Uganda

Women, men and children in Uganda were abducted and subjected to conflict-related sexual violence during fighting between the national armed forces and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from 1986 to 2006.

In 2019, the government created a national transitional justice policy, but it has yet to take effect - preventing survivors from receiving reparations.

Following the 2022 publication of the Uganda Global Reparations study on opportunities and reparations for survivors, produced in collaboration with the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN), the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) launched national advocacy initiatives with the Refugee Law Project (RLP) and WAN to support the implementation of the Kinshasa Declaration. The manifesto, produced by survivors from 12 African countries including Uganda, emphasises their rights to reparation and to participate in processes of creating and setting up reparation programmes.

In 2024, momentum around transitional justice gathered speed when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a reparation order in the case against former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen in February, followed by a draft implementation plan from the Trust Fund for Victims. In October, the High Court of Uganda convicted Thomas Kwolyelo and issued a similar reparations order, in the first national case to deal with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the LRA. Both cases cover crimes of conflict-related sexual violence, amongst others.  

Our efforts focus on strengthening survivors’ advocacy and networking capacities, and their connections with relevant government entities. Our technical support aims to develop legal frameworks for co-created administrative reparations in line with the highest international standards. GSF has co-hosted several events to highlight the importance of taking survivor-centred approaches to reparation, with a particular focus on the Ongwen case. Our partners in this include REDRESS, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Avocats Sans Frontières Belgique (ASF), and ICC Trust Fund for Victims. 

We are currently exploring the best way to continue working in Uganda, strengthening existing initiatives and developing further projects to support access to reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.