Victims Groups and their challenges in Northern Uganda

Parabongo Victims group 

Although, Northern Uganda is on the path to recovery after  decades of conflict that led to serious destruction, victims have often and consistently expressed several challenges they face on a daily basis that to-date are yet to be addressed. An ongoing survey we are conducting reveals many but ofcourse not all of such challenges. 

In 2019, Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives (FJDI) initiated a mapping exercise and analysis of the victims’ advocacy groups currently active in Northern Uganda in order to assess their most critical challenges and needs. Even though a decade has passed since the end of the violent conflict in Northern Uganda, the needs of victims and survivors remain largely unaddressed. While some may hope that the ongoing trials at Uganda’s International Crimes Division (ICD) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be an answer to their calls, most victims cannot expect such an outcome. If they are to have their needs met, the help will need to be obtained elsewhere.

A preliminary analysis of the needs and challenges of victims’ groups in Northern Uganda shows that while many of the groups are successful in coming together as victims and survivors and thus supporting each other, their advocacy efforts and calls for help are often met with unfulfilled promises or even silence from stakeholders. The conflict deprived victims of not only family members, personal health and more, but also of many valuable years of their lives and thus opportunities for undertaking education, building careers as well as prosperous homes and families.The assistance that most groups point to as essential for them as victims are therefore most often reparations, particularly in the form of community facilities such as health clinics, educational institutions and memorial initiatives, but also individual and financial help such as money, farming equipment and animals are called for. 

Facing the challenges of empty promises and silence from those with the power to assist victims and survivors in fulfilling their needs, puts considerable demands to the groups’ advocacy skills for them to speak up and be heard. Therefore, engaging in advocacy training can be a way forward for the empowerment and capability of the victims to obtain their wants and needs. Furthermore, coming together as victims’ groups across Northern Uganda in joint advocacy can be a way for the groups to not only speak with a louder voice, but also to share support, knowledge and experiences. 

The National Transitional Justice Policy has however been passed by the cabinet and could help address these challenges if put in place. It is an overreaching framework of the Government of Uganda designed to address justice, accountability and reconciliation needs of post-conflict Uganda. It proposes a combination of traditional and formal justice mechanisms of justice, the approval of the policy by cabinet is a huge step towards redress for victims, however, it could potentially last several more years before implementation considering the fact that it stayed in a draft form for about ten years.

Foundation for Justice and Development (FJDI) works with children, youth, women and communities to promote justice, development and economic recovery in northern Uganda. FJDI has been working on providing redress for conflict affected persons and communities and promoting transitional justice measures since 2015.