BUNDIBUGYO YOUTH FORM INTER-RELIGIOUS UNION ON PEACE AND CONFLICT ISSUES.

Bundibugyo is currently undergoing an intense debate about ethnicity manipulation and its implications for unity in the district. The trigger point for this conflict lies in the history of how the District was created in the manner the term 'tribe' or community or just reward without term during the Amin times. Today it may be was deployed by some citizens as a policy for 'divide and rule' in cocoa community and administering them beyond their ability to realize their worthiness in Uganda.

youth leaders from different religious institutions in sensitization meeting.

This was realized during the sensitization meetings for the youth from different religious institutions that was conducted by UNCIDA and MuSA the youth CBOs under community action to manage and prevent conflicts and human rights violations in the district. The institutions that were represented were the Catholics, Anglican church of Uganda, SDA, Pentecostal movements, Muslims and the Bisaka cult youth.

participants listening to each other during the open dialogue.

The 'tribe' is being used as a tool of mapping and controlling the population for exploitation and domination. The manner the 'divide and rule' policy being used is so intense that it is socialized in the consciousness of the youth political elite who will later became the rulers of post-conflict communities. 

This is the reason ethnic manipulation has become an important tool of political power and political control and political management of society in Uganda. The religious institutions have not been spared of these political manipulations; religious leaders have joined the war with state with ought knowing their mandate.

After intense discussion on the understanding the role of religious youth in the peace process, it was agreed that a union of all the Youth leaders from different denominations be formed and this was called “inter-religious youth council Bundibugyo chapter”. 

OC police bubukwanga sharing with inter religious youth

Leaders were selected among the participants and were given mandate to transverse the district sharing peace message among the youth. It was also agreed that religious leaders who are engaged in conflicts and human right violation should be brought to the book of shame by the joint action of the youth.

The meetings were also graced by some clan leaders and civil servants who too shared their experience working in a society where there is a lot of mistrust based on tribe and religious. They called on the youth to use the agreed platform towards unit