Refresher Course

I have been in Uganda for a few months now and figure it might be a good time to refresh everybody of the situation on the ground as well as my work, especially as I continue to learn that more and more people are checking out my ridiculous ramblings. Note: this has nothing to do with the fact that I have a new computer (or that I have discovered flash drives) and am obsessed with utilizing it at every moment.

What's happening in Uganda right now?
I hope by now that you all are aware that conflict has persisted in Northern Uganda for nearly two decades, resulting in about 25,000 child abductions, massive displacement of the population (at times up to 90% of people in Acholiland forced into camps), thousands killed by both sides, sexual violence, and numerous human rights abuses. Before I arrived in Uganda, rumors of peace were in the air, though after 18 years of ebbs and flows in the conflict, one must be cautious. Betty Bigombe, a former minister whose peace initiative in the early 90s was the closest igniting have been to peace, has returned to Northern Uganda to attempt to play the critical role that only she can in mediating between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army. Museveni declared a ceasefire late in November that was initially set for one week but that has been extended to the present. The intention of the ceasefire is to set up zones for LRA rebels to gather to negotiate peace with the government. Over the last month, Betty Bigombe has continued to meet with various members of the LRA in the bush and has arranged meetings between cultural/religious leaders and the LRA, including top commanders. She also facilitated a meeting between the Minister of Internal Affairs, Rugunda, and LRA leadership. It looks like the LRA is seeking a withdrawal of the Uganda case from the International Criminal Court and for all commanders to be re-settled. Of course both requests come with grave consequences on both sides. I will update as the process progresses, I assure you.

What am I doing?
Frankly, I have spent much of my time early on figuring out what is going on and dealing with logistical details. I have primarily worked with the ACORD-Gulu office, attempting to mobilize civil society and the local government on issues of women and peacebuilding. What does this mean? It means I am looking at the roles of men and women in traditional Acholi culture, how these roles have been altered by the conflict, and perhaps most importantly, how actors concerned with bringing peace should recognize the importance of gender in building sustainable peace. In addition to research and field visits to the internally displaced camps, I have tried to organize a working group for the district of Gulu to coordinate and collaborate on these issues. At a minimum, I have been stood up more times than I care to divulge, but this mzungu is persistent...I have learned that nobody wants to come to a meeting unless their invitation is on official letterhead, preferably with a number of stamps, and personal signatures on ALL invites (no photocopy cheating).

Due to my hotel fatigue, I will be based out of Kampala (living in a real house!) for the time being but spending significant time in Gulu and supposedly Kitgum and Pader. Due to security issues, I have yet to visit Kitgum and Pader, but intend to fly there to gain a broader picture of the Acholiland region. I will also free-lance a bit more with some other organizations (most likely with my friends at NUPI/Northern Uganda Peace Initiative - if anything, for the high speed internet). The beauty of being autonomous and on a fellowship (NSEP Boren Graduate Fellowship) with few restrictions is that I am free to pick and choose how I wish to carry out my objectives. I am relishing this now, for I may never be in a position like this again.

Where can you learn more?
There are numerous places to pick up more info. In the next week or two, the backgrounder I wrote on the Northern Ugandan conflict should be available on the Incite Change Network (ICN) website ( http://www.incitechange.org/). I hope to complete my study on the integration of women into the peace process in the next month, so I will pass that along as well (I hope it will be posted to the ACORD website). Also, get on Amazon.com and order Aboke Girls - I mentioned it a few months and reiterate that it is an easy read, but provides significant insight into the war.

Good sources for Africa are BBC online (http://www.bbc.co.uk/), AllAfrica.com (http://www.allafrica.com/), and UN news (http://www.irinnews.org/). For Uganda specifically, you can look at the local news: http://www.newvision.co.ug/ (government-oriented) and http://www.monitor.co.ug/ ("independent").


REMINDER: This blog is intended to be interactive, so please share your feedback and comments by clicking on the comment button at the bottom of each posting. Many of my colleagues, friends and family out there are more than opinionated, so let's hear it!