Healing Borders

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review examining the application and relevance of Ubuntu philosophy to conflict resolution among refugees in Uganda, specifically focusing on its profound implications for refugee and migration contexts and the accompanying transformation of African identities. The review aimed to evaluate the application of Ubuntu in conflict resolution within Ugandan refugee settings, benchmark Ubuntu-influenced integration programmes, identify implementation challenges and opportunities, deconstruct Ubuntu’s role in social justice and reconciliation and compare indigenous approaches with global refugee frameworks. Amidst the ongoing refugee crisis and diverse internal conflicts, the paper explores how the intrinsic values of communal harmony, interconnectedness and shared humanity inherent in Ubuntu inform both traditional and contemporary approaches to conflict resolution across various Ugandan settings, including prominent refugee settlements. By synthesising existing scholarly works, this review argues that Ubuntu principles provide a powerful indigenous framework for reconciliation; their efficacy is contingent upon navigating the profound tensions between communal ethics and the material realities of displacement. By positioning Ubuntu as a framework for relational identity formation, the review concludes that a critical application of Ubuntu is essential for transforming refugee identities from passive recipients of aid into active agents of peace and social cohesion. This, therefore, contributes to discourses on Africa’s agency in transnational humanitarian governance beyond Uganda.