I jakten på rättvisa
(2010) MRSG20 20101Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
Human Rights Studies
- Abstract
- In northern Uganda, a war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and governmnet troops has raged for more than twenty years. In this conflict, the civilian population has been made a target and subjected to mass scale torture, mutilation and murder. Almost two million people have been forced to flee their homes to reside in government protected camps for Internally Displaced Persons. In these camps, no protection is offered, making their residents open targets for the LRA. Furthermore, the people living in Ugandas camps have almost no means of supporting themselves and are forced to rely entirely on humanitarian aid, which due to the insecurity of the region is scarce. Meanwhile, in the southern parts of Uganda, people are virtually... (More)
- In northern Uganda, a war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and governmnet troops has raged for more than twenty years. In this conflict, the civilian population has been made a target and subjected to mass scale torture, mutilation and murder. Almost two million people have been forced to flee their homes to reside in government protected camps for Internally Displaced Persons. In these camps, no protection is offered, making their residents open targets for the LRA. Furthermore, the people living in Ugandas camps have almost no means of supporting themselves and are forced to rely entirely on humanitarian aid, which due to the insecurity of the region is scarce. Meanwhile, in the southern parts of Uganda, people are virtually uneffected by, and to some degree unaware of, the humanitarian crises of the north. Also, in southern Uganda there are functioning educational and healthcare systems and most people are able to maintain an adequate standard of living. This all takes place in the context of historical inequities and power struggles, a culture of violence, ethnical heterogenity and great distrust amongst different peoples. The forces behind this conflict are historical, economical, cultural, ethnical and religious. Each group involved in the conflict therefore has motives that are difficult to ascertain, the only clear and in fact common objective being the fight against injustice. During the early years of the 21st century, the International Criminal Court (ICC) became involved, sparking great controversy amongst commentators within and outside Uganda. Shortly thereafter, the LRA announced their readiness to resolve the conflict by peaceful means. However, the subsequent peace talks failed, mainly do to the fact that the ICC would not subject itself to the demands of the LRA and withdraw it’s arrest warrants. This developement sparked a lively debate concerning the possibility that peace and justice may be mutually exclusive in Uganda, forcing the wartorn country to sacrifice one for the other. Also, calls for alternative justice through traditional Ugandan mechanisms has led many to belive that justice simply does not mean the same thing everywhere. This paper examines the meaning of justice and which role it has played in the conflict. Also, the complexities surrounding the conflict are adressed in order to illustrate what is needed in order to resolve it. The paper contends that various forms of injustice are what sparked and fuel the conflict and that justice needs to be served if Ugandas people are ever to live in peace. After comparing and analyzing the available justice mechanisms, the conclusion is reached that several need to be combined to adress the complexities of the situation. Furthermore, the paper contends that justice, peace and human rights are interrelated, interdependent and mutually enforcing, arguing that each must be acheived. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1608764
- author
- Barnard, Annika LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MRSG20 20101
- year
- 2010
- type
- L2 - 2nd term paper (old degree order)
- subject
- keywords
- Justice, Acholi, International Criminal Court, Uganda, Lords Resistance Army, Peace, Human rights
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1608764
- date added to LUP
- 2010-06-15 17:01:06
- date last changed
- 2014-09-04 08:27:47
@misc{1608764,
abstract = {{In northern Uganda, a war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and governmnet troops has raged for more than twenty years. In this conflict, the civilian population has been made a target and subjected to mass scale torture, mutilation and murder. Almost two million people have been forced to flee their homes to reside in government protected camps for Internally Displaced Persons. In these camps, no protection is offered, making their residents open targets for the LRA. Furthermore, the people living in Ugandas camps have almost no means of supporting themselves and are forced to rely entirely on humanitarian aid, which due to the insecurity of the region is scarce. Meanwhile, in the southern parts of Uganda, people are virtually uneffected by, and to some degree unaware of, the humanitarian crises of the north. Also, in southern Uganda there are functioning educational and healthcare systems and most people are able to maintain an adequate standard of living. This all takes place in the context of historical inequities and power struggles, a culture of violence, ethnical heterogenity and great distrust amongst different peoples. The forces behind this conflict are historical, economical, cultural, ethnical and religious. Each group involved in the conflict therefore has motives that are difficult to ascertain, the only clear and in fact common objective being the fight against injustice. During the early years of the 21st century, the International Criminal Court (ICC) became involved, sparking great controversy amongst commentators within and outside Uganda. Shortly thereafter, the LRA announced their readiness to resolve the conflict by peaceful means. However, the subsequent peace talks failed, mainly do to the fact that the ICC would not subject itself to the demands of the LRA and withdraw it’s arrest warrants. This developement sparked a lively debate concerning the possibility that peace and justice may be mutually exclusive in Uganda, forcing the wartorn country to sacrifice one for the other. Also, calls for alternative justice through traditional Ugandan mechanisms has led many to belive that justice simply does not mean the same thing everywhere. This paper examines the meaning of justice and which role it has played in the conflict. Also, the complexities surrounding the conflict are adressed in order to illustrate what is needed in order to resolve it. The paper contends that various forms of injustice are what sparked and fuel the conflict and that justice needs to be served if Ugandas people are ever to live in peace. After comparing and analyzing the available justice mechanisms, the conclusion is reached that several need to be combined to adress the complexities of the situation. Furthermore, the paper contends that justice, peace and human rights are interrelated, interdependent and mutually enforcing, arguing that each must be acheived.}},
author = {{Barnard, Annika}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{I jakten på rättvisa}},
year = {{2010}},
}