Crisis in Uganda

As he sat in his family’s hut trembling and absorbing the sizzling Uganda heat, Victor Ochen wondered if this was the day he will be kidnapped like the thousands of people in Uganda due to the countries long war with the Lord’s Resistance Army, also known as LRA.  However, unlike so many others in his country he was one of the lucky ones.  He survived.  Now, Ochen is giving back to his community.  He still lives in Uganda and is the founder of the African Youth Initiative Network and spoke about it at UWM Tuesday as part of Human Rights Week.

Ochen was born and raised in Lira, Uganda.  The country was in conflict for more than 20 years with the LRA, one of the most deadliest and violent militia groups in all of Africa.  It is responsible for murder, mutilation, sexual enslavement, burning villages, looting camp settlements, and abducting civilians.  Most of abducted include children as young as 12 years old so they can be trained to be soldiers and take part in attacks against the Ugandan army or civilian communities.

“When I was a child not knowing what could happen left almost no room to think creatively, but I always remained focused.  I had a dream and a vision I will have peace and one day there would be a good life in my country or community,” Ochen said.

The African Youth Initiative Network, also known as AYINET, is a movement dedicated to help transform the current political, social, and economic landscapes in Uganda.  The event was sponsored by the UWM Institute of World Affairs, Center for Global Health and Peace building, and United Nations Association of Milwaukee.

Ochen witnessed unimaginable crimes and brutality throughout his childhood.  He and his family would often survive on one meal a day and sometimes had nothing to eat.  The LRA was taken down three years ago with the help of the United States and the conditions in Uganda have improved dramatically.  Still, the war may be over but healing has just begun for the thousands of people that have been impacted both physically and psychologically.

Giving Back

Today, Ochen helps victims affected by the war rebuild their shattered lives by providing them with food, clothing, and shelter.  He has put an emphasis on helping young boys who were kidnapped and brainwashed into becoming soldiers.  He sees a pattern and believes they are the ones who could be responsible for creating groups like the LRA or any sort violence in the future.

“We have an opportunity to bring change that can stop a desperate pattern of leadership we have seen the community,” Ochen said.  “This is what has led to human suffering and we’re saying we can change it.  We can rewrite the history.”

Dr. Tom Ferrow assists Ochen’s foundation and also spoke at the event.  He has visited Uganda and witnessed firsthand the importance of AYINET.

“We can’t prioritize this because these rights were taken away from these children due to these horrific acts,” said Ferrow.  “We are looking to return the functionality of these individuals; psycho, social, and emotional.”

Child soldiers aren’t only in Uganda, but everywhere throughout the world where there is military clashing.  Almost 250,000 children under the age of 18 are estimated to be fighting and thousands more affiliated with the armed forces could be sent into combat at anytime.

Eric Shultz, a UWM student who attended the event, believes Uganda needs someone with a strong presence that can protect the people so this never happens again.

“First thing they have to do is set up a stable government,” Shultz said.  “There has to be some sort of police presence willing to corporate to get these people safe again.”

The Big Picture

Today Ochen travels around the world to speak about growing up in the politically embroiled country of Uganda so he can educate people and raise awareness.

“I am doing this so I can meet and discuss with students, practitioners, and civil society organizations so I can reach out to the governments of both the U.S. and African countries to see how to avoid the conflict situations.”

Ochen attended the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, Portugal last month and was the only African delegate invited.

Asked what his goal was while he was there, Ochen said, “NATO has been a very successful military network, its important they don’t just engage only on military alliance.  We are advocating for them to strengthen their positions in creating political alliances, building democracy, and a system that is acceptable throughout the world.  We also want them to invest more into another level of militancy which is a political dialogue and stop the politics of hatred.”