The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Amnesty Commission of Uganda will end its operations in May. The commission was established by the Amnesty Act in 2000 as a tool to end rebellions in Uganda by encouraging rebels to lay down their arms without the fear of prosecution for crimes committed during the fight against the government.
The roles of the commission include providing amnesty to rebels who renounce rebellion and give up their arms, facilitating an institutionalized resettlement and repatriation process and providing reintegration support, including skills training for ex-combatants, and promoting reconciliation.
Msgr. Timothy Kisembo Apuuli, the head of the commission for western Region says that the commission will be replaced by the transitional justice-a new body that will handle issues of former rebels and affected communities.
The new body will also institute courts to handle reporters legal matters. However, Kisembo says the commission is still discussing how the body will be constituted and operationalized.
Kisembo added that for the 20 years the commission has been in existence, they have demobilized most of the reporters from the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC to abandon rebellion activities against the government of Uganda.
Henry Basaliza, a demobilization and resettlement officer with Amnesty Commission says the commission has rehabilitated and given life skills to the reporters. The reporters were also facilitated with reintegration start-up packages, which included cash, seedlings, mattresses and the household items.
In 2018, the government renewed the mandate of the Amnesty Commission for another year to allow the commission to engage in the reintegration of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abductees in Northern Uganda.
According to records, the commission has so far granted Amnesty certificates to 27,300 reporters since the Amnesty Act was enacted and only 9,414 former combatants who renounced rebellion against the government of Uganda from the different rebel groups have been reintegrated.
In Kasese District, the Amnesty Commission has trained former fighters of the Allied Democratic Forces –ADF in technology and skills development training lessons.
The training is also part of the process for the reintegration of former rebels and host communities.
********
URN
