UBC’s Liu Institute for Global Issues has joined with Human
Rights Watch and the Makerere University Human Rights and
Peace Centre in Kampala to launch an international project
to end the ongoing cycle of violence in Northern Uganda.
UBC researchers began the Northern Uganda Emergency Action
Project this week with a mission to the region, under the
auspices of Human Rights Watch, to study the abuses against
civilians, particularly children, women, refugees and the
displaced.
"This is a region devastated by civil war where 400,000
people reside in internal displacement camps," said Liu
Institute Director and CEO Lloyd Axworthy.
"We’ve been conducting research for some time on the
risks to war-affected children in the region. With this project,
we’ll be looking at what has been working and assess the potential
for strengthening the many peace and reconciliation initiatives
underway."
The aim of the eight-month project, funded by an US$85,000
grant from Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation, is to publish
a Human Rights Watch report on the region. The Liu Institute
and its partners will consult with both government and non-government
representatives in Northern Uganda on solutions to the crisis,
and help Ugandan NGOs to build their network and capacity
to monitor the situation and take action.
The Liu Institute will also work with Makerere University
on related peace and reconciliation research and international
justice strategies, with the hope of establishing a permanent
institute for peace in the region.
Northern Uganda has been wracked by violence yet again in
recent months. The latest insecurities in the north are due
to increased killing and abuse by the Rebel Lord’s Resistance
Army, a Ugandan Rebel sect, and the military action by Ugandan
Government forces. These have resulted in large numbers of
civilians entering IDP (internally displaced persons) camps
where delivery of food aid is difficult, as humanitarian agencies
cannot reach the most desperate camps without armed escorts.
For updates on the Liu Institute’s research work in Uganda,
see www.ligi.ubc.ca.
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