"I was one of the lucky ones"

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Okello Tito is an elected leader in the community of Pajule in Northern Uganda. He is in his late 30s.
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​In the past, elected leaders may have stayed in the capital city, Kampala. But since the conflict in Northern Uganda, they are needed even more on the local level.
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​The conflict tore at the fabric of society. Many elders or parents who would have provided guidance to youth were killed. Those youth are now trying to make it on their own, raising their own families and trying to stitch the communities back together. But without guidance from the generation before them, conflicts often turn violent and more leadership is needed.
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​Okello Tito says that, during the conflict over a decade ago, he was one of the lucky ones: he was never abducted, so was never a child soldier. He tells of how, when he was a child, his home was burned down in the middle of the night.
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​He and his family ran from the burning home, losing their possessions, but no one was hurt.
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​"Most of my community suffered from harm during the conflict. The effects of those times are still with us. Tensions are high. Fights break out too easily. As a community leader, I spend a lot of time calming people down, negotiating, finding solutions. It's about understanding people, managing conflicts, being patient. But mostly finding ways forward."

Photo: Pete Muller for the ICC #LifeAfterConflict