UGANDA

TJ MECHANISMS
Way Forward
Overall, participants in many districts recommended promoting amnesty as a means of
bringing peace to Uganda and favoured extending amnesty to fighters who renounce
rebellion. 587 Some participants suggested improving communication with rebels about
amnesty provisions in order to accelerate their return. 588 Dissenting voices did surface,
however. For instance, a minority of participants in Mukono contested that amnesty
should not continue because it fosters impunity, 589 and some youth in Adjumani insisted
that Joseph Kony should be prosecuted and punished, though they supported amnesty
for General Bamuze of the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF). 590
Out of the majority who favoured the use of some form of amnesty as a transitional justice
mechanism, many participants offered recommendations on how such processes should
be implemented. Primarily, they emphasized that local communities must be more fully
involved in the process, including through better sensitization to facilitate reintegration 591
and also involvement in the decision-making process for evaluating applications for
amnesty. 592
In a similar vein, some recommended that the Amnesty Commission be independent of
the Government in order to avoid granting of amnesty for political reasons. 593 Participants
in Hoima recommended a nation-wide process that included elders, religious leaders
and community members in order to build public confidence in such measures. 594 It was
generally argued that implementing amnesty at the local level should also emphasize
acknowledgement and reparations for survivors, making the process more victimcentred.
595
Participants shared mixed views regarding the criteria for granting amnesty. Some
participants suggested that amnesty be ensured for abductees and vulnerable people
such as children and the elderly. 596 Some recommended making amnesty less selective
for both state and non-state actors in order to promote peace and regime change. 597
Others noted the need to thoroughly assess applicants and consider the gravity of any
atrocities committed before granting amnesty. 598 While some participants specifically
asserted that amnesty should be offered to rebel commanders like Joseph Kony, and
that the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Kony be withdrawn, 599 others
recommended that amnesty should be granted universally, excluding only perpetrators
587 Research conducted in Arua, Hoima, Bulambuli, Soroti, Nakasongola and Mbarara Districts
588 Research conducted in Bundibugyo District
589 Research conducted in Mukono District
590 Research conducted in Adjumani District
591 Research conducted in Nakasongola and Kitgum Districts
592 Research conducted in Mukono, Nakasongola and Bundibugyo Districts
593 Research conducted in Bundibugyo District
594 Research conducted in Hoima District
595 Research conducted in Arua and Kasese Districts
596 Research conducted in Bundibugyo District
597 Research conducted in Mukono and Bundibugyo Districts
598 Research conducted in Mukono and Mubende Districts
599 Research conducted in Adjumani, Kitgum and Soroti Districts
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