The European Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2016
Official Conference Proceedings

The European Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2016
Official Conference Proceedings

The European Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2016
Official Conference Proceedings

Guns have gone silent in Northern Uganda after the LRA war, but clouds of injustice are still
thick in the air. Perpetrators of injustice have disappeared in thin air. Victims of atrocities
languish in their villages with psychological and physical scars difficult to forget; lips cut,
legs maimed, girls raped, children abducted and some left parentless. The International
Criminal Court (ICC), an institution of justice in the world, has taken over the process of
justice by demanding for the arrests of the leaders of the LRA. However, the Acholi Elders
and Religious Leaders have demanded for an alternative justice system.
An investigation on how justice can be realized for these victims of war is needed. Can
justice be delivered by the ICC that has left a range of other perpetrators unsuspected, or by
the alternative justice system, proposed by the Acholi Elders and Religious Leaders?
Southwick (2005) calls this situation a dilemma for the ICC, while Ruaudel & Timpson
(2005) describe it as “a forgotten and an unforgivable crisis”.
This paper discusses what justice in a post-conflict situation is and how it can be realized in
Northern Uganda. The hypothesis is that true justice is more than punishments for wrongs
done; it involves healing the wounds of conflict, mending broken hearts, reviving dampened
spirits and restoring relations torn apart by human violence. This understanding is very close
to the view of the Acholi Elders and Religious Leaders, which need to be critically examined
for relevance in contemporary Africa.


Keywords: Lord’s Resistance Army, International Criminal Court, Acholi Traditional Justice
System

Wilfred Lajul