What we do in East and Central Africa
View over Gulu, the largest town in war-affected northern Uganda
The 24-year war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government is unlikely to end until certain basic issues are understood and tackled. Most important is making sure local people have the ability, strengths and opportunities to influence the conflict positively and build peace. Challenging those most closely involved is crucial, as is the need for international interventions to be informed by local agendas for peace and security.
Conciliation Resources works from the ground up to diplomatic levels in a focused and practical way. Based on joint analysis of the conflict, we focus on:
- peacebuilding: we have been helping our partners develop an understanding of how powerful their work for tolerance, return and reintegration has been, and how to strengthen this further. We also give practical support for them to carry out this work.
- justice: outsiders often highlight the need for retribution against those who have committed atrocities. Local people however want to end the suffering and see justice mainly as establishing security for themselves and their families. We help get their voices heard.
- building relationships: lack of cooperation between communities on either side of the Uganda-Sudan border contributes to the war. We support local leaders from Uganda and Southern Sudan to strengthen their relationships and work on cross-border peacebuilding activities, to help close down this dynamic to the conflict.
- advocacy: we press governments and international agencies to respond to local people’s demands for peaceful action, working with the inter-agency Northern Uganda Advocacy Partnership for Peace (NUAPP) and other networks. Read NUAPP's latest statement on Operation Lightning Thunder. (pdf Feb 2009)
