Part of the material included in the press folder I prepared on behalf of Horizont3000 – Austrian Organization for Develompent and Cooperation – for the Austrian Foreign Minister Mr Michael Spindelegger and his delegation who came to Uganda in July to evaluate the progress of the projects funded by the Austrian government.
THE PROJECT – PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME (PSP) OF CARITAS GULU: DEALING WITH A WOUNDED COMMUNITY
Acholi Sub-region is slowly recovering after 22 years of war. The signing of the Cessation of Hostility Agreement (CHA) between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels on 26th August 2006 in Juba has marked the beginning of the longest period of stability and relative peace since the beginning of the conflict.
The promising regained security has led people to start abandoning the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps (IDP camps) to return to their homes and villages. Life is beginning to normalize but the return process is all but smooth and easy. There are many obstacles that both the individuals and the communities still have to face in order to achieve a sustainable peace.
The war has caused the displacement of up to 2 million people, scattered in the IDP camps of Gulu, Kitgum, Amuru and Pader. According to a research conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Gulu on the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) and depression among IDP in Northern Uganda, it seems that ”the levels of PTSD and depression recorded in this study are amongst the highest recorded globally using similar methodologies amongst displaced and conflict-affected populations” (Source: BMC Psychiatry 2008, pg. 7; available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/8/38). The study took place in November 2006 in Gulu and Amuru districts of Northern Uganda. The two districts contain an estimated 650,000 IDP which is approximately 40% of all IDP in Uganda.
Every war is primarily destructive and people’s lives in Northern Uganda have been shattered. The displacement caused by the war has also led to an erosion of the social fabric and values that used to be part and parcel of the Acholi society. The social structure in place before the war has to be rebuilt and the local government system has to be revitalized.
Moreover, terrible atrocities have been committed during the war. Back to the villages, those who were raped, tortured, maimed, the formerly abducted persons (FAPs) and ex LRA combatants are all supposed to start living together again.
Caritas Gulu has been working with the Acholi community since many years. Through the PSP project, Caritas Gulu aims at facilitating the return process and fostering reconciliation and peace building by reviving the existing community resources neglected during the many years of displacement in the camps, as well as the traditional Acholi reconciliation’s mechanisms to resolve conflicts.
Table 1: PSP project of Caritas Gulu:
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Title of the action: |
Strengthening community level peace building and social support practices in Acholi region |
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Location(s) of the action: |
12 sub-counties in remote corners of Acholi region majorly affected by community conflicts. Amuru district: Atiak and Purongo sub-counties; Gulu district: Awach and Odek sub-counties; Kitgum district: Namokora, Orom, Ogili and Lukung sub-counties; Pader district: Adilang, Atanga, Omot, and Puranga sub-counties; |
The ongoing return-process from IDP camps is extremely delicate. Conflicts among returnees have several causes, and the following are some of the main challenges faced by people who leave the camps:
After twenty years in the IDP camps, the traditional authority as a means for social regulation has been significantly undermined, and decentralized local government structures – especially at parish level – are still weak
Back to the villages, there is an explosion of conflicts over land properties and demarcations
People have to deal with their traumas caused by what they have witnessed or experienced during the war, and returning home can also be re-traumatizing. Besides, sentiments of anger and vengefulness are spread in the communities that receive FAPs or ex LRA combatants back
Table 2: PSP project of Caritas Gulu – target groups and final beneficiaries:
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Target group(s) |
140 Local authorities (community, religious, civic & cultural leaders) 8.000 Victims of conflict (240 conflicting families, clans or communities) 500.000 Radio listeners among the Victims of conflict 6.000 Victims of conflict 300 Local authorities (Local Councillors and other community leaders) 280 Young People, Child soldiers and Victims of conflict from Acholi region and 1600 Victims of conflict from the neighbouring communities in Southern Sudan, West Nile, Karamoja and Lango Regions 1000 Young People, Child soldiers and Victims of Conflict 1200 Victims of conflict, perpetrators and other relevant stakeholders 14 Staff of Non Governmental Organisations and 60 staff of community based organisation |
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Final beneficiaries |
20.000 Victims of conflict in 12 sub-counties benefiting from improved services of local authorities towards resolving conflicts 90.000 Victims of conflict in 12 sub-counties benefiting from improved services of the civic and community leaders towards resolving conflicts 8000 Victims of conflict in 12 sub-counties that will indirectly learn and possibly change their attitudes through reports and discussions 1600 Victims of conflict from the neighbouring communities in Southern Sudan, West Nile, Karamoja and Lango Regions |
Local government structures need to be re-established.
Within the camps, traditional authorities have seen their power dramatically reduced, and the social norms that ruled the pre-war society collapsed. There is a need for urgent rehabilitation of decentralized government structures.
The Executive Director of Caritas Gulu, Komakech John Bosco Aludi, believes that in order to achieve a sustainable peace and stability within the communities, the former social strutures of governance must be empowered again. ”The local government system has to be reinvigorated and every player within the local government structure has to know their role and responsibilities – John Bosco says. ”The structure includes elders – who are highly influential within the village – local chiefs, and the Local Counselors (LC) who are elected by the people. Most of the conflicts that the communities have to solve are dealt by these parties who form the local government.”
The PSP project of Caritas Gulu supports the re-establishment of local government structures at parish level, and helps improving the cooperation and network between local government structures and traditional leaders (elders and local chiefs). In so doing, Caritas Gulu has witnessed a substantial reduction of the informally existing system of justice (mob justice) in favour of peaceful conflict resolutions.
”The project has an impact on the community – John Bosco adds – and it is bearing fruit. We are constantly in touch with the LCs and the local chiefs and in many places bylaws have already been set.” David Okelo, Programme Manager for Social Services of Caritas Gulu, explains that people would rather prefer solving the conflicts by involving the local government instead of going to courts: ”Notwithstanding the costs of bringing an issue to court for trial, because of the unfortunate high level of corruption in the judicial system, people tend to trust the local government which, by being local, has a level of transparency difficult to find elsewhere.”
Conflicts over land: re-defining the boundaries.
One of the major causes of the conflicts is related to land issues. ”Land is really a big problem – says Ogwang Along, Programme Manager for Relief and Rehabilitation of Caritas Gulu – and is often not easy to handle. Families that return to their lands after so many years away from it, have problems in remembering the borders. Neighbours, members of the same families and clans clash over land demarcations that need to be re-defined. I would say that the land issue is the biggest challenge that the whole Acholi Sub-region is facing.”
To help solving the conflicts, through the PSP projects, Caritas Gulu encourages communities to involve elders, local chiefs and eventually LCs. ”We mediate the meetings between the parties – adds David Okelo. ”The elders of the village and the local chiefs play a very important role since they are often the only ones who kept track and remember the demarcation of the land in their village.”
However, there is a whole generation that, besides being unaware of the land boundaries, has completely lost the skills to work the land and is often unwilling to learn, preferring the town to the countryside. ”Think of the young ones who grew up or were born in the IDP camps. They have never seen their fathers working the land and have not had the chance to learn it. Besides, they do not see the need of going back to the land and would rather prefer living close to the town centers. However, we have also noticed a ‘dependency attitude’ mainly among the youngsters, generated by the fact that in the camps food was provided and they have never had to work for it,” says John Bosco, revealing the young people are often seen as outsiders, since they refuse to go back to their families’ lands preferring the town, but have no clue on how to provide for themselves in the city.
Dealing with the traumas. Healing the wounds to live together again.
The results on exposure to traumatic events shown in Table 3 are part of the research carried out by the London School of Hygiene ad Tropical Medicine and the University of Gulu on IDP. Three quarters (75%) of respondents had witnessed or experienced the murder of a family member or a friend. Nearly two thirds (64%) of respondents had witnessed the murder of a stranger. More than half (56%) reported having been beaten or tortured. More than 40% reported having been kidnapped and 14% reported having been raped or sexually abused. Over half (58%) of respondents had experienced 8 or more of the 16 trauma events covered in the questionnaire.
Table 3: exposure to traumatic events. Source: BMC Psychiatry 2008, pg. 4; available at:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/8/38
Post traumatic stress disorder is mainly characterized by symptoms of disconnection or isolation, mistrust, and feeling of powerlessness. Among those suffering from these symptoms there are many FAPs and ex-combatants. The PSP project of Caritas Gulu focusses on the reintegration of FAPs and ex-combatants into the community, providing them with psychosocial support services to foster reconciliation.
”The war has caused a lot of bitterness, resentment, remorse, and revenge attitudes in the people – Paul Rubangakene, Project Officer for the Psychosocial Support Programme of Caritas Gulu, says. ”People are living in guilt and shame. Take the case of the FAPs, for instance. They were abducted by the LRA rebels and might have been forced to commit atrocities in their own villages, among their own people. Many FAPs had to kill their own fathers or mothers, rape their own sisters. Once they manage to come back, they have to live with the very community they wounded.”
One could evenly ask: how could this ever be possible? Paul Rubangakene explains that the main goal of the PSP project is to help people who committed offences during the war to handle their sense of guilt and, meanwhile, sensitize the community in order to avoid mob justice and encourage the families to accept former abductees back.
”Acholi people are very forgiving people – Paul continues – and the Acholi culture is very rich and has provisions to handle a lot of issues.” The PSP project revives traditional ways of peace building, including cultural dances, rituals, cleansing ceremonies to positively cope with war experiences.
”Culture – Paul Rubangakene adds – is an important resource for the communities and it should be respected and supported wherever it does not contradict the protection of human rights.”
Father Joseph Okumu, anthropologist and ethnologist, says that in Acholi culture there are ceremonies to deal with different kind of offences, and the ceremonies were traditionally performed to re-establish the harmony among the individuals or to regain a lost peace of mind. Talking about the symbolism of the ceremonies, Father Okumu explains that they are used to cleanse persons or places. ”Take for instance the ‘mato oput’, the ceremony of reconciliation, nowadays performed to re-integrate FAPs or ex-combatants. There are different phases that the person has to go through. One of these implies the admission of guilt. The person who was abducted and possibly forced to kill or misbehave has to confess his or her guilt in front of the family. By doing this the family shares his/her burden. The ceremony eventually concludes with the sharing of the food, which is the apex of the reconciliation process. Sharing food between the offender and the offended is the proof that reconciliation has happened.”
The Acholi reconciliation ceremonies are helping many people to deal with the burden of their past deeds allowing the wounded communities to return living together. Forgetting what has happened over the last twenty years may be very hard for those who have been affected by the war. However, forgiving each other seems to be a viable option chosen by many to restore harmony and build a sustainable peace.
FACTS
The war in Northern Uganda has been Africa’s longest war. (Source: Human Rights Watch, Africa’s Longest War Still Taking Lives, 19 June 2009, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4a3f8d3c1e.html)
Nearly two million people were displaced at the height of the civil war. (Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), May 2008)
About 48% of the total camp population (1.2 million at the end of 2005) remain in camps in the Acholi and Teso regions of northern Uganda. (Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), May 2008)
In the Acholi region, where most of the fighting took place, 18% have returned to their original home villages and another 33% are in transit camps. (Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), May 2008)
An estimated 1,000 people were dying each week in the IDP camps mainly due to malnutrition, AIDS, malaria and diarrhea, according to a 2005 report by the World Health Organization. (Source: World Health Organization (WHO), 2005)
At least 66,000 people between the ages of 14 and 30 have been abducted by the rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during the two decades of the civil war in northern Uganda. (Source: Survey of War Affected Youth (SWAY), April 2008)
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in 2005 for Joseph Kony and four senior leaders of the LRA for Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes committed in Uganda since July 2002.
The LRA continues to abduct children in neighboring Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Southern Sudan. (Source: Betty Bigombe, Distinguished Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center, July 2008)
1 Comment
September 4, 2009 at 10:58 am
thanks for the effort and good work encoded to our dear people int he suffering region.