Local security and the (un)making of public authority in Gulu, Northern Uganda

Where the wild things are not: crime preventers and the 2016 Ugandan elections

“…38 Many respondents suggested that this helps the government maintain plausible deniability of their relationship to auxiliary forces, such that NRM politicians can claim credit when auxiliary security actors such as crime preventers do good work and disown them if they are caught committing crimes, such as tampering with the election. 39 Shifting logics: political, economic, and social…”

The Government Has Long Hands: Institutionalized Arbitrariness and Local Security Initiatives in Northern Uganda

“…What happens in the village is not of concern, so long as it is not organized violent crime or resistance to the government. Although security groups are framed as local responses to local problems, the government retains the right to intervene and police their activities, frequently making arrests in relation to groups’ night patrols, the degree of force they employ and the appropriateness of their involvement in interpersonal conflicts (Tapscott, ).…”

“…What happens in the village is not of concern, so long as it is not organized violent crime or resistance to the government. Although security groups are framed as local responses to local problems, the government retains the right to intervene and police their activities, frequently making arrests in relation to groups' night patrols, the degree of force they employ and the appropriateness of their involvement in interpersonal conflicts (Tapscott, 2016 The authority of local security initiatives is further destabilized as the government encourages the formation of non-formal security arrangements on the one hand and disowns them on the other. Officials in the administration, as well as police authorities and appointed sub-county security officers (Gombolola Internal Security Officers or GISO) have repeatedly advocated for the formation of community security groups at community meetings, fully expecting that the groups will use physical punishment and make arrests and saying as much in village meetings.…”

“…For a discussion of the fluid distinction between law and moral order for security groups in northern Uganda, and its governance function, see Tapscott ().…”

Policing men: militarised masculinity, youth livelihoods, and security in conflict‐affected northern Uganda

“…Many were poorly treated, receiving little to no pay, and placed on the frontlines (Omach, , p. 440). This policy of engaging civilians in security provision continues today: civilian youths frequently are tasked with policing their communities under the guidance of local leaders (Tapscott, ). For its part, the LRA relied on guerrilla tactics, abducting an estimated 60,000–80,000 people in the Acholi sub‐region (Annan et al, , p. 883) .…”