Looking beyond conflict: the long-term impact of suffering war crimes on recovery in post-conflict northern Uganda

This thesis studies the experiences of alleged war crimes during the armed conflict in northern Uganda (Acholi and Lango sub-regions) and the multiple challenges these experiences present to youth attempting to recover in the post-conflict period.  The thesis draws on primary quantitative and qualitative data collected in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in northern Uganda between January 2013 and December 2017.  The findings show that youth who experienced or witnessed war crimes, especially those who suffered multiple war crimes, find it hard to regain lost education and experience more challenges maintaining good relations with their families and society in the post-conflict period. Similarly, strict gendered patriarchal norms and expectations render it challenging for conflict-affected youth to reintegrate into their families and society, particularly for women survivors of wartime sexual violence and their children born of war. The  finding challenges the idea that ‘recovery’ is linear or that the end of conflict ‘normalises’ experiences of war crimes. Additionally, whereas war crimes suffered during conflict do impact livelihoods and recovery of young people, broader social, cultural, economic, and political processes also greatly matter. Lastly, while the conflict heightened individual vulnerability and complicated the recovery process, these factors do not entirely erase young people’s agency. Some young people were able to effectively and positively maneuver even withn the limitations of their circumstances.