Contributor: Sonya Shannon

Hundreds showed up for an event commemorating peaceful dialogue and collaboration in the village of Lampono, Uganda. Photo: Sonya Shannon/Mercy Corps

The village of Lampono, Uganda was recently the location of a peace dialogue between the Karamojong and Acholi communities, two ethnic groups who are formally at odds with each other. But today, they're working together to bridge the gap of misunderstanding that often leads to polarization for communities affected by war, poverty and competition for scarce resources — things that have plagued northern Uganda for decades.

Once a site of great tragedy, where the rebel Lord's Resistance Army massacred 52 villagers and caused people to flee from fear of further retribution, Lampono is now a place where people have gathered to talk about how to live in peace. Things have changed a lot here: communities experiencing conflict are now encouraged to speak out and work through their problems, as a method to overcome the apparitions of the past, as well as a way to prevent the past from haunting or overtaking the present.

This peace dialogue is an activity initiated by Mercy Corps' Building Bridges to Peace program, which is aimed at bringing together neighboring communities from the districts of Kotido, Kaabong and Pader, through the use of conflict management and reconciliation techniques. The program helps resolve conflict through community-level reconciliation activities, such as joint livelihood projects that emphasize economic opportunity, that are decided at the community level by village stakeholders. In this case, conflict mapping and livelihoods assessments were used to facilitate the process of deciding on the projects that the community both wanted and needed most.

The objectives of this peace program are to work with individuals that have been previously affected by conflict, equip them with the necessary tools to move beyond recovery and help them achieve a more sustainable position towards development — all the while empowering them by helping them engage with others. The hope is that, through strengthening economic linkages between communities, peace will become a far more attractive option to war. If relationships are founded on collaboration and shared interest, the hope is that will ultimately translate to economic benefits and growth for all involved.

Many were on hand to take part in the day’s activities, including key stakeholders such as local government leaders, peace committee members, elders, youth, women and military officials. The message of peace and forgiveness was echoed by many speakers, as well as the call for further dialogues that bring people together to share thoughts, culture and ideas.

“Give peace a chance” was the plea of one local official. “Let’s give a chance to peace and forgive.”

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Today I learned about the true resilience of children.

We set out to meet with villagers from northern Uganda's Kotido county, which is about three hours from where I am based in Pader. We were going there to prepare the community members in Nakeplemoru to organize a peace committee, as well as discuss with them how this peace building structure could be used as a way to handle conflicts at the community level.

But we had to get there first.

Riding along the dry rugged road, I wondered how the day would end. With each twist and turn along the road, around pot holes and washed out sections caused by heavy rains, I bobbed up and down and was tossed about with an occasionally jarring thump. I was beginning to see how poor infrastructure can create major delays in development, preventing the flow of goods from reaching markets, delaying travel and ultimately slowing down progress as a whole. I also now understand why most non-governmental organization vehicles that frequent the roads of Pader, Kotido, Kitgum and Lira carry a spare reserve of two tires on the rack instead of the usual one.

Photo: Sonya Shannon/Mercy Corps

As we drove further north, I began to notice the scenery changing from rich greens and muted red browns to simply dull and dusty brown. The thriving first season’s crops that I once saw farther south, of sorghum, maize and beans were now replaced with half-shriveled fields of groundnuts, far too gone to be revived.

Upon riding farther north, closer to the Sudan border, it became evident that this area really is “where Saharan and Sub-Saharan meet.” The talk you often hear about the poorest of the poor being the most affected by climate change really begins to hit home. Headlines that read “Food insecurity rises for northern Ugandans" are evident in the failed crops that line the roads.

Uganda as a country is “food secure” but the northern parts, most affected by prolonged drought, are where the poorest and least equipped to handle it are bearing the brunt of the burden, and feeling the greatest impact. The outcome has resulted in a decrease in health, lower incomes and declining morale, leaving many dependent on food handouts in order to survive, as well as feeling discouraged about future developments.

As I shifted my focus back to the meeting ahead of us, I began to reflect on what I’d previously heard about tribunals and committees that have been formed in other areas such as Rwanda, in an attempt to achieve reconciliation. I also thought on how they’ve not been so successful, though some have been more government initiated than community driven, and I wondered what the outcome will be here in northern Uganda.

I began to notice, as we drove along, the groups of Karamojong women walking alongside the road. They strolled gracefully by, with plastic jerry cans of water and bags stuffed full of rations balanced perfectly on their heads. They stood out with their brightly colored clothing amongst the dull hues of the landscape. Their dark skin set a perfect mahogany background for the fabrics of pink, red and bright green shawls that wrapped across their torsos, tied in a knot across their backs. Their tall thin legs were partially covered down to the knee with a type of skirt made of tan and red plaid, complete with pleats that resembled a kilt. Their heads were mostly clean shaven, but some were crowned with narrow patches of hair closely cropped to the scalp.

A young boy who is not camara shy at Nakaplemoru Photo: Sonya Shannon/Mercy Corps

I wondered as I watched them walk along what had inspired their tribal wear. Had it been due to previous colonial encounters or had they simply taken part of the décor from their cousins to the east in Kenya, the Masai? As we passed them, we waved awkwardly like silly tourists, yet they kindly returned the gesture.

Upon arriving in the village, we parked the vehicle and greeted the few who had already gathered under the shade of a large tree. We continued to mingle while we waited for others to arrive, as word spread throughout the village that Mercy Corps was here. After talking for a bit with some of the adults and elders, I gravitated to a group of children that I noticed were pointing at me and laughing.

I began to introduce myself to each one and shake hands (shaking hands is customary here). As I peered closer into the faces of these children, I began to notice the whites of their eyes tinted in a yellow haze. Some have a secretion that formed puddles in the corners of their eyes, and I noticed this seems quite uniform as I make my rounds. I surmise this is a sign of ill health, which is later confirmed as I’m told that jaundiced eyes are often a symptom of malaria, sickness and liver disorders in this land where illness is tolerated, due to lack of medical attention, and the fortunate simply live on.

Despite their obvious rough surroundings and lack of health and nutrition, they seemed to focus on the moment and take great pleasure in getting their pictures taken. They smiled and laughed at my attempts to entertain them as we crouched next to the closest surface to write on: a large rock. I wrote my name in blue chalk that one of the children ran to get.

As I wrote, again and again, spelling out every letter aloud, I wondered what life would have been like for these resilient children if they had access to more. If they didn’t have to haul water, herd goats, work at the market or in the fields. If they could go to school, eat healthy meals and didn’t have to grow up so soon.

Life isn't easy here. Yet the children of the Acholi and Karamojong people of northern Uganda are still resilient. They still smile.

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Once christened as “The Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, Uganda was once seen as a success story in Africa. However, more than 20 years of warring between two groups — the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and government-supported Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) — wreaked havoc over the land and its people, debilitating several generations born and raised in refugee camps, and causing a once-beaming nation to fade from sight.

Yet, along the same fault lines that once divided communities across northern Uganda, hope is beginning to surface in regions that are home to both the Acholi and Karamojong ethnic groups. It is here that the formation of “peace committees,” piloted by the Pader Peace Program (PPP), has fallen on fertile ground. It’s in these areas that people who were once bruised by conflict and battered by neglect now seem open to engaging in collaborative dialogue that allows them voice and access to power that few of their fellow Ugandans have ever known.

Much of northern Uganda was previously under LRA occupation and, during that time, human rights abuses such as killings and mutilations were frequented upon the civilian population as a method of deterrence from speaking out against injustice. But now, in this post-conflict Uganda through the peace committees that have taken shape, Mercy Corps is stepping forward to champion one of its core beliefs: to empower people to “stand on their own and live in dignity.”

With or without a formal peace agreement, the people of Uganda are becoming change agents and creating the change that they desire.

This is being achieved on several levels, from all areas of civil society — including those most vulnerable such as women, former child soldiers and the growing population of young Karamojong men known as the karachuna. It is through empowering marginalized groups like these that the capacity to mitigate conflict improves.

From conflicts that arise between neighboring communities, such as cattle wrangling and land disputes, to community-based issues like domestic disputes, the problems are discussed by all stakeholders — large and small —with the hopes that solutions will develop that are home-grown and sustainable. Resolution is not always achieved, but the practice of true empowerment has its benefits. The payoff is beginning to become apparent.

Through trust building and the forging of improved relationships, peace is no longer a utopian dream, but something that is becoming more in reach.

Today’s field visit to the village of Nakaplemoru is to facilitate the formation of one of these peace committees. As I sit waiting in the shade of a tree, I gaze out amongst the crowd that has already settled into their places. The circle is beginning to take shape and more people are slowly arriving.

Some are elders and some are women. There are karachunas and many children sitting quietly in a group to the side. As I study the faces of the crowd, I search for clues as to what they are thinking or feeling. There are a mix of expressions, some poised, some stern, some curious and some just plain tired.

There is also a definite sense of anticipation in the air from both community members and PPP field workers who will be working together in this venture. Both want success and, as the last people take their places, a prayer opens the meeting followed by greetings. "Maata” is bellowed out as each person stands and makes their introduction. This is the customary way to greet in this area of the Karamojong.

In this particular meeting, 11 peace committee members are chosen. There are rules to picking members, which encourages diversity and discourages marginalization of those who may not culturally be accepted as leaders or power holders.

The process may not be without challenges, and at times spoilers may attempt to delay peace, but one thing is for certain: the people of northern Uganda are once again finding their voice, and using it.

Maybe…just maybe…true peace and reconciliation in northern Uganda is on the horizon.

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