Kaabong villagers adopt reconciliation to solve conflicts
By Simon Peter Esaku
It was supposed to be a secret mission, known to him and God only. Armed with his herdsman stick and a stool only Siloi Lotaruk, 26, set off from Nakosowan village in Kathile sub-county, Kaabong district in Karamoja on April 5, 2015 at 11.00 a.m. Destination was Lobale village in Orom sub-county, Chwa county in neighboring Kitgum district.
“I walked through the bushes taking shortcuts,” says Siloi who left behind his aging father and seven siblings in a manyatta (settlement of mud and wattle huts surrounded by an impenetrable fence of sticks). Even with shortcuts Siloi slept in the bush, in the vicinity of Kidepo Valley National Park.
Siloi resumed his trek in the morning. “I reached the village in the afternoon and had a nap in the bush,” the Dodoth youth says. At dusk he silently descended upon a herd of goats on a hillside. “I had wanted cows. I drove the animals by the same path I came,” he says.
In the morning the owners of the goats, Lunjino and Lodio did not see the 63 goats. “We only saw hoof prints. We made a report to authorities,” Lunjino says. Siloi arrived in Kathile with his newly acquired wealth, 16 goats and hid them in a community kraal.
The Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO) of Lobalangit near Lobale called the GISO of Kathile informing him of goats stolen from Kitgum are suspected to be in Kathile. “I just saw the Local Defence Unit men coming to arrest me. They took me to the army barracks,” Siloi looks back. That was on April 9, 2015.
“We called Lunjino and Lodio to come and identify the goats,” says the GISO of Kathile- Jacob Lotome. When they identified the goats, “They were annoyed that I stole their goats,” Siloi says, adding, “I stole the goats because I wanted to sell them to get some money to look after my siblings.”
Jacob called some of the men and women who belong to a group called Conflict Monitoring and Response Team (CMRT). He is the Chairman of that group comprising 30 members. “We called the owners of the goats and Siloi to our hut in Kathile trading centre and we mediated between them,” Jacob says. The 30 members represent the church, community and kraal leaders, women and even police and Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) representatives on the CMRT. Some of the CMRTs are children in school peace clubs.
“We told the owners that since we have recovered the goats, let us leave Siloi, we will warn and release him. Moreover he has siblings to look after. They accepted the boy to be released,” Jacob recalls. Siloi Lotaru visited Lunjino and Lodio again in their village in Lobale in May 2015. “We have forgiven him and he has now been recruited into Kathile CMRT and will receive training.
There are 33 CMRTs in Kathile sub-county, 31 in Lolelia and 32 in Lobalangit making 96 Teams with 2,880 members.
“We started with the worst sub-counties in Kaabong, that’s, Kathile, Lolelia and Lobalangit. These have been competing in killing and raiding,” Molly, a World Vision staff observes. It was in Kathile where the sub-county chief of Karenga was shot and wounded in 2014.
The local peace and reconciliation initiative has been a success; the initiative has become the people’s thing. It’s what works for them. It’s easily accessible, cost effective and with the training and local manpower it’s sustainable. It does not interfere with the justice system but supplements it.