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Conflict has plagued Uganda since its independence in 1962. Massive human rights violations committed under the past three regimes have largely gone unpunished and unacknowledged, leaving a persisting legacy of impunity.

ICTJ's involvement in Uganda began in April 2005 when it conducted a survey of over 2,500 individuals affected by conflict in northern Uganda, published in partnership with the Human Rights Centre [HRC] at the University of California. ICTJ's Uganda program seeks to assist a comprehensive strategy for peace and justice in northern Uganda by broadening the terms of the transitional justice debate.

Background

While Uganda's current government under President Yoweri Museveni (1986–present) has managed to achieve overall stability, violence primarily perpetrated by the LRA rebel group persists in Northern Uganda and surrounding regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan.

The government of Uganda and the LRA held negotiations in 2006-2008 in Juba, south Sudan. Although a final agreement was never signed, the talks did result in five signed protocols, including a protocol on accountability and reconciliation, which have had a significant impact on Uganda's transitional justice initiatives and debates since 2008.

Following Juba the Ugandan government committed to implementing certain mechanisms including the establishment of a War Crimes Division of the High Court to investigate and try crimes relating to the 22 year conflict in the north, the establishment of a body of inquiry into the past to examine the causes of the conflict, and a reparations fund for victims of the violence. Clauses protecting the interests of women in this process have also been included, pursuant to UNSCR 1325(8), as well as the interests of children. Recently the government passed the 2006 ICC bill aimed at strengthening cooperation with the ICC and enabling Uganda try war crimes domestically.

The Peace and Justice Debate

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against three LRA leaders in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The leaders included LRA founder Joseph Kony and high-ranking officials Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen. The involvement of the ICC in the Uganda situation triggered mixed reactions from the public and affected communities. Certain groups resisted the ICC's intervention on grounds that it would hinder attempts at reaching a peace deal with the rebels. However other groups believed that the indictments by the ICC were useful in pressuring the LRA to embrace the Juba talks.

Uganda is currently the subject of the recurring debate on the relationship between peace and justice. Justice actors continuously ask whether the timing for a comprehensive transitional justice approach is right, or whether it is preferable to first focus on ending conflict and rebuilding affected communities, and to addressing justice needs only after peace is achieved.

Further background on Uganda can be found here.

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ICTJ Activity

ICTJ involvement in Uganda is to primarily support the work of civil society and community based organization who is important interlocutor in encouraging victims and victims groups to take part in transitional justice processes. ICTJ also engages with the Justice Working Group of the Justice Law and Order Sector of the Government which has been tasked with moving the transitional justice agenda forward. ICTJ has partnered with local groups, including the Justice and Reconciliation project (JRP) and the Northern Uganda Transitional Justice Working Group (NUTJWG) to facilitate meetings and trainings at the national and local level. The overall aim of the project is to ensure that a comprehensive and inclusive debate on transitional justice in Uganda involving both civil society and government actors is promoted.

ICTJ conducted its first assessment of the situation in Northern Uganda in March 2005. In partnership with the Human Rights Center (HRC) at the University of California, Berkeley, ICTJ conducted a survey in Northern Uganda, interviewing more than 2,500 Ugandans on their personal experiences of the nearly 20-year conflict and their opinions on how peace and justice should be achieved. In July 2005, ICTJ and the HRC released the findings of the survey in a report titled "Forgotten Voices," one of the first studies of its kind to be conducted in the midst of an ongoing conflict.

In December 2008, ICTJ started a project titled "Broadening the debate on transitional justice in Uganda after Juba" which aims to support the discussions in transitional justice after the Juba negotiations between the Government of Uganda and the rebels of the LRA. This project focuses not only on war crimes trials through the ICC bill but also other transitional justice mechanisms such as truth seeking, reparations and memorials, as well as creating networks that support dialogue between members of the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) of the government and civil society.

ICTJ will be participating in the upcoming Review Conference of the Rome Statute to be held in Kampala, Uganda, May 30 – June 11, 2010. The Center has produced a case study on the impact of the Court and the Rome Statute in Uganda as part of a series of case studies produced in advance of the Conference.

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(Updated May 2010)