Dokolo, Uganda | Leaders of the Greater North United War Claimants Association have threatened to drag the Government of Uganda to the International Court of Justice in the United Kingdom over alleged failure to compensate victims who lost livestock during past insurgencies.
The development was confirmed on Tuesday by the association’s regional coordinator, Moses Ogwang Adonyo, during a meeting with former coordinators of the Lango War Claimants Association held at Jungle Comfort Zones in Dokolo Town Council.
Ogwang said the association, which brings together claimants from the Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-regions, had already engaged Mangole Richard and Company Advocates to pursue the matter in the UK.
Ogwang accused the government of failing to honour a 2014 court ruling that awarded Shs2.4 trillion in compensation to 69,475 members of the Lango War Claimants Association.
“The government failed to protect lives and property during the cattle rustling in Lango, Acholi and Teso, and has also not respected the 2014 court ruling on compensation,” Ogwang said.
He added that the association intends to seek redress on grounds including alleged negligence by the state, abuse of the court process, and war-related injustices suffered by communities in northern Uganda.
Ogwang also directed coordinators to begin registering new members at a fee of Shs10,000 to facilitate the planned legal process.
Some coordinators who spoke after the meeting welcomed the move, saying it would strengthen their push for compensation.
They pledged to mobilise more affected individuals to join the association.
The renewed push comes despite a government commitment made in December last year, when Cabinet earmarked Shs80 billion for compensation of people in Acholi, Lango and Teso who lost livestock during the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency.
Under the arrangement, each household is expected to receive compensation equivalent to five cows, each valued at Shs1 million, translating to Shs5 million per household.
According to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, Lango sub-region has about 575,559 households, Teso has approximately 489,000, while Acholi has about 211,000 households—raising concerns about the adequacy of the allocated funds relative to the number of beneficiaries.
It remains unclear when the compensation exercise will be fully implemented.
