Uganda
Country page last updated August 2009
Uganda Fact Sheet - March 2009
English version (PDF 61KB)
MDRP Uganda Activities at a Glance
Finances
  • Special project of $4.2 million granted to the Amnesty Commission.
Activities
  • Program closed. Targeted 15,310 “reporters” – ex-combatants/collaborators who met conditions under the Amnesty Act of 2000.
Progress
  • 16,256 individuals demobilized. Reinsertion support provided to 14,816.
  • At the request of the Government, the World Bank established in January 2008 a new multi-donor trust fund in support of a follow-up project for the demobilization and reintegration of rebel combatants and their collaborators (reporters). The projected budget of the trust fund is US$8.2 million from the following donors: Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The fund will make financing available through 2010. It directly supports the work of the Amnesty Commission, and is also foreseen to support other implementing agencies, such as UN agencies and/or NGOs, that would carry out components of the demobilization and repatriation of the LRA and ADF.
Table last updated August 2009
 

Background

In 1996-97 the Ugandan government began tacitly supporting rebel movements in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the hope that these groups would prevent Ugandan rebel groups based in the DRC from launching attacks into Uganda. The Ugandan Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF) then entered the DRC in 1998 to support further these Congolese rebel groups and further secure Uganda’s borders. The UPDF withdrew following the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement of July 1999; later redeployed to the DRC’s Ituri district, and again withdrew in May 2003.

The Government of Uganda has also been fighting the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for about two decades. There have been a series of attempted solutions to the conflict. The government adopted the 2000 Amnesty Act granting amnesty to any combatant or collaborator who renounced rebellion. The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigated the LRA at the invitation of President Museveni and indicted five top LRA commanders in 2005. In mid-2006, the Government of Southern Sudan initiated mediation efforts that led to the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement between the LRA and the Government of Uganda. In February 2008, the two parties initiated a comprehensive agreement during talks in Juba, Sudan, which has to date not yet been signed. A joint military operation ( Uganda, DRC and Southern Sudan) against the LRA in eastern DRC started in December 2008, without significant success to date.

 

 
Country Program

No national program in Uganda. See theSpecial Project section below for further description of MDRP activites in Uganda.

 
Special Projects

Project:

Repatriation, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Reintegration of 'Reporters' in Uganda

Administrator:

Uganda Amnesty Commission

Financing:

$4.2 million

Status:

Closed

Objective:

The project aimed to:
  • Assist approximately 15,300 ex-combatants in their reintegration into civilian life, within the context of Uganda's Amnesty Act of 2000
  • Strengthen the capacity of the Amnesty Commission

The largest part of the target group was composed of ex rebels and/or ex abductees from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Other groups were ex-members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), West Nile Bank Front (WNBF), FOBA/NOM, Uganda National Democratic Alliance Front (UDA/F) and the Uganda National Freedom Movement/Army (UNFM(A).

The project consisted of five components:

  • Sensitization and dialogue – Sensitization efforts targeted the public and political leadership with messages on conflict resolution through reconciliation and promoted dialogue among the government and potential ex-combatants, ex-combatants and the community, and amongst ex-combatants themselves. The Amnesty Commission also sought to inform combatants of the possibility of amnesty.
  • Demobilization and processing of Amnesty Applications – This component included disarmament and decommissioning of weapons (not financially supported by MDRP); identification, screening and documentation of ex-combatants; issuance of certificate of amnesty; and - in some cases - repatriation.
  • Reinsertion (resettlement) support – The ex-combatants reported to reception centers, where the formal procedures for applying for amnesty took place, as well as other activities, such as the psycho-social and health status assessment of ex-combatants, and the provision of counseling and referral services. Ex-combatants registered and granted amnesty received their documentation and initial reinsertion assistance – in-kind and some cash.
  • Longer-term social and economic reintegration – Social reintegration activities of the Amnesty Commission included direct counseling and the facilitation of reporters to find access to economic and educational opportunities or other support programs.
  • Institutional strengthening of Amnesty Commission – This component included the recruitment and training of staff, installment of financial management system, and procurement of equipment.

Overall Results:




Final Progress Update:

  • The MDRP Special Project in support of the Amnesty Commission formally closed June 30, 2007.
  • The Project has assisted the Government in the reception and processing of 16,256 rebels who applied for amnesty.
  • The project assisted in the distribution of 14,816 reinsertion packages to former rebels and their collaborators.
  • The project assisted the Amnesty Commission to play a considerable role in sensitizing the population, including though the Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan.
     

    Country Documents

    The following documents will help better understand the country and its context.


    Program Documentation:

    n/a

    Other Documents:

    Opportunities and Constraints  for the Disarmament &
    Repatriation of Foreign Armed Groups in the
    Democratic Republic of Congo
    The cases of the: FDLR, FNL and ADF/NALU
    English (PDF 3.97 MB) Français (PDF 4.14 MB)

    The Status of LRA Reporters 1
    MDRP Dissemination Note No. 2
    February - March 2008
    English
    (PDF 250 KB)

    UN map of Uganda

    News:

    bullet N&N - September 12, 2008
    In Uganda, new $2.85 million grant supports demobilization and reinsertion of over 28,000 reporters
    (Eng-PDF 109KB)
    (Fr-PDF 110KB)

    N&N - June 8, 2007
    Diverse Panel at the USIP Reflects on Children Associated with Armed Forces
    (Eng-PDF 153KB)
    (Fr-PDF 144KB)

    N&N - June 12, 2006
    MDRP engages in outreach in Uganda, the UK, France and Belgium
    (Eng-PDF 122KB)
    (Fr-PDF 146 KB)

    N&N - May 18, 2006
    Uganda’s Amnesty Commission in Final Phase of Issuing Resettlement Packages to Ex-Combatants
    (Eng-PDF 165KB)
    (Fr-PDF 155 KB)

     

     

    Contacts

    World Bank:

    1 Lumumba Avenue
    Rwenzori House, 4th Floor
    Kampala
    UGANDA

    Kees Kingma
    Email: [email protected]

     

    Government Agency:

    Amnesty Commission
    P.O. Box 33956
    Kampala
    UGANDA

    Mr. Damian Kato
    Email: [email protected]

     

     

    Relevant Links

    These links will help you better understand the country and its context.

    The World Bank: Uganda

    allAfrica.com: Uganda

    Amnesty International: Uganda

    Human Rights Watch: Uganda

    Institute for Security Studies: Uganda

    Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN): Uganda

    International Crisis Group: Uganda

    ReliefWeb: Uganda


    Website links provided on this website are for informational purposes only. Their inclusion does not imply MDRP endorsement of or responsibility for the information included therein.

    The views expressed in this website, documents or web links posted on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the MDRP Secretariat, the MDRP Partnership or the World Bank.