Peace over Justice: The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) vs. the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Northern Uganda

Apuuli, Kasaija Phillip

doi:10.1111/j.1754-9469.2011.01101.x

Cited by 53 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…3 Although PCC is growing in this region too, the Catholic Church remains the largest, and mainline churches hold a special moral standing that rests on the activism of key church leaders during and after the war between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the government of Uganda. Under the umbrella of the Acholi Religious Leader's Peace Initiative, religious leaders forged a powerful narrative of forgiveness, reconciliation and unity, which remain prominent themes in public debate and Catholic teaching in the region (Apuuli 2011;Finnegan 2010).…”

Section: Politics Religion and Homosexuality In Uganda And Beyondmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homosexuality, the holy family and a failed mass wedding in Catholic Northern Uganda

Alava

2016

Critical African Studies

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Christian churches have played crucial but diverse roles in public debates over homosexuality in Africa. In contrast to the vocal and explicit homophobia witnessed in many Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches (PCCs), homosexuality has until recently been an overwhelmingly silenced issue in the Acholi region of Northern Uganda, and an almost complete non-issue in the local Catholic Church. This article suggests that while this silence in part relates to the temporal proximity of the Northern Ugandan war, the absence of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) activism in the region, and the hesitance of mainline churches to talk about sex, it is also embedded in what are considered to be customary Acholi understandings of sexuality. Offering an analysis of Acholi Catholic teaching on peace and the family, the article suggests that Catholicism has entrenched heteronormative patriarchy in Acholi society. However, as illustrated by the unpopularity of church weddings, the norms that govern sexuality are negotiated in the dynamic space between religion and what are contemporarily understood as 'modern' and 'customary' Acholi moral sensibilities. The article emphasizes the need for scholarship on religion and homosexuality to extend beyond PCCs and capital cities, and beyond the most explicit forms of public homophobia in Africa.Les églises chrétiennes ont joué des rôles cruciaux mais variés dans les débats publics sur l'homosexualité en Afrique. Contrairement à l'homophobie virulente et explicite constatée dans plusieurs Églises Pentecôtistes-Charismatiques (EPC), l'homosexualité a été jusqu'à récemment un problème tout à fait étouffé dans la région d'Acholi du nord de l'Ouganda, et un quasi non-problème au sein de l'Eglise catholique locale. Bien que ce silence se rapporte en partie à la proximité temporelle de la guerre en Ouganda du Nord, l'absence de militantisme LGBTI (lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels, transgenres et intersexués) dans la région, ainsi qu'à l'hésitation des principales églises à parler de sexe, cet article suggère que ce silence est également incorporé au sein de ce qui est considéré comme des conceptions Acholi coutumières de la sexualité. Doté d'une analyse des enseignements Acholi catholiques sur la paix et la famille, l'article suggère que le catholicisme a ancré le patriarcat hétéronormatif dans la société Acholi. Cependant, comme l'illustre l'impopularité des mariages religieux, les normes qui régissent la sexualité sont négociées dans l'espace dynamique entre la religion et ce qui est contemporairement compris comme des valeurs morales Acholi « modernes » et « coutumières ». L'article met l'accent sur la nécessité pour les travaux académiques sur la religion et l'homosexualité d'aller au-delà des EPCs et des capitales, et au-delà des formes les plus explicites de l'homophobie publique en Afrique.

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Section: Politics Religion and Homosexuality In Uganda And Beyondmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homosexuality, the holy family and a failed mass wedding in Catholic Northern Uganda

Alava

2016

Critical African Studies

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“…The Republic of Uganda became the first state party to refer a case to the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) in 2003, when they submitted a self-referral for the situation involving the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement (LRA/M; Nouwen & Werner, 2010). The LRA/M was created by Joseph Kony in 1988, with aims to overthrow the Museveni regime and take control of the country (Apuuli, 2011). However, instead of spreading democracy the LRA/M participated in gross human rights violations as children were abducted for the purpose of staffing the army (boys) and sexual slavery (girls; Ssenyonjo, 2007).…”

Section: The Icc and Northern Ugandamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, instead of spreading democracy the LRA/M participated in gross human rights violations as children were abducted for the purpose of staffing the army (boys) and sexual slavery (girls; Ssenyonjo, 2007). Furthermore, the LRA/M has been accused of using abducted children for labor, as well as human shields during conflict (Apuuli, 2011), and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and government of Uganda (Ssenyonjo, 2007).…”

Section: The Icc and Northern Ugandamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, due to the cooperation of Uganda on the issue of the LRA/M no charges have been filed, or investigations opened, into whether or not government officials had committed crimes in the DRC. The lack of charges filed against possibly corrupt state actors harms the legitimacy of the Ugandan government and ongoing peace negotiations (Apuuli, 2011).…”

Section: The Icc and Northern Ugandamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Ugandan government obliged and offered ''total amnesty'' to all LRA/M combatants and leadership (Ssenyonjo, 2007, p. 363), partly based on the previous passing of the Amnesty Act (2000). The act was a collaborative effort between the Ugandan government and the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), a civil society group that advocated peace and reconciliation in Northern Uganda (Apuuli, 2011). Because of the peace negotiations and promise of amnesty, the Ugandan government became unwilling to assist in the capture and arrest of Kony and other LRA/M leaders, especially considering they were being told by LRA/M leadership that the indictments were the only impediments to peace (Ssenyonjo, 2007).…”

Section: The Icc and Northern Ugandamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Achieving Justice Through the International Criminal Court in Northern Uganda

Beitzel

Castle

2013

International Criminal Justice Review

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The self-referral by the Ugandan government for the situation concerning the Lord’s Resistance Army/Movement in Northern Uganda triggered the first referral for the International Criminal Court (ICC). The purpose of this article was to examine the dimensions of justice, and analyze whether the ICC’s role best serves the needs of the community in Northern Uganda. More specifically, this study investigates several guiding orientations of the ICC, such as the rule of complementarity and the increased focus on victims, and asserts that international third-party actors must consider whether retributive/punitive approaches can deliver justice. Restorative justice is explored as an alternative vision of justice, and one that is already present and practiced by the Acholi people. Given the complexity of issues facing postconflict societies, as well as the strengths of restorative justice to heal the community, the authors argue that traditional or indigenous forms of justice represent the best approach for obtaining justice for victims.

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Indigenous Peacebuilding Approaches and the Accountability of Former Child Soldiers: African Case Studies

Kiyala

2022

Civil Society and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Anthropocene

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Peace over Justice: The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) vs. the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Northern Uganda

Cited by 53 publications

References 13 publications

Homosexuality, the holy family and a failed mass wedding in Catholic Northern Uganda

Homosexuality, the holy family and a failed mass wedding in Catholic Northern Uganda

Achieving Justice Through the International Criminal Court in Northern Uganda

Indigenous Peacebuilding Approaches and the Accountability of Former Child Soldiers: African Case Studies

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