German Humanitarian Aid Abroad - Channel Research

systems and can cross borders with neighbouring countries.
3. A growing and perhaps under-estimated conflict between settlers in the green belt 28 and pastoralists
who have used these areas as reserve grazing for drier periods or droughts.
4. A growing, but yet undescribed resistance movement against a state that is perceived as hostile to
Karimojong culture and the pastoral economy. Apparently, this movement is well-organised and wellarmed,
partly through looting of Ugandan Army weaponry, partly through finances obtained through
cattle rustling. The resistance is partly caused by an overly violent handling of the disarmament
programme, partly by the Ugandan Army itself being allegedly involved in cattle rustling.
5. Prevalence of minerals in Karamoja (gold, oil) and first reports of land-grabbing, involving highranking
officials 29 add an additional layer to the conflict scenario.
All these conflicts are reported to involve serious human rights abuses such as maiming,
killing and rape from all parties of the conflict, sadly including the armed forces of Uganda.
There is, however, no doubt that thousands of women and children have moved out of
Karamoja in search of safety and livelihoods. (Re-)Settlement efforts are at risk under these
prevailing conditions.
A joint literature review of ‘Pastoral Conflict in the Karamoja Region of Northeastern Uganda’
30 by DED, GTZ and Welthungerhilfe in 2010 offers a wealth of information on the subject.
The effects of the multiple layers of conflict on the livelihoods of Karamoja pastoralists and
on the work of humanitarian actors are devastating:
• Recipients of relief items are in danger of becoming targets of criminal elements;
• Necessary interventions to support the pastoral economy (e.g. restocking, animal
health, animal marketing) show little results or are not even taken up in order not to
expose beneficiaries to increased risk;
• Through a lack of humanitarian and recovery/rehabilitation activities that target the
livestock (survival-) economy and very vulnerable pastoralists, there is a danger of
over-emphasizing agriculture as a means of securing livelihoods even in areas with
insufficient rainfall;
• State-driven security measures include protected kraals that can be better protected
by the army. These are considered dangerous from a veterinary point of view (high
infection rate) and for ecological reasons (overgrazing around protected kraals).
Disarmament seems to be an obvious solution to major security concerns in the region. As
realised by donors and other actors, however, a strategy of disarmament alone cannot
address key factors that underpin the violence, such as poverty, marginalisation, and
livelihood loss. The Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme
(KIDDP) presents a combined strategy of disarmament and development and reflects a
collaborative effort between multiple stakeholders. Since 2006, however, the government has
shown a much greater commitment (in terms of both financial and human resources) to the
28 An area of slightly higher rainfall between Katakwi and Moroto, in which some international
agencies, among them GTZ, support the resettlement of Karimojong who are willing to engage in
agriculture.
29 http://ababaka.com/cms/index.phpoption=com_kunena&Itemid=40&func=view&catid=33&id=3235&
lang=lg (accessed July 2010)
30 Meszaros (2010)
13