Ugandan Government Required to Compensate War Victims

by Jon Marino · 2009-04-20 08:06:00 UTC
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This is part of an occasional series with first-hand reports from those working in some of the more difficult corners of the world.

This post is by Jon Marino, writing from northern Uganda. To read Jon's previous posts, see here.

Jon is a Fulbright Scholar who conducts research on conflict and recovery, while also serving as country director of assetmap.org, a new initiative that helps communities use the internet to discover and connect the resources they have for their own development.

Ugandan government required to compensate war victims for crimes committed

Yesterday the Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor announced a decision by Ugandan High Court Judge Remmy Kasule finding the Ugandan government “liable to compensate over 6,000 Acholi war claimants for losing their property and livestock to the National Resistance Army during the gorilla war in the 1980’s.”

According to the article, the government is required to pay up to 38 trillion Uganda shillings (about 19 million USD) for looting about 500,000 heads of cattle, 12,000 goats, 2000 sheep and 200 pigs and destroying a number of properties.”

The conventional narrative about the war in northern Uganda has generally focused on the mystery and brutality of the Lord’s Resistance Army, and their charismatic leader Joseph Kony. Because of this, the culpability of the ruling National Resistance Movement in various offenses over the past twenty-four years have not received sufficient attention from the international community.

This week’s ruling by Justice Kasule broadens the war’s narrative and surfaces grievances held by the war’s victims that must be addressed to achieve sustainable peace in the long term.

According to the Daily Monitor, the Court should be informed of government’s progress in in the matter by April 30, 2009. However, the article warns that “Government is known to always drag its feet when it comes to compensating victims.”

Let’s hope this time is different.

[Photo of Uganda soldiers from Getty Images]

Jon Marino
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