Uganda
This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.
For Uganda, TJET has collected information on: ten amnesties between 1971 and 2006; 127 domestic trials starting between 1972 and 2020; one foreign trial starting in 2004; two international trials starting in 2005; and two truth commissions mandated between 1974 and 1986.
Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.
Country Background
Democratic Transition
Based on well-known democracy data, TJET records one democratic transition starting in 1980.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Violent Conflict
Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records 25 violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1971 and 2019 (during 42 calendar years), involving 17 distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government. Eleven conflict episodes were internationalized by involvement of external state actors.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.
Transitional Justice Data
As of 2020, Uganda ranks 40th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.
Amnesties
Uganda had ten amnesties between 1971 and 2006. Two occurred in the context of democratic transition. Two were passed during ongoing internal armed conflict, and five were passed after conflict. Of these, two were part of a peace agreement. Five amnesties released political prisoners and four forgave human rights violations.
While the country had extensive experience with amnesties of political prisoners, the 1987 amnesty for security officers and rebels stands out for having provided immunity for human rights violations. By far, though, the most well-known amnesty was that granted by the Amnesty Act of 2000, which provided blanket immunity for qualifying Ugandans who had engaged in insurgency since 1986.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Domestic Trials
TJET has compiled data on 127 domestic prosecutions between 1972 and 2020. These include 88 regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which 39 persons were convicted; 30 intrastate conflict prosecutions of state agents, in which 36 persons were convicted; two intrastate conflict prosecutions of opposition members, in which one person was convicted; and five opposition prosecutions of state agents or opposition members, in which eleven persons were convicted. In one trial that involved high-ranking state agents, one person was convicted.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
International or Hybrid Trials
Nationals of Uganda were subject to two international prosecutions in 2005, which led to no convictions. Uganda was referred to the ICC in 2003. The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor opened a preliminary examination of the situation in Uganda in 2004. The first investigation of a specific case began in 2005, and the ICC issued five arrest warrants, one of which resulted in a court appearance. The arrest warrant for LRA commander Joseph Kony never led to his apprehension. Trial proceedings began in one case in 2016. In 2021, the ICC convicted former child soldier and LRA commander Dominic Ongwen, after four years of proceedings.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Foreign Trials
A National of Uganda was the defendant in one foreign prosecution in Denmark beginning in 2004, for crimes committed in 1995.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Truth Commissions
Uganda mandated two truth commissions in 1974 and 1986, which completed their operations in 1975 and 1994. They issued publicly available final reports, which included recommendations for reparations and institutional reforms.
International attention to the mass repression of Idi Amin’s regime prompted an early instance of transitional justice through the Commission of Inquiry into Disappearances of People in Uganda since the 25th of January, 1971 from 1st July 1974 to 2nd January, 1975. As this was an investigation by a commission appointed by Amin himself, however, the Commission did not facilitate much justice, and some commissioners themselves disappeared. Upon becoming president in 1986, Museveni created the Commission of Inquiry into Violations of Human Rights. This was in some ways a thorough inquiry, but the results took eight years to publish and were not well-publicized.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Perceptions Survey Data
Northern Uganda 2005
Context
This survey was conducted in 2005, at a time of ongoing war waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) against the Ugandan government and the people of Northern Uganda. The survey took place after President Museveni referred the situation in Northern Uganda to the International Criminal Court (ICC), but before the ICC issued any indictments.
Methods
Results are based on a cross-sectional survey conducted in April and May 2005 in northern Uganda. Four northern districts of Uganda—Gulu and Kitgum in the Acholi subregion, Lira in the Lango subregion, and Soroti in the Teso subregion—were selected to represent a diversity of ethnic composition and varying degrees of exposure to the war. The sampling universe included all adults (18 years old) living in the four selected districts. Respondents were selected using a multistage sampling strategy. At the first stage, 25% of population clusters (camps, municipalities or parishes / villages) were randomly selected proportionately to population size. At the second stage, a geographic method was used to randomly select households. Within households, one randomly selected individual was interviewed. For each of the four districts, a minimum of 500 households were sampled. Sample size was determined using the proportion estimate formula for an assumed level of precision of 10% with 80% power. The minimum sample size was adjusted for design effect due to cluster sampling using a factor of two and increased by 20% for nonresponse rate.
Results
The survey shows that accountability for crimes committed by all sides is a priority, with 66 percent supporting some form of punishment, 22 percent supporting forgiveness, reconciliation, and reintegration. Most respondents (76 percent) believe UPDF members should also be held accountable. While 65 percent support an amnesty process for LRA members, only 4 percent support unconditional amnesties. The majority suggests some form of acknowledgment or retribution for those granted amnesty. Traditional and formal justice mechanisms, including the ICC, are poorly understood. 36 percent view the national court system as the most appropriate institution for addressing human rights abuses in Northern Uganda. Knowledge of traditional justice ceremonies is higher in Acholi areas (55 percent) than in non-Acholi areas (19 percent). Most respondents (73 percent) have limited knowledge of the ICC, but those aware of it have high expectations, believing it can contribute to both peace (91 percent) and justice (89 percent).
Hover over column labels for definitions.
For attribution, please cite this survey as:
Phuong Pham, Patrick Vinck, M Wierda, Eric Stover, and A di Giovanni, “Forgotten Voices: A Population-Based Survey of Attitudes about Peace and Justice in Northern Uganda,” research report (New York, NY & Berkeley, CA: International Center for Transitional Justice & Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley, July 2005), http://www.peacebuildingdata.org.