After  more  than  two  decades  of  conflict,  victims,  the  Government and civil society in Uganda are grappling with how  to  implement  effective  transitional  justice  (TJ)  mechanisms in the country. Informed by widespread consultations with victims across the greater northern region of Uganda, this policy brief focuses specifically on the right to reparations  and  aims  to  highlight  the  most  pressing  reparations needs identified by victims. The briefing concludes with  specific  recommendations  to  concerned  parties, namely  the imperative need for a national framework to guide reparations processes in Uganda.

From  November  2010  to  February  2011,  the  Justice  and  Reconciliation Project (JRP), in collaboration with the Institute for  Justice  and  Reconciliation  (IJR),  organized  a  series  of  consultations with victims of the conflict in Northern Uganda, entitled  ‘Enhancing  Grassroots  Involvement  in  Transitional  Justice Debates.’ The consultations, held in the Acholi/Lango, Teso  and  West  Nile  sub‐regions,  focused  on  truth‐telling,  traditional justice, reparations and gender justice within the context of Uganda’s transitional justice processes.

The  purpose  of  this  briefing  is  to  share  the  consultations’  findings on reparations and inform stakeholders on specific policy  and  programming  needs  which  will  best  assist  victims  and their families. By highlighting the issues identified by victims  and  making  specific  recommendations  to  concerned  parties, unique insight is provided into the right to reparations and  the  specific  reparations  mechanisms  needed  to  support  efforts for sustainable peace and reconciliation in Northern Uganda.

By: Lindsay McClain and Allan Ngari
Pages: 8
Dimensions: A4
Date of publication: 2011