In response to the surge in violent extremism affecting Uganda, Bridges to Peace seeks to make impacted communities more resilient and to strengthen peace.
The Challenge
Following a period of calm, Uganda experienced a resurgence in violence and extremism, notably through bombings by the Allied Democratic Forces between August and November 2021, along with identified sleeper cells. This escalation led to Uganda being labeled as the ‘country with the largest deterioration’ in peace and stability by the Global Terrorism Index 2021. Contributing factors include scarce socio-economic opportunities, perceived marginalization, human rights violations under counter-terrorism measures, and inadequate civil society capabilities to deter violence, highlighting the need for reinforced local peace initiatives.
“Violence can sharpen the differences between us, leading some to believe that coexistence with the so-called Other is impossible.”
Kofi Annan
About the Bridges to Peace project
The Bridges to Peace initiative contributes to our effort to build peace and trust amongst communities most affected by violence. In Uganda, we work closely with our partners, Prospect (Formerly UMYDF), to enhance community preparedness and resilience to violent extremism in key affected places. Overall, our ambition is to contribute to the long-term reduction of violence and insecurity in Uganda.
The initiative is supported by the European Union and contributes to its efforts to stop the spread of violence across the region.
The situation in Uganda calls for an intensification of efforts to strengthen local capacities for peace in the areas most affected by violence.
Impact
Bridges to Peace
837
Community members watched video testimonies of former ADF fighters and of victims of terror attacks.
People listened to the Mifumbi radio drama, on average, per episode over the 20 days of broadcasting, instigating conversations about the risks of extremism.
1,564,900
2,700
People from different faiths participated in our interfaith exhibitions in Uganda.
We recorded testimonies of 15 fighters and 15 victims of violent extremism, turning them into powerful community stories. The stories resonated profoundly with the 837 community members who participated in the video screening sessions in our four project districts.
Our solution
Working alongside at-risk women and youth, civil society organizations, local government entities, community influencers and media professionals, we seek to:
- Raise awareness and increase communities’ preparedness to violent extremism in districts and cities particularly affected by it.
- Build the capacity of community members and at-risk individuals to positively engage with other groups and worldviews and to promote social cohesion.
- Help civil society organizations design and implement their own effective P/CVE interventions.
- Contribute to the peaceful reintegration of former combatants.
Different approaches are used to work towards these goals. These include training workshops, community stories exhibitions, participatory radio drama programmes, knowledge exchange opportunities, community dialogues, and inter-faith exhibits.
This initiative is designed to complement the government’s efforts. In just 18-months, we aim to contribute to advancing 6 of the 13 pillars that make up Uganda’s recently approved National P/CVE Strategy and Action plan.
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Bridges to Peace
Prospect is a non-for-profit, Peacebuilding and Development organization. It was founded in 2011 by Ndugwa Hassan and Ahmed Hadji after surviving the 2010 terrorist attack on the Kyadondo rugby grounds in Kampala, Uganda.
Prospect works directly with both grassroots and larger scale peacebuilding actors to address the root causes and effects of violent conflicts. Their work focuses mainly on breaking cycles of conflict, promoting healing, mending broken community relationships, fostering justice, and strengthening community defences against violence.
Funder
Bridges to Peace
Publications + Media
Tackling Violent Extremism in Uganda: Lessons Learnt
Lessons Learnt from a Community Resilience Approach Violent extremism (VE) is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, bringing terror and instability to all sections of society. Today, there are fewer terrorist groups, but the nature and scale of attacks carried out by groups like the Allied Democratic Forces in Uganda are becoming […]
Preventing Violent Extremism: A Training Guide
Empowering young people to prevent violent extremism – A guide to help young activists train their peers on preventing violent extremism. Building on the experience and expertise we have accumulated through Extremely Together since 2016, the Kofi Annan Foundation has developed a training guide for young people on preventing violent extremism. Through this resource, we […]
Evaluation Report | Youth preventing violent extremism in urban South and Southeast Asia
The Kofi Annan Foundation is pleased to share the Evaluation Report for the “Leading the Way to Peace – Youth Together for Social Cohesion” project. This report summary presents the external evaluation findings by the Agency for Peacebuilding (AP) for the project. The “Leading the Way to Peace – Youth Together for Social Cohesion” project […]
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Deputy Director of Programmes
