities and communities and that the existing blanket amnesty system to pardon former rebels should also involve confession, apologies, commemoration of victims and reparations.

The study also recommends that the International Criminal Court have a presence in northern Uganda and sensitize the population about its objectives.