Victor Ochen, Opening of the World Humanitarian Summit, 23-24 May 2016, Istanbul, Turkey

Background

Decades of civil war and insurgency have left deep scars in Uganda’s history. To date, the country is still struggling with how to address the horrific legacies of wars.  Almost all parts of the country have had the bitter experience of conflicts. Northern Uganda, in particular, became infamous for adversities and violence defining its days for over twenty years during which the Lord’s Resistance Army carried out its horrific rebellion.

The gravity of these experiences by the civilian populations under over 3 consecutive decades of conflict, as it exists depicts the urgency for the need to pay adequate attention to the impact of war in Uganda. With specific focus on, overcoming the historical ethnic differences, political and economic marginalisation and conduct deeper assessment of the inter-generational effect of the conflicts, and provide a platform to create a shared future from a divided past.

The Government of Uganda is in the final stages of developing the National Transitional Justice Policy. The policy, which is regarded as an overarching framework, is the first of its kind in Africa. Comprehensive and holistic in nature, it has the potential to guide Uganda in her efforts to ensure accountability for past injustices, deliver justice for victims and enable national reconciliation.  The policy foresees victims’ participation in all processes as crucial to the success of Uganda’s transition.