With the extant work on civil war duration as a starting point, this project uses the Ugandan case to identify and address theoretical aporias in our existing understanding of the determinants of duration. The vast majority of existing work begins with the assumption that the rebel force is the determining factor in the duration of conflict. Challenging this assumption, I argue that civil war duration should be understood as a function of the calculations made by both the rebel units and the established state, a dynamic that has implications for the way in which we think of the preferences of the state. Finally, that incentive structures exist, given the nature of post-colonial states that lower the utility of peace for elected leadership and reduce their willingness to provide peace as a collective good to the broader population as civil war can be used as one of Jeffrey Herbst’s buffer mechanisms.

Magister Legum - LLM

This thesis addresses accountability for mass atrocities. It presents a case study of Uganda that has undergone a two-decade conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgent group and the national army, the Uganda People’s Defence Armed Forces (UPDF). The government of Uganda has initiated various accountability measures that include international and domestic prosecutions, truth telling, reparations and traditional justice to address international crimes and other human rights violations committed during the conflict. The thesis in particular investigates how all these mechanisms could be used in a way that ensures that Uganda fulfils its international obligations and that the different measures complement each other. The thesis traces the background to the conflict that began in 1986 and explores the consequences of the conflict on the civilian population in Uganda. It alludes to its spread from Uganda to South Sudan and since 2008, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic. It argues that the significant and continuous involvement of the government of Sudan from 1994 to 2005 internationalised the LRA conflict. It further finds that both the LRA and the UPDF perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict. The thesis further discusses the international obligation of Uganda to prosecute, punish and extradite persons responsible for the commission of international crimes and to ensure remedies to victims of such crimes and other human rights violations. It finds that the lapse of Part II of the Amnesty Act that allowed for a ‘blanket amnesty’ leaves room for Uganda to fulfil its international obligations. The thesis further investigates the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation and its Annexure reached between the government of Uganda and the LRA in Juba that ushers in the various accountability pursuits in Uganda. It argues that the implementation and successes of the Agreement depends on the consultations, legislations, policies and the establishment and workings of the institutions envisaged that could lead to justice, truth and reparations in Uganda. The thesis finds that the different accountability measures that Uganda is pursuing correspond to the political, social and historical conditions in Uganda, in particular, decades of armed conflict and human rights violations with impunity of perpetrators. It concludes that the success of the accountability undertakings will largely depend on the high calibre of officials and staff of the different institutions and their ability to deal wisely with challenges that will inevitably arise. It further finds that a political will and commitment is essential to ensure adequate investment in technical, material and financial resources and that non-interference of the government in the work of the institutions will ensure success. It concludes that such a political will and commitment, a robust consultation with stakeholders including victim groups and the creation of alliances locally, nationally, regionally and internationally, Uganda’s accountability pursuits will lead to the desired justice, truth and reparations. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

The author addresses the following objectives: (1) Examines whether a state can withdraw a case upon which an indictment has been made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) (2) Determine and elucidate on the circumstances under which a referral can be withdrawn from ICC jurisdiction. (3) Clarifies whether a referral can be withdrawn if the referring state develops mechanisms for domestic trial of relevant ICC crimes / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Dr.Atangcho Akonumbo, Faculté des Sciences Sociales et de gestion, Université Catholique d’Afrique Centrale, Yaoundé Cameroun / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Targeted sanctions have become increasingly utilized as conflict management tool to safeguard global peace and security. In recent years, there have been a global push to utilize this tool to specifically address conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Yet, there is a dearth in research on how the imposition of targeted sanctions effect the prevalence of CRSV. This thesis aims to contribute to this alarmingly understudied relationship between targeted sanctions and CRSV by investigating the following research question: what impact do targeted sanctions have on the perpetration of CRSV by rebel groups? Thus, I employ a structured, focused comparison of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda to test a theoretical theory which argues that targeted sanctions may increase the prevalence of CRSV perpetrated by the targeted rebel group. The empirical findings give partial support to both the proposed hypothesis and the theorized ‘selective incentive’ casual mechanism. However, the findings also suggest less effective sanctions may result in the hypothesized increase in wartime sexual violence perpetrated by the targeted actor, while more effective, debilitating sanctions may a decrease alongside other interventions.

The study explored the community role in support of adolescents’ sexual reproductive health (ASRH) in Acholi sub-region, which was affected by over two decades of LRA war. The study aimed at establishing the impact of the war on Acholi socio-cultural norms of adolescents’ socialisation on sexual matters by exploring the effects of the war, mass media and the modern education system on the socio-cultural norms of socialisation and compared with the current modes of promoting sexual education among adolescents as mandated by the national adolescent health policy; the study then assessed the community responsiveness to ASRH needs. Based on the findings, community strategy for enhancing community response to adolescent health was developed. Exploratory, descriptive and case study methodology was used to execute a three- phased concurrent study with five sub-studies. Data were collected from selected participants and respondents including teen mothers, guardians, midwives, parents, adolescents, local, cultural and religious leaders as well as policy makers, technocrats and implementers at the community and district levels. The study was implemented in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader districts of Northern UgandaThe study results found that the LRA war greatly impacted on the Acholi tradition of socialising children; the war destroyed the socio-cultural, economic and family protection structures. The teen mothers’ case study vividly documented the stories. Confounded by the influence of mass media and modern education system, the Acholi community is experiencing what the study called ‘intergenerational cultural shock’ in which the old and young generations are shocked and amazed with the cultural difference. community responsiveness to adolescent health needs, amidst the societal changing contexts and emerging new youth cultures, the study proposes a community model and a strategy to promote community participation in ASRH but with many implications to policy, programs, and further research as detailed under the recommendations.. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)