AEGIS ECAS 2007 - View abstract

Panel	49. The politics of healing and justice in post-conflict societies: Global discourses and local realities
Paper ID	91
Author(s)	Akello, Grace
Paper	No paper submitted
Abstract	Northern Ugandan has experienced armed conflict for two decades now. There has been untold suffering through displacement and settlement of people into camps, exposure to severe infectious epidemics and numerous lose of lives. The Acholi ethnic group living in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader have born the greatest brunt of this civil war. Since May 2005, there has been an on-going peace-talks between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in Juba mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS). It is expected that this initiative might lead to a peaceful means of conflict resolution. Naturally this will create a conducive environment for reconstruction of the devastated social, economic, cultural and political structures. Concerning social reconstruction, evidence points to complexities to be confronted including; that during this prolonged civil war both the GoU and LRA have committed various atrocities on the civilian populations with impunity. The LRA tactic of abducting children and training them to carry out severe atrocities including killings, looting and gender based forms of violence increases the complexity of the phenomenon whereby in one individual are duo dimensions of victim-hood as well as being perpetrators of crimes. Non-governmental organizations directly involved with reintegration of excombatants instead portray them as innocent traumatized victims. This paper seeks to analyze how reconciliation can be a central tool in social reconstruction. In particular it is propositioned that the basic starting point in social reconstruction and healing process is for both the GoU, LRA and civilian perpetrators of crime to acknowledge and take responsibility of the atrocities committed. The next step must then be sincere seeking of forgiveness in reconciliation. While addressing this issue, I will shed light into stakeholders’ participation in this process. In particular the role of national and international Non-governmental organizations (NGO) involvement will be highlighted. The central question will then be how to promote inter and intra ethnic reconciliation; and how to facilitate NGO involvement in such an essential process without compromising with the essence of genuineness, sincerity and basic elements of reconciliation. A case study will be provided involving one NGO attempt in reconciliation between the Acholi and Iteso indigenous leaders through instructing the former LRA commander to apologize for the crimes committed by the LRA. Other empirical evidence obtained over a one-year period in ethnographic research will be provided. Data collection was carried out in 2004-2005 in Gulu district. The main respondents were former child soldiers, displaced children, NGO coordinators, professional and religious healthcare providers. Key words: Social reconstruction, reconciliation, healing & northern Uganda

Challenges in social reconstruction in conflict and post-conflict northern Uganda: reconciliation as a tool in the healing process