Uganda.

From the field Practical advice on peacebuilding research in Uganda

We travelled to Uganda from the beginning of May to early August 2011. We had spent months conducting research at the University of Toronto into issues surrounding youth affected by the recent war in Northern Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda. In Uganda we hoped to collect quantitative and qualitative data in the field to test the assumptions of existing research and provide answers as well. Read more >>>

From the field Uganda: Trail of LRA Commander Kwoyelo halted

The Constitutional Court in Uganda has halted the trial of former LRA commander Col. Thomas Kwoyelo. Kwoyelo was facing trial on multiple charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Kwoyelo had applied for amnesty, for which he was entitled under the law, but the Director of Public Prosecution and the Amnesty Commission had not issued him with a Certificate. Kwoyelo appealed the decision, and in a unanimous judgement a Constitutional Court has granted him amnesty. Read more >>>

From the field Uganda: swapping guns for running shoes

The Marakwet and the Pokot communities of Kenya, and their cousins the Karamoja of Uganda, are pastoralist communities who inhabit the dry rangelands of the Northern Rift Valley where pastoralism is the major source of livelihood. The presence of government in this region is limited and the availability of state functions such as security and social services is barely existent. Over the years cases of cattle rustling and intercommunity conflicts have led to the loss of thousands of lives and the destruction of property of unknown value. Read more >>>

From the field Kwoyelo’s trial and Uganda’s search for justice

Civil society organisations working for peace, justice and reconciliation in Uganda have welcomed the trial of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) Colonel, Thomas Kwoyelo for atrocities he allegedly committed during the over two decade LRA insurgency in northern Uganda. Read more >>>

From the field Rebuilding the lives of war-affected women

When she was 13 years old, Ashoka Fellow Milly Auma was captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, and was forced to serve as a the wife of a rebel commander. Eight years later, when she was finally able to escape back to her village with her two children, Milly was met by former friends and neighbors with hostility and fear. The realities she had brought home with her, in the form of both her children and her scars, epitomized everything the residents of her village had been trying to escape. Read more >>>

From the field Uganda: Understanding the walk to work protest

Uganda is in the spotlight again, following brutal police and military suppression of an ongoing public protest – the “Walk to Work” campaign. The rising cost of fuel, high transport cost and the unaffordable food commodities add to a growing frustration over poor social service delivery and the lack of fiscal discipline by the government. Peacebuilders and religious leaders have all condemned the brutal nature of the state response on unarmed civilians, called for dialogue and urged the government to respect citizen’s rights. Read more >>>

From the field Uganda’s 2011 elections: any lessons for local peacebuilders?

Uganda’s recent presidential election reveals strategic challenges for local peace actors and civil society, in terms of sustainable peacebuilding and the democratisation process in Uganda. Some of the lessons from it may be useful for peace builders elsewhere, when designing and advocating peaceful, legitimate elections. In general, it begs the question – How broad must our definition of a ‘peaceful’ election be? Read more >>>

From the field Ugandan Election 2011: Local Peacebuilders Speak Out

Ugandans head to the polls in four days time to cast their ballot to elect a new president and members of parliament. The 18 February election this Friday is considered one of Uganda’s most hotly contested multiparty elections in the history of the country. Seven presidential candidates are vying to unseat Uganda’s longest serving leader, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and end his 26 year reign. Many political observers, civil society organisations, and local peacebuilders, had warned that this election might turn violent but the campaigns have thus far been uncharacteristically “peaceful”. Stephen Oola, Uganda Local Correspondent, caught up with Charles Toolit Atiya, a local peace builder, and Coordinator of the Northern Uganda Transitional Justice Working Group (NUTJWG) to ask his views about the forthcoming elections. Read more >>>

From the field Is Uganda ready for a peaceful, legitimate election?

The Opposition Candidates in Uganda have called for the postponement of the forthcoming presidential and general elections until Voter’s cards are issued to over four million newly-registered voters to avert a possible crisis. This call was made at a joint press conference held in Kampala addressed by four opposition candidates. Read more >>>

Interview The Peacebuilding Podcast: Stephen Oola on Ugandan Elections

In the second episode of The Peacebuilding Podcast, local correspondent for Uganda, Stepehn Oola, talks about the upcoming elections. In 48 years of independence Uganda has yet to have a peaceful, democratic transfer of power. Stephen describes the fears of violence, the impact of the LRA, and the role civil society is playing to ensure a peaceful, free, and fair election period in 2011. Read more >>>