Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa.pdf - Project Ploughshares

Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa4. UgandaBox 4.2.2. Uganda’s National Action Plan on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NAP)The National Security Committee of Uganda formally approved Uganda’s NAP in June 2004 and it was publicly launched inSeptember 2005 by the Uganda National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons. NAP implementation is included as apriority in Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). 1The NAP provides a national framework for the response to the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons inUganda. It also supports national implementation of regional and international commitments with regard to small arms control.The NAP sets objectives in 10 key areas:1. National Bodies and Agencies2. Policy and Legislation3. Stockpile Management4. Public Education and Awareness Programme5. International and Regional Co-operation and Information Exchange6. Border Control and Refugees7. Human Development Planning8. Training and Capacity-Building9. Research10. Critical Areas of SupportMore information on the NAP is available from the Uganda National Focal Point, PO Box 7191, Kampala, Uganda,genpol25@utlonline.co.ug.1 See Uganda National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Mapping the Small Arms Problem in Uganda: The Development of Uganda’s National ActionPlan on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Government of Uganda, May 2007, http://www.saferworld.org.uk/images/pubdocs/Uganda_Mapping.pdfIn some interviews, the police and other government officialswere cited as data sources. An official in Kitgum district toldus that the “police keep records of civilians who have gunlicences”. However, security officials appeared very reluctantto share any data they may have had. In three prearrangedmeetings, officials declined to answer any interview questions,let alone questions about data on weapons possession and use.The final dimension of the armed violence lens addresses theinstitutions, laws and practices in a violence-affected context.These are the structures, norms and rules that formally orinformally affect levels of violence.InstitutionsThe questionnaires focussed on two areas of institutionalintervention to reduce levels of violence in north and eastUganda. Informants were asked to describe methods orprogrammes that were used to control and reduce weapons,and in many instances the responses described disarmamentprogrammes of the Ugandan government. More extensively,one section of the questionnaire explored the peacebuildingprogramming of World Vision in the Kitgum and Sorotidistricts. The responses to these questions provided insightinto the impact of World Vision intervention and where andhow it affected levels of violence. We consider the governmentprogrammes first.Government intervention: Disarmament programmesThe Ugandan government recently implemented disarmamentprogrammes in the Kitgum and Soroti districts. Informantsstated that a government programme involved two stages:an amnesty (a period of voluntary disarmament), followedby enforcement. We also were told that, because guns wereno longer available, a disarmament programme was now notneeded. However, these comments may have arisen from areluctance to admit the local presence and impact of guns.According to one informant, during the demobilisation period agovernment programme called for voluntary disarmament andparticipants were given a certificate. Afterwards those caughtwith a weapon were considered “thugs” and prosecuted42