Who Starts an Inter Tribal Conflict Only to Kill their Own Kinsmen

Since 30^th June 2014 the media has been awash with reports of violence and death in Bundibugyo and Kasese districts. Allegedly it is a tribal conflict between the bakonzo and bamba-bawisi in Bundibugyo and bakonzo, basongoro-banyabindi in Kasese. Although the death toll has been shooting up since Saturday from 65 on Saturday alone to around 90 by 08^th July 2014, with both civilian and security personel as victims, reports indicate that majority of the arrested suspects and the dead are the bakonzo who are at the same time being branded the attackers.

So much has been said to explain, justify or potray the attackers as bakonzo, ranging from their bitterness over government’s formal recognition of the Obudingiye bwa bwamba, government’s continued support of the minority basongora (cattle keeping community) over the majority bakonzo (cultivators) coupled with their undisputed efforts by government to install their cultural leader within another kingdom (rwenzururu kingdom) and the attempt of the banaybindi to commemorate their dear ones who lost their lives during the rwenzururu movement (even when it is not very clear if there were any banyabindi in the struggle). 

Irrespective of all this, i strongly believe this is not an inter-tribal conflict, somebody somewhere is just doing their ‘thing’ and taking advantage of the tribal tension in the region; if it is not to divide the overtime peaceful region and co-existing communities for their own selfish reasons, then it is a new rebel force coming up in the region. It doesn’t matter whether Government believes it or not (of course they already have chosen not to even think about it), government is simply taking sides, refusing and or failing to face reality if you asked me, (i hope it will not be too late when they eventually do). It is absurd that our very own government and key politicians have hurriedly declared the bakonzo as the attackers targeting the bamba, and basongora simply because the attackers spoke lukonzo. But i ask, why would someone conclude that the attackers were bakonzo just because they spoke the language?

Many people from Kasese or those that carefully follow the events around the tribal disagreements there will agree with me that the bakonzo are very patient and tolerant people, who have often remained calm amidst several provocative speeches and actions from their adversaries. Many times i should say their capacity has been underestimated and patience taken for granted so much so that they are now being accused of starting and fuelling a tribal conflict in which they kill their own kinsmen instead of the enemy...SURELY WHO DOES THIS??? 

Several other things defeat this tribal conflict gospel, for example, why would the attackers launch attacks on the security facilities instead of their adversaries...or do they mean to say that the launch of attacks on the government security authorities and not the enemy now amounts to a tribal conflict? Somebody educate me here. How about civilians with machetes and spears fiercely taking on trained security personnel to a level of killing a good number of them or attempting to attack a barracks and disarm soldiers.  And if the bakonzo in Kasese on this particular Saturday were protesting to the banyabindi’s function organized in Muhokya, why would the attacks be launched on security personnel and non banyibindi civilians in a completely different sub county and constituency? Shouldn’t all these events even insinuate that the problem is bigger than government is preferring to look at it?

If the bakonzo did not attack and kill the bamba and bawisi on the day of the coronation of their cultural leader and also managed to stay calm during and several weeks after, why would they now ‘rise up against’ the bamba. The bakonzo cultural leader Omusinga, Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma whom they hold with high regard , commissioned a peace team to foster peace and reconciliation between the Bakonzo and Bamba/Bawisi, following misunderstandings that arose from the recognition of the Obudingya bwa Bwamba (Bwamba Kingdom) and  this had apparently ushered in sanity and co-existence. So for one to say the bakonzo attacked in retaliation to the above is not satisfying enough and shouldn’t be advanced as a reason for the tribal conflict especially when reports also indicate that no mwamba was attacked and killed.

Police say, most of the people killed in the attacks in Kasese and Bundibugyo were veterans and that the same veterans are the master minds behind the on-going violence. Actually two veterans who also serve as cultural leaders in the rwenzururu kingdom, Misaali Mukwenda and Jeremiah Mutoro, the deputy Prime Minister of the Obusinga were arrested on 07^th June 2014 under suspicions that the dual have information that can lead the police and army to those behind the attacks. SURELY...Is this how government rewards the veterans’ dedicated service to this country and patience after its continued failure to pay them? Who doesn’t know the role veterans played in this government and how they have since never been fully rewarded for their faithful service.

Lastly the attacks in three districts of the Rwenzori region in a span of one month or less, have quite a deal of similarities, some of which include attackers being casually dressed (not in uniform), and the random killing among others. My question is if the two attacks in Kasese and Bundibugyo are tribal how then do they explain the Kyegegwa attack? Because apparently, with similar attacks in other places, the earlier on explanation given for Kyegegwa doesn’t seem to hold water any more.

Could this be a game of Politics versus culture? Is someone practically fuelling the cultural differences in the region to achieve their political agenda? Is government fearing and also failing to face or declare the truth? Are the bakonzo really as bad as the media and government are depicting them or they are just victims of circumstance? 

I SPEAK FOR MY PEOPLE; We might sometimes be violent, yes, or even have elements of violence in us because we are human but am certain that we are also very good, peace loving, accommodative and tolerant people who are just unfortunate victims of circumstance in this particular case. May the souls of the deceased Rest in Peace and May Christ the author of peace restore peace, sanity and co-existence in the Rwenzori region and also take away this cup of allegations from the bakonzo.  

Habwa Kayingo no’businga Bwa Rwenzururu!

IMPROVING ACCESS TO JUSTICE AT THE GRASSROOT USING THE REFERAL MODEL.

Human rights violations is wide spread across many countries, and to a great extent, this is an impediment to development and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.  This threatens the rights and well-being of humans and can only be eliminated by promoting respect and observance of human rights, and ensuring that the victims of human rights violations receive redress/ justice. Available programme data indicates that a significant number of individuals suffer from violence in silence with little or no recourse to justice, care or support.  Fear, shame and stigma among others have often prevented human rights victims especially women and children from seeking assistance or taking action against perpetrators – husbands, relatives and friends among others. In most situations, perpetrators evade prosecution due to a combination of weak laws and judicial processes that fail to hold them accountable; social and political disorder; and lack of impartiality or functioning of judiciary or police. This impunity sends a message that abuse of human rights is partly acceptable or the norm reinforces inequalities as well as being a denial of justice[1].

The word referral means to recommend someone to consult the professional person referred to. It can also mean the act of forwarding someone to an appropriate person or institution for help. The referral system has among others proven an effective model in addressing limited access to justice by the human rights victims.  In this case, cases of human rights abuses are reported to the responsible authorities for further action depending on the gravity of the case to ensure justice is granted. This process is facilitated and or guided by community resource persons commonly referred to as paralegals, volunteers, reflect facilitators, human rights activists or watch dogs. Community resources persons are individuals identified within communities and trained on human rights; the different types, forms of abuses, reporting and redress. These in turn support the community to know their rights, where and how to report cases of human rights violation. The rationale for developing and using referral systems is to promote a holistic approach to supporting victims of violence through a range of services including physical safety and shelter, legal, health and social services, and psychosocial counseling. They may also include links to services that further the victim’s economic empowerment.

In the bid to address this challenge of limited access to justice, Independent Development Fund (IDF) through its Grantees identified, and supported community based resource persons that provide (d) legal support, referrals and follow up rights violations for redress especially for the poor and marginalized populations (children, women, widows and the elderly, juveniles and other vulnerable groups) in the different project areas.  Additionally, the funded projects also support and work with the local leaders, Police, Prison Officers and judiciary to provide legal support and guidance on the operation and functionality of the justice system.

 How it works:

The resource persons educate/sensitize the community on their human rights, forms of rights abuses and how to deal with the abuses/violations; that is, how and where to report. The victims in return share their ordeals with the community resource persons who record them and later provide advice and guidance on where to report depending on the violation. They then support the victims to file their cases with the respective concerned authorities and in most cases follow up the cases until a logical conclusion is reached.

For example IDF supported Grantees from different project locations referred 9841cases of human rights violations to authorities during the period July 2013 to May 2014.

Referrals per quarter for the period July 2013/ May 2014[2]

Precisely, the IDF supported projects have worked to increase access to justice and observance of the rights of women, children and vulnerable persons in conflict with the law. This was a result of the increased civic awareness and consciousness on the existing laws and procedures of accessing justice and rights protection for human rights abused victims. This has further contributed to observance of the rights of the poor and vulnerable persons, including decongestion of prisons and children in remand homes. IDF Grantees that greatly contributed to this are World Voices (WVU), Guu Foundation Community Based Rehabilitation (GUFO), Uganda Community Based Association For Child Welfare (UCOBAC), Community Awareness And Response On Aids (CARA), Companionship Of Works Association (COWA), Hope after Rape (HAR), African Prisons Project (APP), Gulu Women Economic Development & Globalisation (GWED-G), Africa International Christian Ministry (AICM) and Youth And Women In Action (YAWIA).

In Lira, GUFO working with Reflect Facilitators in the three hard pressed sub-counties of Amach, Aromo and Ogur were able to address 34 land conflicts and violent evictions. As a result the previously affected women are in position to testify to ownership of the land.

CARA, another IDF Grantee also notes that as per the baseline findings at the start of the Human rights project in 2011, people were ignorant on the channels of reporting or handling human rights violations; i.e only 10 cases of women rights violations had been reported in a period of 3 months, however by the end of the project Arpil 2014 there was an increase in the number of cases reported on human rights violations. Graph representing the trend in reporting of cases of violence against women

 At least 80% of the community members and the children had known where, how and when to report what conflict. Through capacity enhancement of police and prisons on the operation and functionality of the justice system, IDF has noted an increase in the number of prisoners getting bail in Apac and Oyam prisons, thus leading to the prisons getting decongested.

The IDF Grantee (APP) implementing the “Promotion of the rights of access to justice and healthcare of prisoners in Oyam and Apac districts” project documented a total 314 (285 Males and 29 females) inmates that had secured Bail, had their cases dismissed or given community service in the 8 prisons. They also succeeded in securing sureties for 265 inmates between December 2013 and April 2014.

In the case of the juvenile offenders, COWA implementing the “Promotion of child rights through advocacy, legal support and education” project in Wakiso district has contributed to access to justice through the collaboration with the remand homes and the community where the juveniles come from. Approximately 32 juveniles (30Males, 2 females) have been helped out of the Naguru remand home between March and April 2014.

                            Distribution of referrals per thematic focus

Conclusively, the use of the referral model has contributed to the increase of civic awareness on human rights and channels of reporting human rights violations, which to a great extent has led to the reduction in the number of human rights violation cases. This suggests that the use of the referral model has the potential to increase access to justice, respect, fulfillment and observance of human rights particularly at the community level justice, respect, fulfillment and observance of human rights has increased.

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[1] Community of Practice in Building Referral Systems for Women Victims of Violence, Mary Jennings, May 2010.

[2] This information is generated from the grantee monthly data returns and quarterly progress reports to IDF.