LWC Demands compensations for lost Properties during Conflict

By Regina Lalam Olal and Hillary Opio Omara

Lango- Northern Uganda :Lango War Claimants have escalated their decades-long campaign for compensation after filing a case against the Government of Uganda before what they describe as an international court in Gambia, accusing the state of failing to compensate thousands of victims who lost property during past conflicts.

Speaking after returning from Gambia on Monday, June 29, 2026, during a meeting held at Pacific Hotel Lira, Moses Ogwang Adonyo, Chief Executive Officer of the Lango War Claimants, said the court had officially received their complaint. “The court has given us two weeks to verify and complete the supporting documents before formally lodging the case,” Ogwang said. 

He said the legal process started on June 21, 2026, when he submitted initial case documents through the court’s registrar in Ethiopia before the matter was forwarded to the international court in Gambia. Once documentation is complete, Ogwang said the court is expected to notify the Government of Uganda and commence legal proceedings over the government’s alleged refusal to compensate victims from the Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-regions. Ogwang strongly rejected claims that the compensation sought is the same as the government’s Restocking Programme. “The government has repeatedly tried to equate our compensation claim with the cattle restocking programme, but they are separate matters.

We are demanding compensation for losses suffered during the war, not restocking assistance,” Ogwang said. He added that while he supports the Restocking Programme for eligible beneficiaries, it should not be used as a replacement for compensation owed to victims under the Lango War Claimants programme.

Saidi Ogwang, Chairperson of the Lango War Claimants for Lango, said the move to an international court followed years of frustration. “We want the Government of Uganda to compensate all genuine Lango war claimants. That is why we have decided to seek justice before an international court,” he said. 

Victims Speak Out  : Jak Bill Okello, 53, a claimant, said many victims are still waiting. “I accuse some government officials of misleading the government into replacing compensation with the Restocking Programme.”

Catherine Atim from Loro Town Council, Oyam District, said she lost 78 head of cattle during the conflict. “We lost everything during the war. Many families are still struggling because they have never been compensated,” she said.

         Government Position   

The Government of Uganda, under President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni , have started implementing the Restocking Programme to help communities in Lango, Acholi and Teso recover by providing livestock to affected households. However, Lango War Claimants maintain the programme is a development intervention and does not replace the compensation they are demanding for property allegedly lost during the conflict.

The Government of Uganda had not publicly responded to the latest legal action by the time of publication, and the claims made by the Lango War Claimants remain their allegations before the court.