Local voices on justice
A camp for internally displaced persons
(IDPs) in northern Uganda. Photo: Katrin Kohlbecher.
Local voices on justice is a 20 minute video made in 2006 by Constance Abwoyo and Simon Olweny from the Social Communications Department of Gulu Archdiocese. The video looks at local attitudes to the intervention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in northern Uganda and local approaches to justice.
Background
In January 2003 the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni referred the situation in northern Uganda to the International Criminal Court. The Court's Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, started an official investigation and the conflict between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) became the first case for the recently formed ICC.
The Court, the international community and the GoU expected overwhelming support from the war-affected communities. But this assumption proved wrong and many from the local communities raised a variety of concerns about the international intervention.
The project
In order to illicit local opinions on justice, Conciliation Resources in cooperation with the Social Communications Department of Gulu Archdiocese, provided platforms for internally displaced persons (IDPs) to discuss the ICC intervention and air their views on the impact on their lives. The discussions reflected the complex situation in northern Uganda, the diversity of people’s needs and anxieties and a general feeling that the issuing of arrest warrants for the rebel leaders would prevent a negotiated settlement of the war at a time when peace at last seemed possible. It also illustrated that there is a large amount of misinformation about the ICC and its procedures, capacities and limitations.
Views expressed in the video
Lining up at a water pump in an IPD camp in northern Uganda. Photo: Katrin Kohlbecher.
"The issue of arresting LRA does not make sense. Before this LRA were coming out in great numbers from captivity [...due to] the advocacy radio programme of reconciliation on the FM radio station in Gulu. In this programme the returnees would inform their friends in captivity about the hospitality out here with special emphasis on the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, enriched by our culture. This had brought much hope especially for us. However when I heard of the ICC mission of arresting LRA my morale for peace diminished." Girl in IDP camp
"We cannot continue this way. To me, I feel that ICC should increase their speed in implementing and taking action to the arrest warrant. What we want is: Kony should come back home, we do not mind the means used so long it will allow us [to] go home." Man in IDP camp
A local reconciliation ceremony in Acholiland. Photo: Katrin Kohlbecher.
"Following the issuing of the arrest warrant, sincerely I did not even come out to support the idea. At least the Dwog Paco, a radio programme that calls for return and reconciliation - through which I came out of captivity - this was yielding a lot of fruits and increased great hope for a sustainable peace. Therefore, I urge that ICC should be put aside and the Dwog Paco programme upheld, so that all my brothers in captivity come out with amnesty in place." Girl, former LRA captive
"It is very painful to us mothers seeing how the rights of our children and humanity in general are being violated. Others are hacked to death. The new generation cannot get formal education simply because they are to serve as soldiers. Let Kony face international justice for all that he did against humanity – because he has reduced our population." Woman in IDP camp
"The ICC seems to have failed in their duty to arrest Kony just like the Ugandan Government. It’s not going to be possible to arrest Kony." Man in IDP camp
"I know they will say: ”But we have begged these people [LRA] to come back peacefully and they have refused. Yes. They [ICC] should have - before giving that arrest warrant - tried all other ways. Or if they had wanted to catch these people [LRA] they [ICC] should have gone as any other person and then if they arrest them they will tell us ‘We have arrested these people [LRA] under the rule of [the] ICC.’ But not tell them [LRA] that we are now coming out to arrest them and then they still go and arrest them. How? How? We have failed. And now they [ICC] throw it back to us [civilian population in the war-affected areas]." Woman in IDP camp
"The timing of the ICC is very wrong [….] I see that the rush to arrest Kony and his commanders shall not bring for us the peace we long for [….] The International Criminal Court should file all cases against LRA now and allow peace talks [to] proceed without mistrust. After we have achieved peace, then maybe in five or so years Kony and his commanders can then be tried before the ICC. If the ICC can listen to this then they will safe a million more lives in northern Uganda. More confusing to us in the camps, is allowing the two [to] operate at the same time. First give chance to what will bring peace to people and justice shall follow." Man in IDP camp
For more information contact uganda@c-r.org