Ugandan Peacebuilder Victor Ochen Wins African Union Award

What the report says

Ugandan peacebuilder and human rights advocate Victor Ochen has received African Union recognition for his long-running work with war survivors, youth, and communities affected by conflict. According to Nile Post, he was named Male Peace Builder of the Year at the AU’s event marking 20 years of its Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Framework, and also received a certificate of recognition for contributions to peacebuilding, healing, transitional justice and youth empowerment.

The awards were presented by African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye during the anniversary celebrations. Ochen is the founder and executive director of the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET), a Lira-based organisation that works on medical and psychosocial rehabilitation, youth leadership and community engagement in transitional justice. The article says AYINET has supported more than 21,000 war victims with reconstructive medical rehabilitation, based on profiles cited by the publication.

Ochen’s path to peace advocacy is linked to his own childhood in northern Uganda during the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency. The report says he grew up in internally displaced persons’ camps, witnessed violence and child recruitment, and lost a brother to abduction by the LRA. It also notes that he started a peace club at age 13 and later built AYINET after work in local radio and youth health programming.

The recognition adds to Ochen’s earlier international profile, including a 2015 Nobel Peace Prize nomination with AYINET. More broadly, the award highlights the AU’s emphasis on recovery after conflict and the role of survivors and young people in rebuilding communities.