Northern Uganda was declared a post-conflict region in 2006, following the return of calm after the long protracted and brutal armed conflict waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. The resultant calm, opened the doors to recovery, more effective local administration and some improvement in the provision of public services that have helped revive the Northern Uganda economy. Domestic and foreign investment in the region has increased and at household level, the changes are beginning to have palpable impacts such as; increase in purchases of assets, employment creation and improved access to social services. Overall, households also have a greater voice to demand for better access to services and accountability.
An understanding of how the transition to peace and the peace initiatives in place have helped people to recover from the effects of the conflict is therefore pertinent. It is also important to comprehend how the war changed the household’s production, consumption and investment behaviour and decisions. It is for this reason that EPRC is conducting a study to investigate the dynamics of war to peace transition in Northern Uganda.
The study will specifically examine how the households in the Lango, Acholi, West Nile and Karamoja sub regions have responded to the return of peace and how this is reflected in their livelihood patterns, asset accumulation, demographic and migration patterns, and their demand for services. The study also seeks to analyse the impact of government’s response to the demand for social services by the population, notably health, education and infrastructure, as they return to normal life. The study will also examine shifts in production patterns that have happened during the war to peace transition.