Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the role of civil society organizations (CSO) in peacemaking and political negotiations in order to articulate the limits and possibilities of the bottom up approach to peacebuilding.
The dramatic upsurge of ‘new war’, which could be contrasted with earlier wars in terms of their goals, the methods of warfare and how they are financed, urges us to rethink current approach towards conflict resolution. From past practices, it becomes clearer that the top-down approach to peacebuilding, which sought to establish an agreement among key faction leaders could not resolve fundamental causes of conflict and restore sustainable peace in deeply divided societies. Rather, from several successful examples of locally negotiated peace, the bottom-up approach is regarded as an alternative means for conflict resolution, and the emphasis in conflict resolution shifts from state-centered approach to less state-centric approaches, which linked civil society, international organizations, and states.
This trend could be found in Northern Uganda as well. Since 1988, the Northern Uganda has experienced destructive confrontation between the government army, the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony. The conflict resulted in serious violations of the human rights of the Acholi people (who live in Gulu, Amuru, Kidgum and Pader districts) by both the LRA and the UPDF. After the collapse of the Bigombe-lead peace negotiations in 1994, it became increasing apparent that the government and LRA were not willing to end conflict. Traditional leaders, religious leaders, and other members of CSO became significant actors in the pursuit for peace in Northern Uganda. Their efforts have been gradually supplemented by the crucial support from international NGOs, international organizations and several western countries. The close co-operation between local CSOs and external actors play important role in laying foundation for peace at the grass roots level, such as the establishment of Amnesty Commission after the Amnesty Act enacted in 2000. However, certain methods and approaches such as restoration of the Elders Council, and a possible implementation of traditional justice, raise doubt and skepticisms about the value of the bottom up approach in the context of international human rights norms. Many religious, civil society and traditional leaders represent only a portion of local people's interests and lack the strategic reach to deal with the full scope of problems that need to be resolved. Thus, this paper evaluates current CSO's initiatives and strategies, and proposes several recommendations and prospects for the future bottom up approach to peacebuidling in the region.
