UGANDA

jobless. These were the first victims.”
THEMATIC ISSUES
In Kasese, participants recalled how different insurgent groups were able to use
redundant youth as a recruitment base, and expressed concern that this continues to
date. In Soroti, participants said people who are unemployed use violence and join
rebellions to meet their basic needs. In Kitgum, participants lamented that young,
potentially productive people, have problems finding employment, especially if they are
from the ‘wrong tribe’. Elders in Kitgum were concerned that if unemployment and
youngsters’ sense of hopelessness was left unaddressed, they might be ready to join
another rebellion.
Participants did not only point at the risk that unemployed and frustrated youth might
join organized rebellions. They also considered criminality, looting and riots the outcome
of such dynamics amongst youth. In Mbarara, increasing violent criminality and violent
riots were ascribed to increasing levels of unemployment amongst youth.
In Mubende, unemployed but energetic youth use riots both to loot and to express their
grievances with the current state of affairs in Uganda. They further attributed rising levels
of robbery and witchcraft amongst the youth to unemployment. In Mukono, participants
explained how rampant youth unemployment led to drug abuse, cattle theft and the
recent rise of violent gangs such as the ‘abe miitalibwa’. They recommended that, for
sustainable peace to be achieved, unemployment should be addressed through reform
of school curricula.
In Luwero, the youth elaborated on their increasing level of frustration with
unemployment and on how they saw unemployment as the biggest potential ‘conflict
trigger’. Youth in other areas expressed their disappointment with the state of the
economy and governance in Uganda, and the lack of equal opportunity. One youth in
Arua said;
“It’s going to take us a long time to achieve peace in Uganda.
People go to war because its the last attempt of survival. If
70% of the people here are poor and do not have any source
of livelihood, how can you talk about peace?”
The above observations by the NRTJ Audit participants relate to social science literature
about the extent to which unemployment amongst the youth correlates to violence and
armed conflict in societies. 55 According to a recent UN report,
“The recent empirical evidence suggests that youth bulges
are associated with increased risk of political violence, but
that governments can mitigate this risk by providing better
opportunities for young people, particularly in education
55 See for example: Collier, P. (2000) Doing well out of war: An economic perspective. In: Berdal, M. and
Malone eds. Greed and grievance: Economic agendas in Civil Wars. Boulder, Lynne Rienner Publishers. pp.
91-113; Huntington, S. (1996) The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. New York, Simon
& Schuster; Collier, P. and Hoeffler, A. (2004) Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers 56
(4), pp. 563-95
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