August 24, 2021 – In recent weeks, WPDI’s cohort of well-trained Youth Peacemakers active in Uganda’s Karamoja Sub-Region have held a series of Community Dialogues. Designed to help foster a culture of peace and promote reconciliation amongst communities in one of Uganda’s most vulnerable areas, the seven dialogues brought together 2,141 people and helped resolve a range of issues, including cattle raiding, land disputes, and incitement – a strong testament both to the efforts of our Youth Peacemakers as well as to the desire of local communities to live together in peace.
Karamoja is one of Uganda’s most vulnerable sub-regions, and for decades, its mostly rural population has had access to few opportunities, resulting in heightened tensions and conflict amongst many of its communities. To help address and reconcile these, WPDI’s network of Youth Peacemakers in the sub-region regularly conduct Community Dialogues to help foster a larger culture of peace. As members of the impacted communities themselves, they often have a thorough understanding of local situations and have the trust of key stakeholders, which they can leverage to successfully mediate even the most long standing conflicts.
The recent series of seven Community Dialogues they conducted represent how they – thanks to the training and skills they have received from WPDI – have been able to foster peace and reconciliation at the grassroots level. After observing how the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the level of tensions and conflict in many of their communities, the Youth Peacemakers set out to hold dialogues to resolve some of the most pressing matters of local concern in communities in Karenga, Abim, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Karenga, and Nyikabur. These issues included violent cattle raids, incitement, and land disputes. A large number of attendees – some 2,141 people – attended the dialogues, showcasing the very strong degree of interest in the various communities resolving their respective conflicts and living together in peace.
Attendees voiced this to us – as well as their appreciation for the positive outcomes achieved – in the weeks that followed the Community Dialogues. One dialogue, which aimed to resolve a series of cattle raids and disputes between tribes living in the Abim and Karenga districts, resulted in each group renouncing violence and agreeing to peacefully resolve their differences. “Years of cattle raids and land disputes have poisoned relationships between people in the Abim and Karenga districts, but the dialogue and the resolution leaders agreed upon will lead to a better outcome for all of us,” said Gresevanio, the Chairman of the Abim District Land Board. Another dialogue that was conducted to educate youths about the dangers of using incendiary rhetoric led to participants having a robust discussion about how language can be perceived by others. As one local leader, Grace – a Ward Councilor – told us, “Thanks to today’s discussion, I am convinced that the situation here in Kaabong is going to change positively thanks to how the elders, women, and youths all spoke in the language of peace. We are thankful to WPDI for helping the community resolve disputes.”
While these dialogues are now complete, WPDI and our Youth Peacemakers will continue to work closely with the communities themselves to ensure that each of the resolutions agreed upon by the respective communities are implemented and followed. In addition to this further ensuring that the youths become further integrated into their communities, they will continue to hone their skills as effective peacemakers, allowing them to expand – and grow – their impact.
