“Death of justice” in northern Uganda

War in the northern districts of Kitgum and Gulu has seen “the abuse of rights on a monumental scale”, according to a report released by the London-based “African Rights” organisation. Rebels of the Sudan-based Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) “have murdered, raped and abducted civilians at will, during more than a decade of fighting against the army”. “The Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF) has also employed harsh counter-insurgency tactics, resulting in civilian deaths and the brutal treatment of suspected rebels.” The report entitled “Justice in Conflict” points out that people in northern Uganda have lost faith in the court system as the principal mechanism for justice. According to the report, the traditional justice system was the first institutional casualty of the 10-year conflict. Court buildings were destroyed and magistrates took refugee in towns. Courts are only operational in the towns of Kitgum and Gulu, due to security concerns. Nobert Mao, a member of parliament for Gulu, told IRIN that the African Rights report was a fair assessment of the state of the administration of justice in the war-ravaged areas of Gulu and Kitgum. He recommended that the government should put in place resources to offer public legal aid.