Tag Archives: Oryem Nyeko

Thank you for bringing our son back to the soil from where he was abducted from

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“Thank you for bringing our son back to the soil where he was abducted from.” - Richard's uncle
“Thank you for bringing our son back to the soil where he was abducted from.” – Richard’s uncle

There was an air of excitement in Pagoro Kal village on Wednesday. On this sunny afternoon in Lamogi sub-county, Amuru District, community members were rushing to put final touches to welcome one of their sons home. Richard was abducted by the LRA in September 1996 when he was about 10 years old his uncle, Mr Latim, told us. Since then, his had parents died and his remaining relatives had heard no news about him.

It was a big surprise, then, when his uncle received a phone call telling him that his nephew had returned from captivity in the Central African Republic. After meeting his uncle at at the Army Barracks in Gulu, it was decided that an Acholi traditional ceremony known as nyono tong gweno (‘stepping on the egg’) would be performed at Richard’s ancestral home to cleanse him of any evil spirits that he may have encountered during his time away from home.

On the day of the ceremony, the atmosphere was one of a celebration. About 200 people were in attendance, including Richard’s relatives, community members, as well as representatives of the Ugandan army and a few NGOs. People danced to music blaring from a speaker system and a popular local musician, Tam Noffy, performed songs about the value of human rights, forgiveness and the beginning a new life.

Richard’s arrival, though, was an event in of itself. Around 2pm, the excitement reached tipping point when a convoy of vehicles was spotted heading towards the home of his family. There was a flurry of ululation and cries of “latin wa!” (“our child”) as everyone rushed to see Richard. As people gathered around the vehicle, community elders placed a symbolic stick and egg at the entrance to the home, and when Richard exited the vehicle he was given guidance on what procedure he should follow in order to comply with Acholi tradition. After this he was lifted onto the shoulders of the eager crowd and taken to the front of a tent where his hand was shaken by people excited to meet him. Watching Richard’s heroic welcome home was an incredible experience for the three members of the JRP team that attended, as this was the first time to witness this particular ceremony for them.

JRP has done numerous studies examining such rituals and the impact they have. In Roco Wat I Acoli, the adaptation of traditional cleansing rituals for returnees were examined. In Denis’s story, we documented the experience of a young man who went through a ceremony to appease the spirits of the 27 people he killed while in captivity. Also, in Gender and Generation in Acholi Traditional Justice Mechanisms, we documented attitudes of women and youth towards traditional ceremonies. Each of these studies suggest the therapeutic value of them and the marked improvements in the behaviour and attitudes of the people that participate in them. But while the ceremonies have value, these reports also found that their success is not always straightforward. For instance, where participants understand the significance of the ceremonies, a positive change was generally seen, but where they didn’t there was significantly less likelihood of positive change. So while Richard’s community was very welcoming at this initial stage in his return, the complexity of reintegration of the formerly-abducted, former combatants and others like him remains an integral issue.

Namokora survivors’ group commemorates massacre, plan way forward

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Namokora Massacre Memorial 2014-08-19 (37)
Retired Anglican Bishop of Kitgum Archdioces Bishop Macleord Baker Ochola leads the Namokora massacre memorial prayers in Namokora sub-county, Kitgum District, 19 August 2014.

Last week, JRP’s Documentation team met with the Namokora LCIII and chairperson of the Namokora United Relatives of the Massacred and Survivors Association, Charles Onen, to discuss the second annual memorial for the 1986 Namokora massacre. This year was only the second time since 1986 that the massacre has been commemorated but Mr. Onen was enthusiastic as he told us about the progress the community is making in advocating for reparations and acknowledgment for the victims and their families.

As part of the commemorative initiatives, the Namokora suvivors association arranged a two day vigil on the 17th and 18th of August to pay respect to the 71 people that died during the operation led by the National Resistance Army’s 35th Battalion in Namokora sub-county, Kitgum District. On the 19th, a memorial event was held at the Namokora massacre memorial site where JRP’s Field Note ‘Occupation and Carnage: Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986’ was officially launched to the community. Retired Anglican Bishop of Kitgum Archdioces Bishop Macleord Baker Ochola, Kitgum District officials, other councilors, civil society, as well as Namokora massacre survivors from other sub-counties incl Orom, Kitgum Matidi and Lagoro were all in attendance.

During the memorial, representatives of orphans, elders and widows of the massacre were all given an opportunity to speak. In their speeches, many expressed their frustration in the lack of response from the their local leaders. One representative specifically said that because the victims and survivors felt that their leaders would not forward their concerns to the government, they would themselves trek to Kampala themselves to seek redress. Many saw the launch of the JRP report Occupation and Carnage as an important tool to redress their challenges.

Representatives of relatives of victims and survivors of the massacre also held a press conference at the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) in Gulu on Thursday 22 August 2014 to brief the media on the Namokora massacre, discuss a position paper developed by the survivors group, and detail the action the group intends to take.

 Read JRP’s Field Note Occupation and Carnage here: http://justiceandreconciliation.com/2014/04/occupation-and-carnage-recounting-atrocities-committed-by-the-nras-35th-battalion-in-namokora-sub-county-in-august-1986-fn-xix-march-2014/

TJ Monitor: Nigerian abductions reinforce the value of collective advocacy

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Women march in Abuja following the abduction of over 200 school girls by Boko Haram rebels. Picture courtesy of AFP.

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Lina Zedriga Waru for the next issue of Voices. Lina is a passionate advocate for the greater involvement of women in building and sustaining peace. We talked at length about how during the 2006-2007 Juba peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the LRA she and others rallied to have the then neglected voices of women heard during the negotiations. Eventually hundreds of women of different ethnicity and backgrounds, from different parts of Uganda and other countries were mobilised to travel to Juba and join the talks.

“It was so powerful that when we reached Gulu, the President himself, who had refused to see us, decided to fly to Gulu to meet us,” she said, “The fact that we came from beyond [Acholi] demanding that this war must end and demanding that peace must be given a chance was very powerful.”

The women’s “march to Juba” was an incredible success and eventually culminated with the handing over of a symbolic “peace torch” from the contingent of women to Riek Machar, who was then the mediator of the peace talks. Most significantly, elements of the calls their group made in the “Women’s Protocol for Peace” that they delivered in Juba were included in the final written agreement.

While discussing the value of collective advocacy by women, we also discussed the recent abduction of over 200 Nigerian school girls in the north of the country by Boko Haram rebels as well as the efforts by groups of women, including the mothers of the missing, to draw attention to it. Sympathy has poured out from all around the world and many have observed that it harkens back to the dark times during the LRA conflict when students were abducted from their schools in northern Uganda. The abductions from in St. Mary’s College, Aboke in 1996, Sacred Heart Secondary School in 1993, and Lacor Seminary in 2003, and Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in 1996, like the Nigerian situation, raised the profile of the conflict and drew scrutiny to the role of governments and other humanitarian actors.

The Nigerian government has been criticised for its lack of action in retrieving the girls, as well as the mixed messages it has given about their being rescued.  Lina Zedriga Waru observed that situations like this reflect the importance of utilising collective advocacy to draw the public’s attention to issues and to get governments and other actors to act. A series of activities that can sustainably and continuously draw attention to what is going on is vital, she says. A crucial element, though, is that advocates should make sure that they provide alternative solutions to the problems they are advocating to address, and to ensure that they work to recruit allies with a common vision. Most importantly they should relate the issue to the public as much as possible. Women advocates, she says, act as a support to the government by representing the concerns of communities.

The next issue of Voices (on gender justice and sexual and gender-based violence) will be out at the end of May.

Applauding Parliament for Adopting a Resolution on Reparations for War-Affected Women and Children

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It has been six years since the Juba peace talks when the government of Uganda undertook to establish measures that would ensure justice for victims of atrocities committed during the 20 year insurgency in northern Uganda. To date very little has been done to redress the harm that victims suffered.

Members of WAN present to UWOPA at Parliament, 14 March 2014
Members of the Women’s Advocacy Network present a petition to the Uganda Women Parliamentarian’s Association at Parliament in Kampala, 14 March 2014.

9 April 2014, however, marks a special and historic day for the war-affected in northern Uganda. The Parliament of Uganda on this day unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a series of measures that will support victims and communities affected by the conflict. This landmark Parliamentary resolution marks the beginning of healing and the restoration of dignity for many victims and survivors who have waited years for steps to be taken to address their needs.

The resolution comes as a result of a motion that was tabled in Parliament by Aswa County, Gulu District Member of Parliament, Hon, Ronald Reagan Okumu on 3 April 2014, urging Parliament to intervene and address issues affecting persons, particularly women and girls, who were affected by the war. This motion was partly influenced by a petition presented to Uganda Women Parliamentarians Association (UWOPA) and the Acholi Parliamentary Group by the Women’s Advocacy Network. The petition was backed and overwhelmingly supported by the Gulu District Local Government

The resolution calls on the Government of Uganda to do the following among others:

  • Establish a gender sensitive reparations fund and offer reparations to women and men that were affected by LRA rebellion. Government should provide priority in livelihood, healthcare, skills training and education for women/children victims of LRA conflict in order for these people to live in dignity;
  • Increase the budgetary provision for free health services (health insurance) especially on sexual and reproductive health (such as fistula, HIV/AIDS, gynaecological problems), orthopaedic support, psychosocial support as well as ensuring that such services are easily accessible to women and children who were affected by the insurgency;
  • Put in place a mechanism with regional governments in LRA affected areas to identify, integrate and regularize stateless children born in captivity, Government should therefore recognize the special unique needs of the children born in captivity whose fathers and patrilineal heritage is unknown and have a review of the laws that require information and documentation on paternity to be amended as well;
  • Identify, integrate and resettle child victims of formerly abducted women whose clans, social, tribal and cultural belongings are unknown.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament has appointed a three member committee consisting of Hon Rosemary Nyakingogoro, Hon Reagan Okumu and Hon Godfrey Kiwanda to follow up on government’s implementation of the resolution and update parliament accordingly.

This resolution is a success for the hundreds of war-affected women and children that have languished since the cessation of hostility in 2006. The adoption of this resolution is an important step in the transitional justice process in northern Uganda because it provides acknowledgment of the needs of the voices of victims of conflict. It also provides an opportunity for the government to provide solutions that address the challenges that vulnerable groups in the region face, many of whose special needs have not been adequately dealt with in the past.

The Justice and Reconciliation Project, therefore, urges the government to expeditiously implement the resolutions made by Parliament.

Community-Led Documentation launched in Lukodi!

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Vincent Oyet, a member of the Lukodi CORE (Community Reconciliation) Team holds a copy of 'Ododo Pa Lukodi' (the stories of Lukodi) during the launch of Community-Led Documentation in Lukodi.
Vincent Oyet, a member of the Lukodi CORE (Community Reconciliation) Team holds a copy of ‘Ododo Pa Lukodi’ (the stories of Lukodi) during the launch of Community-Led Documentation in Lukodi.

It can finally be said that Lukodi’s community has its history documented in its member’s own words and based on their memories. But this just the beginning. On the 20th of November 2013, the Lukodi Memorial Site officially launched Community-Led Documentation in Lukodi, a village on the outskirts of Gulu town, which was the site of an infamous LRA attack in 2004.

Under Community-Led Documentation, the community of Lukodi was given the tools to document its own history and experiences. The objective is to promote accurate community-owned documented material for current and future generations. JRP plans to extend this initiative to other war-affected communities in the future to enable them to tell their own stories.

The event was attended by representatives of Gulu local government, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, ChildFund, survivors of the Lukodi massacre of 2004, community members of Burcoro, students of Lukodi primary school and the area councillor for Bungatira sub-county in which Lukodi is located, among others.

During the event, community members performed songs and poems which reflected on the pillars of their transitional justice needs – these included poems entitled Ada Ber (‘the truth is good’, on the value of truth telling) and Lweny Rac (‘war is bad’, on the value of peace).  After this, a written timeline of the history of Lukodi, written by members of the community, entitled ‘Ododo Pa Lukodi Ma Lwak Ocoyo’ (‘the stories of Lukodi’) was presented.

A map of Lukodi and its surrounding communities that formed the Lukodi IDP camp and were displaced during the conflict were also displayed, as were samples of the food rations that relief agencies gave to people in camps. These were shown to visitors in the type of small hut people were forced to live during the conflict. An ‘alup’, a makeshift home hidden deep in the bush and which was typical for community members who were seeking to hide from rebels, was also reconstructed.

The launch also featured the unveiling of a room at Lukodi Primary School which was specially dedicated by the school to the initiative. Inside, drawings by community members depicting key events including but not limited to the atrocities committed during the massacre in 2004, activities of Cilil rebels, looting of cattle by Karamojong warriors as well as pictures of what life was like in the internally displaced person’s camps that many members of the community lived till they returned to their homes in 2007 hung on the walls. A mural also showed post-conflict life in the community – such as how the traditional Acholi communal fireplace discussion place, wang-oo, has been revived, how children are now going to school and how cultural celebrations and festivals are able to flourish in this period of peace.

Read more about the Lukodi massacre here.

Read more about Community-Led Documentation here.

Below are pictures from the event

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TJ Monitor: what Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC would mean for transitional justice

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A few weeks ago we blogged about African leaders and their increasingly apprehensive stance towards the International Criminal Court. Just a few days ago – a week before the trial of the Deputy President of Kenya, William Ruto, began at The Hague – members of Kenya’s parliament voted to withdraw the country from being a party to the international court.

Ruto was charged with the crimes against humanity of murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population and persecution for acts organised during the election violence that occurred in Kenya in 2007 and 2008.

The countries current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, was also charged with crimes against humanity and his trial is set to begin in November.

What message does the potential withdrawal of one of the more prominent African state-parties to the Court’s statute send for accountability and transitional justice in the region?

The result of ongoing investigations and indictments by the ICC has been that African leaders, under the auspices of the African Union, have felt targeted by the Court and went as far as arguing that the ICC is biased against them. Critics of the Court have also accused it of being racist, imposing Western imperialism and harbouring anti-African sentiments.

If the Court is perceived to be biased against African countries, it is probably because all of the seven investigations it is currently conducting are for crimes allegedly committed in African states. The majority of the on-going investigations, however, were actually referred to the Court by the member states themselves. The Court is also conducting preliminary investigations in eight countries –which include Gambia and Nigeria.

Some argue that “home grown” solutions would be more effective in dealing with African cases. But international tribunals are only one aspect of accountability – being a party to the ICC does not mean countries are inhibited from pursuing their own national and regional forms of accountability, whether in the form of truth and reconciliation commissions or national trials, for instance. The Court, after all, was famously founded based on a principle of complementarity – meaning that it exists to support, but not take away the sovereignty of its member states.

If Kenya withdrew its support for the Court it would mean that individuals responsible for acts of impunity would have one less powerful check to keep them accountable for their acts and, therefore, less be deterred from committing mass atrocities.

Also, an indictment by the ICC does not guarantee that the accused person will be convicted. The presentation of evidence and arguments by both sides as well cross-examination of witnesses during a trial could contribute to the revelation of important details about the occurrences in question. Since truth-telling is an important component of transitional justice, a country that does not participate as a whole would deny itself an opportunity for the lessons that can learned from the process.

Another important aspect of Kenya’s withdrawal is that, as a leader in the region, this could set a precedent for more withdrawals by other African countries. This is a problem because the ICC, and international law as a whole, is built on the support of states that are party to its founding international law agreement. Without the support of state parties, the court would be weak and ineffective since countries would not have any legal obligation to implement its decisions.

We’ll be following the trial and other developments at The Hague in the TJ Monitor. Check back later for more!

Women’s Advocacy Network petitions the Government to take action to support war-affected women in northern Uganda

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On the 23rd of August 2013, 73 members of the Women’s Advocacy Network submitted a petition on behalf of war affected women to the Gulu District Local Government. In the petition, the members of the grass-roots organisation, supported by the Justice and Reconciliation Project, request the Local Government representatives to appeal to the Government of Uganda to initiate policies which will address the needs of war-affected women in the region, many of whom were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army during its twenty year conflict with the Government of Uganda, and their children.

Specifically, the petition calls for action for the special needs of the children of war-affected women, some of whom were born in captivity, and who have continued to suffer the brunt of stigmatisation in their communities, despite the end of armed conflict. They are also often deprived of education and psycho-social support and, in some cases, do not know the identity of their paternal relatives.

The petition also requests that a reparations policy be adopted by the Government of Uganda to address the socio-economic needs of war-affected women, to help build their capacity to support themselves and to compensate them for the losses they suffered during the war. The women also request that accountability processes for the atrocities that took place during the war be effected in order to aid reconciliation and healing within communities and throughout the country.

The petition was put on the agenda to be tabled on Tuesday, September 10th 2013 at the Gulu District Local Government District Council Hall.

Read the petition below:

WAN Gulu District Local Govt Petition (pdf)

A circle of trust – Together we can! 2013 Women’s Exchange Visit

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On 27 July, JRP hosted the 2013 women's exchange visit where war-affected women to share their experiences and discuss a mutual way forward for reparations and reconciliation in Uganda
On 27 July, JRP hosted the 2013 women’s exchange visit where war-affected women shared their experiences and discussed the forward for reparations and reconciliation in Uganda

On Saturday 27 July, war-affected women from different parts of northern Uganda came together to share their experiences and highlight the way forward for transitional justice advocacy in the region.

Representatives of victims groups in Teso, Acholi, West Nile, Lango and Luweero spoke passionately about what challenges women face today. Guided by the theme ‘together we can’ (which was translated into Lugbara, Acholi, Iteso and Lango different languages), the meeting also served as an opportunity for war affected women to discuss ways in which they can work together to achieve their collective objectives towards justice and reconciliation.

Below are pictures of the event.

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A step closer to community-led documentation

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A man reads from written documentation 'Ododo pa Lukodi' (stories of Lukodi) during a Community Led Documentation community outreach in Lukodi, Gulu district. 27 April 2013.
A man reads from the written documentation ‘Ododo pa Lukodi’ (stories of Lukodi) as part of the Community Led Documentation community outreach in Lukodi, Gulu district. 27 April 2013.

Last Saturday, JRP’s Documentation department attended a community outreach on community led documentation (CLD)  organised in the community of Lukodi in Gulu district.

Under Community Led Documentation, communities are given the tools to document their own history and experiences. The objective is to promote accurate, community owned documented material for future generations. Lukodi is the first community that the department is working with under the programme and was documented under ‘The Lukodi Massacre, Field Note XIII’ in August 2011.

The community outreach featured a presentation by the 21 members of the JRP assisted CLD team of a 26 page document written in Acholi as well drawings depicting experiences going back as far as the Idi Amin era. Following the presentation, the community members gave feedback and input on the steps forward for initiative.

Up to 150 community members attended the outreach.

Read more about the Lukodi massacre here.

See pictures of the event below.

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Commemorating International Peace Day

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The 21st of September is the United Nations recognised International Day of Peace. The day, established in 1981, is the shared date devoted to strengthening and creating ideals and acts of peace all around the world. The UN General Assembly resolved in 2001 (Resolution UN/A/RES/55/282) to declare the day a Day of Ceasefire, being  “an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the day”. The “temporary” ceasefire is meant to encourage individuals and nations to work to sustainable peace on a more permanent level and to give hope to victims of conflict for the possibility of peace.

The day can be celebrated in practically any way – from lighting a candle to sitting in silent meditation. In Uganda, Archbishop of Gulu Ecclesiastical Province of Northern Uganda John Baptist Odama will be awarded with the World Vision International Peace Prize for his contribution to promoting peace processes. The Archbishop Odama, who was nominated by JRP’s Community Documentation Team Leader, is best known for meeting with the LRA in 2002 in an attempt to convince the rebels to lay down their arms. Even today, the Bishop continues maintain efforts to bring peace in both Uganda and the region as a whole, including appealing to the Government to resort to dialogue as the only way of ending the insurgence. Recently, along with a team of other Northern Ugandan leaders traveled to the Central African Republic to negotiate and ascertain the condition of people held captive by the LRA.

The Award and the Day will be celebrated in Gulu at the Kaunda Grounds on the 19th of September. Read more about the Archbishop’s efforts to achieve peace in the region here.

The Justice and Reconciliation Project will also be celebrating Peace Day through a unique, youth centred initiative known as the 2012 Transitional Justice (TJ) Quiz. The TJ Quiz is an educational programme designed to connect youth from different parts of Northern Uganda to build a critical mass around transitional justice. Schools from Pader, Kitgum, Nwoya, Amuru and Gulu Districts are compete by answering rapid fire quiz questions on transitional justice issues, peace processes, international  to scoop the regional prize on the eve of International Peace Day in Gulu. . The theme of the competition this year is “Everybody counts; Voices of Young People in Transitional Justice” and it is hoped that it will further increase awareness among the young people Uganda on the conflict as well as ongoing transitional justice debates within the country.

Read more about the quiz here.