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When War Becomes a Way of Life: The Adjumani Story Series

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Research Assistant Benard Okot makes notes during an interview in Adjumani. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Welcome to Adjumani

A latrine is constructed from discarded United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) sheeting. The white of it has gone gray, the blue is faded and the sheeting billows like a flag above the urine soaked ground. Dogs lie in the road so still they might be dead, unfazed even by the buzzing of flies. A boy hawks rolex, a Ugandan street food made of chapatti and fried egg, from a cloud of dust. The smells of oil and boiled goats’ meat hang in the air. The sun is unforgiving.

This is Dzaipi Sub-County, Adjumani District.

It is just thirty kilometers from Nimule, on the border with South Sudan, and has been buffeted by conflict on both sides of that border since the time of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada. Following Amin’s reign of terror, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rose to power in Uganda, forcing many into internally displaced persons’ camps and others into the rebel army itself. Meanwhile, the second Sudanese civil war raged on nearby, ultimately claiming two million souls.

A state of relative peace has returned to Adjumani. The LRA left Uganda in 2006. The promise of amnesty for returned recruits, traditional justice practices, geopolitical dynamics and depleted resources forced them from the country.  Still, the rebels remained active in South Sudan, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Attacks in the DRC have been reported as recently as October 2018, but these are nowhere near the scope and scale of previous brutalities.

South Sudan officially established its independence from Sudan in 2011, but conflict erupted two years later, when South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused Vice President Riek Machar of attempting a coup.  Fighting then broke out between the government army and rebel forces, with factions often divided along ethnic lines. Many fled in fear for their lives, making an equally terrifying journey to Uganda.

Henry Amadra, a South Sudanese refugee, recalls the perilous trip. At one point he and his family came to water, and were certain they might be thrown in if unable to explain themselves or bribe soldiers, so risky was movement between countries.

Henry Amadra poses for a portrait, following an interview with JRP staff. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Kiir and Machar reached a shaky peace deal was reached in October 2018, but an endless flow of refugees continues to cross the border between South Sudan and Uganda, escaping ongoing violence and uncertainty in the world’s newest nation. The current conflict is estimated to have displaced millions and resulted in approximately 383,000 deaths.

 A Land in Constant Conflict

 The story of Adjumani, like so much of Northern Uganda, is a story of war. It is a story James Wani  knows all too well. He is a tall and reedy man, with hunched shoulders and a shaved head. His eyes are gentle and his voice is slow and deep, the hard notes coming out only in certain moments.

James told his story from an un-mowed field near Dzaipi sub-county offices. Vehicles kicked up dirt on the road and elsewhere children laughed, then shrieked and began to cry. James first fled his home in fear of Idi Amin, and found himself in what is now South Sudan. He was a boy then and flight disrupted his education. It would not be the first time he was forced to run. As conflict between the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Government intensified, James returned again to his home in Uganda. He found Joseph Kony and the LRA gaining power there, and he was once again in the center of a war zone.

James was abducted by the rebel army on three separate occasions. He does not give details, only the impression that fear and pain are routine emotions. War is over now and he still feels unsettled.

James Wani Narrates his experiences for JRP staff in Adjumani. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Betty Ottua has a similar tale; the only difference is that she was born in South Sudan, then called Sudan, and not in Uganda.  Betty came of age in Nimule, South Sudan. As she grew clashes between the SPLA and government forces also worsened, and she made the journey to Uganda when she was ten years old. She lived in a settlement in Adjumani. Betty claims it was the subject of constant LRA raids, as rebels stole the already meager UNHCR rations given to refugees. She returned to South Sudan in her adulthood, but the LRA found her there as well.

Betty’s lips turn upwards in the ghost of a smile as she describes a vicious attack on a vehicle by the LRA in South Sudan. There were gunshots everywhere. Somehow, the bullets missed her. She became soaked in the blood of others. Afterwards, the soldiers checked for survivors. They never found her.

They poured gasoline and set the vehicle ablaze and this is when Betty escaped. As she moved away, she saw a mother and baby. The woman was badly injured and close to dying and it was impossible to save her and too dangerous to take the child. They burnt.

Betty returned to Nimule, but discord between Kiir and Machar worsened and conflict broke out once again. She remembers seeing someone she knew killed on a near daily basis. So, Betty escaped again to Uganda, displacement habitual.

These are just two voices in a chorus. There are countless experiences, just as brutal and simply untold.

Sarah Akumu is the community development officer for Dzaipi sub-county. She sees great similarities between the experiences of both Northern Ugandan conflict survivors and South Sudanese refugees.  She spoke from her office, the midmorning sun already high and the heat intense. “This border of Sudan and Uganda is a porous border. We keep moving and we have relatives in these two countries,” she said. “What we went through, during the LRA activities, is more or less the same as what these people went through when they were forced to come here.”

In addition to similarities on both sides, covert border crossing were a routine part of the LRA insurgency, as the rebels established bases in South Sudan. They received support and a measure of security from the government of Sudan in Khartoum, allegedly in retaliation for Ugandan Government support of the SPLA.

Rebels and their captives spent significant time in jungles between South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and Northern Uganda, the lines of the map arbitrary. Michael Droma, who was abducted from his home in Adjumani, asserts that he became a soldier in South Sudan. There, he was taught to properly hold and shoot a gun. He claims that 2,136 other soldiers were trained alongside him.

Michael Droma poses for a portrait following his interview with JRP Staff. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Borders have shaped the African continent, and played a crucial role in war and strategy, and yet these borders seem near irrelevant to the human experience.

A Shared Past, A Shared Future

 The future and needs of Ugandan locals and South Sudanese refugees have become increasingly and irrevocably linked. The transitional justice process in the larger West Nile region is shaped by the need to support refugees and conflict survivors simultaneously.

According to Michael Droma, Ugandans and South Sudanese are prepared to unite, based on the understanding created by shared experience. He believes that people from both nations “can join hands together.” In fact, Uganda is known for having one of the most welcoming refugee policies in the world, opening its doors to those fleeing neighboring countries.

While empathy for and the desire to support refugees is clear, the environment itself presents challenges. Northern Uganda remains in a delicate period of recovery. Competition for natural resources is also fierce. Many refugees complain of being chased away from the forest by the local community when they try to cut grasses to build thatched huts.

Angelina Awut Adung fled South Sudan with her children. They live do not have a proper house or access to a latrine. Her eyes brim with tears when she tells her story. She wipes them away on the corners of her shawl and presses onward. UNHCR has been able to meet the basic needs of refugees, providing food rations and housing, but few other resources.  Angelina reported that she must sell these food rations in order to pay for clothes, and for school fees beyond primary school.

Angelina Awut Adung poses for a portrait following her interview with JRP staff. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Locals, on the other hand, claim that the refugee camps are contributing to massive deforestation, affecting the livelihood of a population that primarily survives as peasant farmers. Some even blame the refugees for the drought currently depleting crop production, claiming that the refugee population has entered sacred lands and angered the community elders.

The Local Council Three of Dzaipi sub-county, Mr. Charles Anyanzo, spoke about the influx of refugees from a bar near town. The tin roof slanted downwards, and music speakers were stacked on top of dusty beer crates. Outside, men played checkers with bottle caps. Power had gone out, and he was forced to converse by the light of mobile phones.

Mr. Anyanzo claimed that a “severe war” could erupt if the refugees are not properly settled, with attention to the needs of the local population. He believes it is crucial for non-profits and local leaders to actively meet the needs of both communities, specifically encouraging active intervention on the part of non-profits to “reduce hunger” for Ugandans, and in doing so curtail resentment that they may feel towards outside populations, allowing both to live in harmony.

Still, a question lingers. How can a traumatized population, in need of support, realistically accommodate equally traumatized refugees? How can the needs of both groups be met simultaneously, especially when those needs are myriad?

Speaking from the Dzaipi sub-county offices, Rosemary Anzoo pulls up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a scar there. It is shaped almost like a star and puckered up as a pair of lips might be. Rosemary was raped by eight men during LRA captivity and stabbed. She speaks of problems in her bones, and still awaits treatment.

She wears silver hoop earrings, a skirt made of traditional cloth and a shirt from Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) bearing the slogan, “Speak Up and Act, SGBV is Real.” She covers the wound again and continues speaking.

Like a question, the image remains.

Changing the Minds of a Nation

 The Paramount Chief of the Madi People, Steven Izakare, opened the doors of his home to discuss these issues with JRP Staff.

On the surface, war and conflict have curtailed development throughout the West Nile. “West Nile and Acholi Sub-Region are great places that have been denied their opportunity to develop to their potential, because of the conflicts that have been raging on between the government and the so called rebel forces,” he said.

The issue, however, is deeper and more complex. According to His Highness Mr. Izakare, the war did not just impede development, but corroded the very mind of the nation. “A lot of minds were destroyed in the conflict. Many people who were good thinkers, the ones who could travel, met their demise on the road,” he said. “Finding a fresh mind that can separate between what has happened and what we need to be doing is very difficult.”  He claims it is challenging to encourage people to look beyond the trauma of the past and towards the possibility of the future. Thus, programs must not only meet multiple needs, but uplift the very mind of a nation.

If this happens, Mr. Izakare is optimistic. He envisions many communities living side by side in the West Nile, and a more developed Uganda that still respects and acknowledges its traditional past. “I’d like to see a Uganda that is truly peaceful. Emotionally, physically, psychologically, peaceful and healthy, and then it will also become wealthy,” he said. “The nationals on the ground have everything it takes to be a success, to sit amongst their peers, and have the respect from peers.”

Suddenly, the clouds darken, threatening rain. He calls it a blessing. Wind whips through the grass and fat drops begin to fall, slowly and then all at once.

There is hope, even in the places that seem bleak. Beatrice Yangi fled to Uganda with her children. She still recalls the difficult conditions in the camp, such as an attack of cholera and watching the elderly die in a downpour. She currently resides in Pagirinya Refugee Camp and lacks many basic necessities, including a mattress or sheets on which to sleep. Despite all this, she prays each morning upon waking and each night before going to bed. She thanks God at least twice each day. “Nothing is difficult for God. God can make anything better, anytime,” Beatrice said.

Beatrice Yangi narrates her experiences for JRP staff in Adjumani. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

The obstacles ahead are clear. Organizations must partner to meet the shared needs of multiple suffering populations, and do so in a way that also empowers people towards a better future, drawing a clear line between what has happened and what is to come. It is undoubtedly difficult, but if it is possible to speak openly no matter how painful and to pray each day in spite of an immediate reality, then perhaps real change is possible too.

***

 Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.

This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani.The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs.  Interviews with from the project will also aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be shared at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response

Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.

Beatrice Yangi: The Adjumani Story Series

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Beatrice Yangi narrates her experiences for JRP staff in Adjumani. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Beatrice Yangi has blue braids twisted into her hair. The braids stand out in contrast to the bleak brown and green landscape of Dzaipi Sub-county, Adjumani District, as if in defiance to it.

Beatrice is from South Sudan. She remembers her home village fondly. There were many wild animals nearby, providing an excellent source of meat, and the bamboo grew tall. Villagers cut and sold it. Conflict first erupted between the Acholi and Madi people there, and Beatrice and her family fled to Nimule, near the border with Uganda. They remained in Nimule, South Sudan for six months, before returning to their home village.

Her sense of peace was short lived. Conflict arose between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, as Kiir accused Machar of planning to seize power. Violence erupted and Government persecution of civilians in South Sudan became rampant Beatrice and her fellow villagers were accused of hiding a rebel leader. They were forced to sit outside of their houses, while the soldiers searched each home and even the latrines for the wanted man.  Beatings were constant.

According to Beatrice, women and children could run more easily, while men remained trapped in South Sudan. She fled with her children. The journey was terrifying. “Whoever passes, [the soldiers] will find you . . . they will kill you,” Beatrice said. They could bring no belonging with them, and were often forced to move off the roads and into the bush. The family also had to split up in order to avoid detection, so Beatrice walked alone. She walked for three days before reaching Adjumani, Uganda.

Beatrice claims that she and her family were warmly welcomed by the United Nations Refugee Agency, but given few resources. Initially they had no house and it rained each night. She witnessed three elderly women die in the downpour. There was also an outbreak of cholera.

Later, they were moved to Pagirinya refugee settlement, but it by no means meant her struggles had concluded. According to Beatrice many of the refugees in the camp remain deeply traumatized. She also lacks basic items, such a mattress or sheets on which to sleep.

Despite the recent developments in the peace deal, between Kiir and Machar, Beatrice sees little hope for a tranquil South Sudan. “Even if I go to [South Sudan] I will still have to run back to Uganda,” she said, insinuating that war is by no means over.  Similarly, she believes another conflict could occur in Uganda at any moment.

A life spent running from war has drained Beatrice of much optimism for her own life, and she places all of her hopes in her children. Beatrice is currently the mother of three boys. Each morning, she gets up and makes food for them, ensuring they can begin the day with something in their stomachs. She also prays upon waking and each night before going to bed. Despite the difficulty of her circumstances, she places trust in God, believing that nothing is difficult for the almighty. “God can make anything better, anytime,” she said.

***

The Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.

This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani. The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs.  Interviews with from the project will also aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be shared at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response

Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.

 

 

 

Michael Droma: The Adjumani Story Series

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Michael Droma poses for a picture following his interview with JRP Staff. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Michael Droma remembers the exact hour that war began.

It began at 7:30 in the evening.  Michael was returning home to Adjumani from Bibia. Rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army captured him as he was about to enter his house. His hands were tied behind his back, and he was taken to a tree to be killed.

He might have died. Yet, Michael was saved by a man he believes Joseph Kony himself. The commander saw Michael’s size, and ordered him to become a soldier instead. Michael marched, joined a host other captives facing a brutal and uncertain future.

He watched as another village was raided. Michael claims that 54 more people were abducted from that place.

They came next to a river. He was forced to carry heavy loads, even asserts he carried Kony through the water. He watched as 32 people drowned in the current. Another 21 were shot on the spot. Weakness was a death sentence. Rebel leaders asked their captives if they were tired and all who answered yes were killed without mercy.

The army came to another tree, and many were forced to lie down below it. Michael was among those in the dirt, and once again he stared at death. Michael claims that Kony again intervened to save his life, as thanks for ferrying the commander across the water. Michael was spared, but given a heavy log. In order to survive he had to kill others. Michael moved down the line of bodies, killing from behind, using the log, counting, beating, one, two, three, four, five, six. The seventh person was then given the log and the slaughter continued.

At this point in the retelling, Michael touched the place where his head and neck met, showing where to hit. His eyes flashed also up and down. He did not say what happened to the bodies.

Afterwards, he and other captives spent three weeks inching over the porous border between Uganda and what is now South Sudan.  He was then taken to Aruu Junction in South Sudan to begin his official training as a soldier.

There, he learned to handle a weapon. He claims that 2,136 soldiers were trained alongside him. Soon, an attack by the government reduced the number of rebels by half.  Michael was among those who survived and spent a week hiding in caves below a river bend, with nothing to eat. Michael became angry then, and when the LRA returned to Uganda and attacked villages, he joined in the killing.

He remembers cutting off women’s breasts and asking if people wanted to laugh, and removing the lips of those who said yes, so that they were forced into an eternal and grotesque smile. Everywhere there was a trail of destruction and even animals did not escape death.

Eventually Michael fled. He arrived in Kitgum weighed down with weapons, including two guns, 18 bullets and several grenades. He handed these weapons over to the government.

Eventually, he came home, after residing in several other locations. The war did not end upon his return to Adjumani. He is isolated within his village, and people call him “Son of Kony,” stigmatizing and effectively exiling him. He lost his business and now has no way to buy new clothes, to feed his family, or to educate his children. In fact, he fears sending them to school, knowing they will be mocked and tormented as the offspring of a former rebel.

His wife has returned to her family, who feared that Michael’s captivity had turned him cruel. To this date he has not received proper counseling or medical treatment, and claims he is desperate for both. He also hopes the community can be sensitized to understand that he acted only out of self-perseveration, that he did what was necessary to keep alive.

He knows that he is not alone in suffering. He currently sees refugees cross the same boarder he did when in captivity, as they flee conflict in South Sudan. He believes that these refugees face a similar plight as those Ugandan communities once plagued by war.  He claims that Ugandans and refugees can, “join hands together.”

Michael has never told his story before. His primary desire is for his children to live a better life.

           ***

The Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.

This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani. The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs.  Interviews with from the project will aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be presented at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response.

Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.

 

James Wani: The Adjumani Story Series

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James Wani narrates his experiences to JRP staff in Adjumani. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

James Wani ran from conflict for the first time as a boy. The brutal dictator Idi Amin Dada gained power in Uganda. James escaped to what is now South Sudan, his education disrupted. Sudan descended into civil war and he returned to Uganda as a man. Home again, James took two wives and attempted to continue his education, proceeding up until senior three. At that point, he stopped studying and turned to farming as a means of survival.

War came again, as Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army rose to power in northern Uganda. James was captured on three separate occasions. Each time he was tormented in captivity. He does not describe his experiences in detail, alluding instead to a horror unspoken.

The war is over, and Uganda is calm again, but James remains unsettled. He does not see true recovery yet, and feels that he and people who suffered as he did lack support. Many basic needs are simply left unmet, as people struggle to get clean water, or reach hospitals on dusty and unpaved roads. The land itself is difficult to till and cultivate, because it was left empty for such a long time. Listening to James speak, it is not difficult to imagine earth that is full of blood.

The lack of support is so extreme that James claims that should another conflict break out in Northern Uganda, it might be better to return to the bush and join the rebels.

He is also a community leader, with concrete suggestions for peaceful change and development. James believes that livelihood and education programs will greatly serve the community, as many struggle to make ends meet, or to send their children to school. He also hopes that new health clinics can be established. Personally, he longs to educate his nine children, but lacks the resources to do so effectively. He claims that his hands are tied and hopes that Adjumani can receive more assistance in the future.

***

The Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.

This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani. The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs.  Interviews with from the project will aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be presented at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response.

Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.

Henry Amadra: The Adjumani Story Series

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Henry Amadra poses for a portrait, following an interview with JRP staff. Photo Credit, Sophia Neiman.

Henry Amadra is  34 years old. When he speaks, he seems much older.

Henry was born in Loa, South Sudan, though at the time of his birth it was simply called Sudan. He remembers his home village as a good place, but gives few details.

His youth was undoubtedly shaped by the Second Sudanese Civil War. Fought between government forces in Khartoum and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army in the south, the conflict was a bloody one. It lasted 22 years, and remains one of the longest civil wars on record, with a high civilian death toll.  Henry fled to Uganda in 1998.

Yet, there was no peace in Uganda. Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army gained power and attacked indiscriminately, often savaging the refugees. Deciding it might be safer in his home country; Henry crossed the border again and returned to Southern Sudan in 2001. “I ran because of a conflict, but I came and met another conflict. It is better I go back,” he said.

Existence remained unstable. The civil war went on until 2005. After leaving Uganda in 2006, the LRA continued to commit atrocities in Southern Sudan, before moving to the Democratic Republic of Congo.  South Sudan finally won its independence from Sudan in 2011, becoming the world’s newest nation.

For a time, there was tranquility. Renewed fighting broke out in 2013 between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup. The country descended into violence once more, and as ever, humanity was the first causality of political war.

War reached Henry’s village in 2015. Violence was constant. Government soldiers attacked, beat and killed the villgers.

Henry remembers a brutal interrogation after a military officer, who happened to be from their village, escaped under mysterious circumstances. About 56 men were taken to military barracks, early in the morning. Soldiers beat them, demanding to know the whereabouts of this officer. They were not allowed to leave the room, even to urinate. They were released late that night.

Life in the village grew steadily worse. Business stopped, elders were arrested and children could not attend school. They lived within the ever present rhythm of gunfire. Death was a daily occurrence. Henry decided to travel to Uganda with this wife and three children.

The family walked to a trading center, where they could get transport across the border.

They traveled by vehicle, eventually reaching a military checkpoint. It was near water and Henry was certain they would be thrown in and left to drown unless able to provide a proper explanation.  The driver bribed the soldiers and continued onwards. Such were the facts of the perilous journey; anyone without funds to bribe the soldiers would be killed.

By the time the family reached Uganda, all of their money had been spent on bribes to ensure their passage. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) placed them first in a temporary settlement. The ground was swampy and the weather cold. After a week there, the family moved again to Pagirinya Refugee Camp.

They are safe, but it is still difficult to settle. For example, many refugees need grass to build thatched huts. The host community opposes this, however, as they often cut the grass and sell it, adding to an already limited income. Natural resources are few. Furthermore, the United Nations provides only food, but no monetary support. As a result, for every ten cups of food the family receives, Henry will often sell two cups, in order to make some small income.

Now, Henry sees few differences between the situation in South Sudan and the situation in northern Uganda. He also had few hopes to return to his homeland. He insinuates that the current peace deal will not hold and mentions the failures of previous peace talks held in Juba in 2015.

Henry claims that if he returns to South Sudan he will not bring his family, as he is afraid violence will return again and again. He will simply go alone in order to find paying work and provide for the children. He is a teacher by profession and hopes very much that his children can study in the future.

***

The Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.

This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani. The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs.  Interviews with from the project will also aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be presented at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response.

 Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.

 

 

 

Stakeholders in northern Uganda developing a road map to redress for SGBV

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Judith Awari, the chairperson of Kuc Odwogo Women's Group in Agweng and a member of the Women's Advocacy Network, speaks during a consultative dialogue with stakeholders on conflict-related SGBV in northern Uganda in Lira, 8 September 2016. Oryem Nyeko/Justice and Reconciliation Project.
Judith Awari, the chairperson of Kuc Odwogo Women’s Group in Agweng and a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network, speaks during a consultative dialogue with stakeholders on conflict-related SGBV in northern Uganda in Lira, 8 September 2016. Oryem Nyeko/Justice and Reconciliation Project.

PRESS RELEASE 8 September 2016

LIRA – Urgent policy change is needed to provide redress to conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), say civil society and survivors in northern Uganda.

Through three consultative dialogues between 8 and 13 September 2016, a variety of stakeholders across northern Uganda are working to develop a roadmap to redress conflict-related SGBV.

Organised by the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), the events bring government officials, civil society organizations, victim representatives, academia, cultural and religious leaders in Lira, Adjumani and Gulu.

“We need to step up the advocacy,” says Michael Otim, the former head of office for the International Center for Transitional Justice in Uganda, “We’ve made strides and we’ve had several meetings in the past, but there is rarely any follow through. These consultative dialogues, however, are very important because they allow us to design strategies to push for real redress for SGBV crimes.”

Since 2014, JRP has implemented a project called ‘‘Redress for Sexual-and Gender-Based Violence on Conflict Related Wrongs’’ aimed at supporting transitional justice (TJ) efforts of female survivors of SGBV in the northern Ugandan districts of Adjumani, Lira and Pader with funding of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The consultative meetings aim to discuss key issues that emerged from research under the project, including establishing the extent of SGBV revictimisation among female survivors of conflict SGBV, reintegration challenges facing children born of war and their mothers, engaging men in redress for conflict SGBV as well as redress for conflict SGBV.

The dialogues provide an opportunity for officials to learn perspectives of survivors to inform policy and implementation.

“I want the local government and other authorities to know that they should channel government programmes to women so they can support children born of war,” said Judith Awari, a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network based in Agweng, Lira, during the meeting. “When [government programmes] are brought to men alone, their benefits of the do not reach women and children.”

Following these meetings, a roadmap for policy recommendations will be developed and a report published to inform the Ugandan government and other actors in TJ to address the unredressed needs of war-affected women and particularly survivors of conflict-SGBV.

###

Media Contact. Oryem Nyeko, Communications and Advocacy Team Leader, onyeko@justiceandreconciliation.com, 0471 433008

About the Justice and Reconciliation Project. The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. Formerly a partnership of the Gulu District NGO Forum and the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, Canada, JRP has played a key role in transitional justice in Uganda since 2005, through seeking to understand and explain the interests, needs, concerns and views of the communities affected by war between the Lord‟s Resistance Army (LRA) and Government of Uganda (GOU). For more information please visit http://www.justiceandreconciliation.com.

Cultural leaders and war-affected women develop action points to reintegrate children born of war

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Members of the Women's Advocacy Network present during a dialogue between war-affected women and cultural leaders on the reintegration of children born of war in northern Uganda, held in Gulu on 28 April 2016.
Members of the Women’s Advocacy Network present during a dialogue between war-affected women and cultural leaders on the reintegration of children born of war in northern Uganda, held in Gulu on 28 April 2016.

JRP and the WAN hold dialogue on reintegration of children born of war

GULU – Children born of war and their mothers still face challenges reintegrating into their communities and families in northern Uganda. This was the key message sent during a dialogue between cultural leaders and war-affected women organized by the Women and Advocacy Network and the Justice and Reconciliation Project on 28 April 2016 in Gulu.

The event, which brought together participants from Acholi, Lango, Teso and West Nile, offered a space for women survivors of conflict to share their experiences with representatives of cultural institutions from the Greater North.

The dialogue was punctuated by a presentation from the WAN members appealing to cultural leaders to help reintegrate children born of war into their communities.

Nighty, a member of the WAN, spoke about how when she returned home from the captivity of the LRA she discovered that a child of hers she had been separated from had been mistakenly placed in the home of another family on his return.

“I would like you, my elders, to help let my child come back home,” she asked the cultural leaders in attendance.

The WAN spoke at length about the difficulties they and their children are undergoing today. Many children are unable to trace their patrilineal lines and are consequently unable to access land and other life necessities that are linked to their fathers.

On their return home, some children have either not been reunited with their actual families or have been taken in by the wrong families. As explained by WAN Chairperson Evelyn Amony, this has partly been so because while in captivity their parents would have used fake names to protect their families back home. On return, this has created a problem for mothers, fathers and children eager to trace families that were separated.

Poverty also was cited as the biggest social problem facing children born of war and their children, with facilitating education and health care provision being very hard if not impossible. The issue of land is yet another problem, with children and their mothers landless due to stigma and poor community acceptance.

In attendance of the event was His Highness Drani Stephen Musali Izakare, the Lopirigo of Madi, who appealed to the cultural leaders present to address the issues that arose during the discussion.

“Culture is not static, [it] is dynamic and cultural change is inevitable and welcome where change is needed,” he said, “In Madi, there’s no right way to have a child because children are all of ours.”

At the close of the event, the WAN members and the cultural leaders in attendance worked together to come up with action points for how cultural institutions could be better involved in the reintegration of children born of war.

Some of the commitments generated during the group discussions included to hold clan meetings to create clan laws that would prohibit stigma within communities, integrating war-affected women and their children into cultural leadership at community level and collectively engaging the Ugandan government to address the issues raised.

The meeting was held as part of a JRP project aimed at ensuring the reintegration of children born of war through family reunions in partnership with the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and the Women’s Advocacy Network.

By Benard Okot, with additional writing from Oryem Nyeko

Addressing the Unredressed – Gaps and opportunities for affirmative action for war-affected women within local government programmes and services in northern Uganda

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Policy Brief - Addressing the Unredressed Cover

On 15 September 2015, the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) at the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) convened a round-table meeting between 24 local government officials and 16 WAN members. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities for war-affected women to benefit from existing and proposed government programmes as an interim avenue for redress for conflict-related wrongs they experienced during northern Uganda’s longstanding conflicts. The meeting was attended by sub-county chiefs, community development officers (CDOs), district community development officers (DCDOs), chief administrative officers (CAOs) and district speakers from Adjumani district in the West Nile sub-region; Gulu, Amuru, Pader and Nwoya districts in Acholi sub-region; and Lira district in Lango sub-region.

The meeting was supported with funding from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), through a grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women as well as the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), Kampala. The objectives of the meeting were to share findings of a recent needs assessment survey conducted by JRP; to explore opportunities for war-affected women under current and proposed government programmes; and to facilitate discussion between war-affected women and their leaders on matters of justice, reconciliation and redress.

This policy brief draws upon the discussions and recommendations that emerged from the meeting and seeks to inform local governments across Uganda on the avenues through which they can work within their existing mandates to better meet the unredressed justice needs of war-affected women through targeted development assistance. It is divided into four sections: a background on transitional justice (TJ) including the major development programmes in the country, conflict sexual violence and the advocacy of the WAN at JRP; the needs and challenges facing war-affected women in northern Uganda; gaps, challenges and opportunities for local governments in meeting these needs and challenges; and practical recommendations for local and national government officials, war-affected women and civil society organisations.

Read the full policy brief here: Policy Brief – Addressing the Unredressed (PDF)

Dialogue with northern Ugandan stakeholders on the Right to Know campaign for missing persons highlights need to support the missing and their families

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On 28 August 2015, families of the missing, religious and traditional leaders, and civil society marched through Lira to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared as part of JRP's The RIght to Know campaign.
On 28 August 2015, families of the missing, religious and traditional leaders, and civil society marched through Lira to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared as part of JRP’s The RIght to Know campaign.

On August 28 2015, JRP organized a dialogue with representatives of family of the missing from four sub-regions of West Nile, Teso, Acholi and Lango as part of a campaign to create awareness for missing person in Lira called ‘The Right to Know’. This started with a procession from Lira District Chambers through the streets in Lira and later to Apostolic Centre with the people like religious leaders, traditional leaders, families of the missing and other civil society organizations like African Youth Initiative Network, Justice and Peace Commission, Northern Uganda Media Club, Concerned Parents Association and several media persons to spread the messages of the family of the missing.

A short prayer was made by Pastor Martin Odongo after a representative of the four sub-regions lit a candle. The burning candles were a symbol of light in the life of those who had gone missing.

During remarks given by JRP Head of office JRP Boniface Ojok, there was emphasis on the importance of recognizing the 30th of August as a day in remembrance of those who have disappeared in Uganda. Mr Ojok spoke about the need for the government to incorporate the issue of the missing persons in its policy in order to meet the social, legal and to a greater extent economic challenges facing the missing and their families. This is because, he said, the issue of the missing can be a long term impediment to peace. JRP’s 2014 policy brief, ‘The Right to Know – Policy Recommendations for Addressing The Rights of The Missing and Their Families in Northern Uganda’ reflected this by providing recommendations for acknowledgment of the missing persons, a comprehensive policy in regards to missing persons, and support for ongoing research outside of the scope of the brief.

When representatives of the families of the missing of across northern Uganda spoke at the event, many said that they are living with trauma, stigma, land conflict and lack of family support. Because there has been little acknowledgment of the issue of the missing as being important the families live in pain and isolation with feelings of anxiety for information on the whereabouts of their children.

During the Acting Resident District Commissioner for Lira and District Security Officer, Frank Madulo’s speech, he acknowledged the work of JRP in advocating for the missing and their families by making its calls victim oriented. He further made mentioned that he will ensure that the government acknowledges 30th August being the day for the disappeared persons. to support the families of the missing and to incorporate the issue of the missing persons in Uganda’s forthcoming Transitional Justice (TJ) policy.

Joyce Abalo is a Project Assistant with JRP’s Community Mobilisation department.

 

34 years later: more questions on Ombaci

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By Stephen Ssenkaaba

Thirty-Four years since the Ombaci massacre in the Northern Uganda district of Arua, more questions than answers abound.

As victims, their families and leaders in Arua came together this year to commemorate the massacre in which the Uganda National Liberation Army(UNLA) soldiers-in pursuit of Uganda army rebels- killed more than 100 innocent civilians- concerns over reparation, reconciliation and the plight of several poor survivors still linger.

“We hope that finally something can be done to address these issues,” Stephen Acidri, the coordinator of a recently founded Ombaci Massacres Survivors Association said.

The Massacre

On Wednesday, June 24, 1981 UNLA soldiers rounded up Arua town in pursuit of rebels and former soldiers of the Uganda Army.

This brought about tension.

“The soldiers attacked homes, looted property and drove us from our homes,” 84 year old Ismail Saidi, a survivor, said.

In order to escape the wrath of the soldiers, Saidi and many people sought refuge inside the premises of St. Joseph’s college Ombaci and the Catholic Mission nearby.

“It is while hiding here for our lives that we were attacked by the soldiers who thought we were concealing rebels and or collaborating with them,” Saidi, who lost a daughter and two nephews recalls.

“They came into the store where we were hiding and showered us with bullets, they went into the carpentry, the church and other places around the school and the mission killing people.”

After about four hours of shooting, nearly 100 people were dead and several others injured and abandoned at a makeshift camp that had been erected by the Red Cross.

No amends

Since the massacre, Acidri says very little has been done to heal the wounds of one of the most brutal attacks on innocent civilians in Uganda’s recent history.

“Not much has been done to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to book. No efforts have been taken to establish a truth and reconciliation process to facilitate the healing in this attack that hurt so many people and divided communities. What’s more, there has been no attempt to establish responsibility for these crimes,” Acidri says.

On the ground in Arua, many people claiming to be survivors are coming up and seeking to be compensated. And yet, without clear mechanisms to authenticate the claimants, the identification process risks being taken advantage of. Serious doubts also remain over any plans to hold perpetrators accountable for the human rights abuses that were committed in this gruesome murder.

Poor documentation

The Uganda Human Rights Commission has made recent visits to the site where the massacre took place but has yet to come up with a comprehensive report.

However, a 2013 report by the Justice and Reconciliation project (JRP) indicates that the government soldiers at the time (UNLA) violated international law for which the government of Uganda is still responsible.

“The murders and looting clearly amount to crimes against humanity…” says the report which adds: “What makes the Ombaci massacre such an agregious violation was the deliberate targeting of civilians, a religious mission and of clergy and International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) personnel, who are explicitly protected in instances of non-international armed conflict such as this one under Common Article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war.”

Rt. Rev Fredrick Drandua, the retired bishop of Arua Catholic Diocese- who was an influential leader in Arua at the time of the massacre says that for all the atrocities that took place then, “there is need for all of us to rise above the bad days and forge ahead by doing good, forgiving and forgetting.”

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/671542-34-years-later-more-questions-on-ombaci.html