Lead researchers: Dr Grace Akello and Dr Chloe Lewis 

Partner: Gulu University 

Duration: January 2024 – March 2025  

Country: Uganda 

The soldiers of Uganda’s national army, the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), are frequently deployed across national borders, often for protracted periods. Many form relationships with so-called “war-women” in countries where they are deployed. This research project looks at the experiences of “war-women” abandoned or “unclaimed” by their UPDF partners and subsequently resettled in Uganda, including as refugees close to military bases, where many continue to live. The experiences of this group bring to the fore many questions relating to their interactions with and relationships to transnational conflict actors and dynamics during periods of operational deployment, and following troop repatriation. Given the frequent and ongoing deployment of UPDF troops in neighbouring countries, it is crucial to understand the nature and implications of relationships forged by UPDF soldiers with civilian women while on cross-border deployment and in its aftermath. 

This study will adopt a feminist, qualitative, and ethnographically-informed methodological approach. The study proposes using a range of methods, including trauma-informed in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and where possible, capturing ethnographically-informed observational data. Together, these approaches will enable a rigorous, in-depth, and complex picture of policies towards, perceptions, roles, and experiences of cross-border military wives in Uganda. Data collection will be conducted in Uganda and in eastern DRC. In Uganda, data collection will be conducted in Gulu and in border districts. In DRC, data collection will be restricted to urban cities in North Kivu (Goma).

This project is one of several focused on women and girls in cross-border conflict contexts. The main output will be a research manuscript for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or as an XCEPT research report.  

For more information regarding this research, contact [email protected]