Northern Uganda Schools Leading Peace Efforts Through Debate

As the lull in violence across northern Uganda, hatched after government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels engaged in sporadic peace negotiations in southern Sudan enters the third year, youth have joined efforts to heal scars and erect crucial peace pillars.

In spite of this progress and endeavors by various leaders to expedite the resettlement process in northern Uganda, Joseph Kony, the elusive leader of the LRA, has refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement.

His forces have also resumed attacks from their new footholds in northeastern Congo and southern Sudan. Many in the war-torn north keep hoping the rebels never cross back to disrupt the new-found peace.

But for over two decades, the LRA terrorized northern Uganda leading to the encampment of over two million people. Kony built his rebellion in part through the kidnapping of an estimated 66,000 children and forced them to fight as child soldiers. 

Thousands of these child soldiers however continue to return home each year upon escaping or being freed from the rebels.

It is believed these ex-child soldiers, if not properly rehabilitated, could wreak more havoc in future or interfere with ongoing peace efforts in northern Uganda.

Already, a high percentage of these youths are suffering from trauma and bitterness. This bitterness however would possibly get quenched by equipping youth with conflict-resolution skills. Local leaders say such efforts would mitigate the problem.

Debating techniques in schools across the region have already emerged as a tool most effective in efforts to sustain the new-found peace and achieve reconciliation. This is premised on the quest to nature to maturity the culture of coexistence in the years to come. 

With support from the Open Society Initiative (OSI), a civil society organization operating in Uganda together with the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), a rights body based in Gulu, a major debating tournament under the Youth Debate League was recently rolled out in Acholi sub-region. 

Ms. Kamila Krygier, an advisor with JPC in September urged youth to embrace dialogue arguing that debate can bake today’s young generation into eloquent future leaders and ambassadors of peace.

“The debate program will provide a stage and an opportunity for the youth to voice their views and opinions. It will also make them aware of debate and discussion as a means to deal with disagreements and different standpoints,” Ms. Krygier stresses.

After years of turmoil, many problems typical for post conflict societies have emerged in northern Uganda and now pose a challenge for a successful and peaceful transition and resettlement.

Some of the challenges include low levels of education and devastating levels of poverty. According to Ms. Krygier, these aspects usually increase bitterness, frustration and anti-socials behaviors, especially among the youth. 

This reality now calls for concerted commitment from local leaders and other social actors to exploit their synergies and help expand the culture of dialogue through debate.

“In future, debate tournaments are planned to expand to other districts, especially youth from conflict and post conflict regions, debates are a great way to learn that conflicts do not have to be dealt with in a violent way,” Ms. Lucy, who is  JPC program director, said recently.

Indeed after, a major debate tournament lasting three days was held in Gulu town in late September, Mr. Makmot Kitara, who is Gulu’s vice District Chairman pledged help organize debate in all technical and secondary schools in the district.

The Gulu debate targeted secondary school youth, matrons and patrons of the debate clubs in some pilot schools in Gulu and Amuru districts. Mr. Kitara commended the organizers of the tournament and described the development as a priceless gift to the youth and people of northern Uganda.

“Debating does not only contribute to a better level of education but makes the youth aware of other ways of resolving or dealing with conflict and disagreements,” explains Ms. Krygier.

It is thus much better and more sustainable to convince someone with good arguments than to fight and possibly hurt the opponent without convincing him or her, she adds.

All over Uganda but specifically in the north, violent strikes have been witnessed in secondary boarding schools and higher institutions of learning over the years. The consequences of this violence are always grave and far-reaching. Records in offices and libraries get destroyed; lives lost, and only serve to create a future filled with pain and devastation.

The students might have had valid concerns but instead of communicating them, they turned to violence. A new culture of embracing debate and dialogue is hoped will fill this gap.