Global Overview 2011: People internally displaced by conflict and violence - Uganda
| Publisher | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 19 April 2012 |
| Cite as | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Global Overview 2011: People internally displaced by conflict and violence - Uganda, 19 April 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4f97fb4fa.html [accessed 23 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Number of IDPs | About 30,000 |
| Percentage of total population | About 0.1% |
| Start of current displacement situation | 1988 |
| Peak number of IDPs (Year) | 1,840,000 (2005) |
| New displacement | 0 |
| Causes of displacement | Armed conflict, generalised violence, human rights violations |
| Human development index | 161 |
The conflict in northern Uganda between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) began in 1988, but large-scale displacement dated from 1996, when the government forced people in the Acholi region in the north to move into camps under its "protected villages" policy. An unknown number of people fled to towns and cities in other parts of Uganda.
The government and the LRA signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in 2006. By the end of 2011, thanks to improved security, most of the 1.8 million IDPs in camps at the height of the conflict had returned to their area of origin or settled in new locations. However, recovery and development efforts in return areas have not been sufficient, and returned IDPs have endured continuing difficulties in the face of inadequate basic services and limited support to rebuild their livelihoods.
The majority of the 30,000 IDPs remaining in dismantled camps either cannot manage the return process on their own due to their age, illness or disability, or they have no land to go back to. This is the case of many widows and orphans who cannot recover the land of their deceased husbands and fathers.
By the end of 2010, all humanitarian coordination functions had been taken over by the national authorities. Responsibility for the protection of IDPs was then transferred to the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Uganda adopted the National IDP Policy in 2004 and started to implement the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda in 2008. However their impact in enabling durable solutions for IDPs has been limited given the considerable investment. The country is a party to the Great Lakes Pact, and in January 2010 Uganda became the first country to ratify the Kampala Convention.
