IGAD to develop joint strategy against rampant land conflicts

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is developing a joint strategy against the rampant land-grabbing cases in the East and Horn of Africa.

The strategy will be unveiled at a Conference in Kampala next week, which is organized by IGAD and the International Development Law Organization.

Speaking at the Media Center in Kampala on Thursday, Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands said that the conference will help facilitate the exchange of views on the prevalence, causes, impact, and ways of addressing land conflict in the IGAD region, and issue evidence-based recommendation to the high-level policymakers.

According to Nabakooba, the conference will focus on the interrelation between land governance and conflict, both in terms of prevention and management, with the aim of investigating causes of conflict and alternative actions to minimize their impact.

The conference will also include a Regional Policy Conference on Land and Conflict in the Horn of Africa. The overall purpose of the policy conference is to familiarize participants with new developments, trends, and challenges related to land governance and conflict management, and to foster a broad exchange of information at a regional level.

Romualdo Mavedzenge, the Regional Programs Manager of the International Development Law Organization said that the conference will also focus on the challenges that regions are facing from the reduced availability of land as a resource, the accelerating impact of climate change, and demographic pressures on the continent.

In Uganda, there have been several cases of land conflicts in different parts of the country.

This is common in Mubende district, Northern Uganda, and in the Albertine region where several people have been evicted.

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