UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
Indeed, a participant in Mubende District commented that
“Prior to Kabaka’s plan to visit Kayunga, President Museveni
had recognized Banyala and made one of them [a member
of NRM] as a political attempt to split the Banyala from
Buganda Kingdom, with which they have been paying strong
allegiance to for decades and decades.” 206
Participants from Buganda viewed this exchange as a war waged by the Government on
Buganda, which urgently needs to be addressed if the Government and the Buganda
Kingdom are to reconcile.
31. Mabira Riots (2007-2010)
This conflict was the result of a mass protest against an attempt by the Government to
give one-third of Mabira Forest (around 70 square km located in Mukono District between
Kampala and Jinja), a protected forest reservation (Mabira Forest Reserve) to Mehta
Group (Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited) for sugar cane cultivation. The plan to give
away the forest, and the deforestation that would result, were widely opposed by the
Kabaka of Buganda who offered alternative land, and by environmentalists who feared
the loss of large numbers of endangered species, increased soil erosion, damaged local
livelihoods, negative impacts on water balance and regional climate change. 207 The struggle
compelled activists to organise the ‘Save Mabira’ crusade. Accompanying demonstrations
later turned violent when the police and military operatives clashed with protestors, 208
an altercation that claimed numerous lives. Participants viewed this widely supported
riot as a practical strategy that successfully stopped the sale of Mabira land.
32. Border conflict between Uganda and South Sudan (2009 – present)
Tensions around the border between Uganda and the new state of South Sudan play out
primarily in the border areas in Yumbe, Moyo and Adjumani Districts, and Lokung and
Madi Opei Sub-Counties in Lamwo District. These tensions have escalated since South
Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011. At some points along the border, boundaries are
unclear or disputed. South Sudanese authorities claim that Uganda does not respect
historical boundaries. This has resulted in tension and violence between South Sudanese
and Ugandan communities, particularly between the Madi tribe in Moyo and Adjumani
Districts (on the Ugandan side) and the Kuku tribe of South Sudan. People and livestock
have been killed, and gardens and property have been destroyed. Early in 2012,
local authorities in Kajo-Keji County in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state accused
Ugandan authorities (particularly in the West Nile region) of encouraging Madi farmers
to encroach on South Sudanese land. 209 Six Ugandan legislators and members of the
Presidential and Foreign Affairs Committee were arrested by South Sudanese authorities,
206 Research conducted in Mubende District
207 Research conducted in Hoima and Mukono Districts
208 Tripp, A. (2010) Museveni’s Uganda: paradoxes of power in a hybrid regime. Boulder, Colorado, Lynne
Rienner Publishers
209 Commissioner of Koje Keki County of South Sudan
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