UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
property and the implementation of income-generating activities for victims and
former combatants as a complement to broader psychosocial interventions. 763
Civil society representatives from northern Uganda who contributed to the NRTJ
Audit Validation Workshop also added that cultural institutions, religious leaders, and
NGO and CSO partners should be heavily involved in meeting psycho-social needs
at a community level. This is because of corruption in the delivery of counselling
services by Government programmes, and because of the resonance of traditional
mechanisms with participants. 764
Memorials & Memorialisation
The importance of memorialisation as a transitional justice mechanism is evident
in two distinct points in the Juba Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation.
The Agreement states that “victims have the right of access to relevant information
about their experiences and to remember and commemorate past events affecting
them.” 765 Elsewhere, the Agreement lists “symbolic measures such as apologies,
memorials and commemorations,” as possible reparation measures. 766
When participants in the NRTJ Audit commented on memorialisation, they emphasized
the importance of such measures as commemoration and documentation for healing
and recovery. They further linked memorialisation to other transitional justice aims
such as reconciliation and reparations. Another clear theme was the necessity of
adopting appropriate methods and approaches to memorialisation; participants
noted that negative memorialisation could promote hostility and lead to unintended
consequences.
Anticipated Benefits
Participants in nearly every district enumerated several potential benefits to pursuing
memorialisation as a form of transitional justice. Many noted that memorialisation
could support positive living and dealing with painful memories of violence in the
past. 767 Others stressed the importance of remembering those who had died, including
the details of how they perished, as well as acknowledging those living in exile and the
loss of animals due to cattle raiding during conflict. 768 Without proper memorialization,
participants noted that many people remain unaware of the locations of mass graves
and other important sites. 769
In addition, participants noted that commemoration and public education about past
conflict could prevent future conflict and contribute to ideas about making a more
763 Research conducted in Nakasongola, Bulambuli and Mubende Districts
764 Minutes from northern region discussion at the NRTJ Audit Validation Workshop, 28 August 2012
765 Juba Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation (2007), Clause 8.3
766 Juba Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation (2007), Clause 9.1
767 Research conducted in Mukono and Nakasongola Districts
768 Research conducted in Adjumani, Arua and Soroti Districts
769 Research conducted in Tororo District
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