District leaders of Bundibugyo
held an interface/reflection meeting on community action to prevent and manage
conflicts and human rights violations in the District. The meeting was
conducted by RICNETwith support from Hivos. The meeting
was attended by security personnel (DPC, DISO and CO of Kanyamwirima army Barracks);
the political leaders led by the District chairperson and members from the CBOs
and LCIII chairperson from the project sub counties; 27 members attended this
meeting held at the District community hall under community development
department.
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| leaders in the meeting reflection on community driven mechanism. |
The meeting was a reflection
on the Community Led mechanism to manage conflicts and human rights violation
in Rwenzori region, Bundibugyo District in particular. The community based approach
look at the bottom up solution to challenges facing the community. During the
reflection, leaders from the CBOs shared their experiences from the
interventions taken. Among the
interventions were holding community meetings at village level where members were
able to analyse the Key players in conflict by identifying those with influence and power,
cause of occurrence of incidences and how these cuases can be handled.
According to the DPC,
issues that trigger conflicts were clearly seen as lack of knowledge and
understanding, land tenure system, revenge on past actions and generalization of
issues and above all mixing matters of cultural institution into politics of
the land. There are individual persons who stay at the periphery but contribute greatly
to the conflicts.
Members of the meeting resolved that there is a need to move from violent means to negotiation. One cannot run away from culture but they have to adapt to other peoples
culture and leave peacefully. Cultural leaders have failed to understand
the difference between belonging to culture and subscribing to a cultural
institution. Bundibugyo does not belong to a single community; there are people who
have settled in Bundibugyo but do not subscribe to Obundingya
bwa Bwamba and they need to be respected and accommodated in their diversity. It
was agreed that there is need to increase internal mobilization for community
sensitization meetings, encourage good approach to solve conflicts, support
psycho-social counseling for people affected by war trauma, encourage youth to participate
in farming, improve internal communication among the leaders of the cultural institutions,
rehabilitate the landless/homeless and ensure people understand the basic principles
in the laws governing land and belonging to cultural institutions.
