Looking Beyond Amnesty and Traditional Justice and Reconciliation Mechanisms in Northern Uganda: A Proposal for Truth-Telling and Repartions

Abstract

This article examines the role that amnesty and traditional practices play in fostering justice and reconciliation in northern Uganda. Although the twenty-year conflict involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda has not yet come to an end and peace talks are still ongoing, many former LRA rebels have begun to return to their communities after taking advantage of the amnesty offered by the government of Uganda. Consequently, reintegration, accountability, and reconciliation are currently prominent legal issues in northern Uganda. Literature on this subject, however, mainly touches upon how the amnesty process and the peace talks are in tension with the International Criminal Court’s pending arrest warrants for LRA leaders. This article, by contrast, argues that given the shortcomings of the amnesty process and the traditional practices, a truth commission and a reparations process could play a critical role in northern Uganda’s transition from conflict to peace.