Policy and legal framework of the CEWERU Uganda

A  Peaceful and stable Uganda free of violent Conflict.

THE MISSION OF CEWERU UGANDA

To operate an efficient, effective early warning and early response mechanism aimed at preventing, reducing and mitigating conflicts in Uganda.

Types of Conflicts CEWERU Uganda is monitoring

Uganda CEWERU initially was monitoring and reporting on pastoral conflicts in the pilot areas of Karamoja Cluster side of Uganda (the districts of Amudat, Bukwo, Moroto, Napak, Kapchorwa, Kaabong, Kween, Nakapiripirit and Kotido). Due to the expanded mandate and after a highly participatory and consultative process, involving a series of intensive and high level consultations with Government Departments, Local Leaders, District Peace Committees (DPCs), district technocrats, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other key stakeholders undertaking Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (CPMR) activities in the Karamoja Cluster and Albertine and Rwenzori sub regions on review and what should constitute the Operational Guidelines, CEWERU Uganda is expanding both geographically and thematically. These consultations, held at District and sub county levels between September – December 2016, served to collect views on key priorities and influences for the development of the Operational Guidelines. The CEWERU Uganda Unit is in line with the CEWARN Regional strategy in addressing conflicts beyond pastoral related conflicts and Karamoja region; and will aim at data collection and analysis under 5 key results and thematic areas below;

• Environment
• Economics
• Governance
• Socio-cultural and
• Security

A careful analysis of conflict patterns was undertaken that provided crucial information on potential (if not escalating) conflict concerns that the CEWERU mechanism could thematically address. These include, among others, the following: Land (conflicts arising from population growth, investment); Natural Resources conflict associated with increased competition and climate (over for example, minerals, oil and gas, forests, pasture, water); Border disputes (domestic and international); electoral violence; violence associated with forced migrations. A mapping of all the new types of conflicts that can be covered by CEWERU will be undertaken. Appropriate tools will be developed for monitoring the dynamics of these new conflicts in order to generate early warning information. Consultations will be held with CPMR stakeholders on the additional conflicts.

The CEWERU and its local peace organs derive mandate from the CEWARN Protocol. Its structure and functional units are defined and informed by the decentralized governance and administrative systems in the country. Their functionality is guided by the following framework.

National Research Institutes (NRI):

These are Non-Governmental Institutions, Academic or Research Institutes that are engaged by CEWERU Uganda for Analysis of early warning and early response reports. Currently CEWERU Uganda is engaging Center for Basic Research and Makerere University (Political Science, Sociology and Environment schools) for Analysis.

Yearning Voices Foundation (YVF) a local NGO is in charge of information collection for CEWERU with eighteen (18) Field Monitors based in hot spot areas in Uganda.

The collected early warning information is submitted to CEWERU situation room which is managed by two officers based at the secretariat at Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The establishment of the CEWARN Mechanism

CEWARN was established to enable the countries in the IGAD region to coordinate efforts to prevent conflicts and formulate response strategies through information collection and analysis. By 1990s, different potential inter-communal conflicts, proliferation and availability of small arms in the sub region and the subsequent disasters informed the need to establish conflict early warning and early response mechanisms for timely prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

The endemic various conflicts in the Horn Region and its subsequent impact on the region’s peace and security that also undermined development, forced IGAD to undertake peacemaking activities as its priority agenda In 1996, following the revitalization of IGAD and its shift towards a broad consideration of issues of peace and security. Beginning 2000, initiatives to establish an early warning and early response mechanism in the IGAD region were undertaken. Within the peace and security agenda, the creation of a conflict early warning and response mechanism for IGAD was identified as a key area to develop within the institution’s conflict, management and resolution mandate. This was agreed as a solution for the IGAD region following a decision to establish the CEWARN in 2000 by the Summit of Heads of State and Government in Khartoum in November 2000[1]. The summit directed the IGAD Secretariat to establish a conflict early warning and early response Mechanism in what is referred to as the “Khartoum Declaration of the IGAD Heads of State and Governments of November 2000”.

The CEWARN Protocol was signed by IGAD Member States in 2002 in Khartoum, Sudan and entered into force in July 2003. This Mechanism is operational in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda initially focusing on cross-border pastoral and related conflicts.