Priority is ending the suffering

Kitgum Diocesan Secretary the Rev Wilson Kitara, Bishop Zac Niringiye and Bishop Benjamin Ojwang of the Diocese of Kitgum (Photo: Julia Katorobo/CMS)

Julia Katorobo explains why the Uganda Joint Christian Council supports the talks between the Ugandan government and Joseph Kony’s LRA.

Those seeking solutions for the insurgency in northern Uganda should not lose sight of the priority to end the suffering of 1.8 million people displaced from their homes, Christian leaders in Uganda have urged.

The UJCC Northern Uganda Task Force Chairman, Bishop Zac Niringiye, said that for the sake of those who continue to suffer as a result of the 20-year war, people should not be quick to dismiss the idea of talks between Ugandan government officials and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Children in a displaced people's camp in Lira, northern Uganda (Photo: Julia Katorobo/CMS)

“Please remember that 1.8 million people are living in squalid conditions in the camps.   The really key question now is how we can end their misery,” Bishop Niringiye said.

The talks, to be hosted this week by the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba, have attracted mixed reactions locally and internationally.

The main controversy stems from the fact that the International Criminal Court wants the top LRA leadership to answer for the atrocities that have been committed against civilians in northern Uganda for two decades.

Moreover, the LRA has always been elusive, carrying out activities that defy logic.  A mystic cult that claims to want to rule Uganda according to the principles of the Ten Commandments, the LRA has only brought havoc to northern Uganda in the form of abductions, rape, maiming people and even chopping victims’ body parts into a cooking pot and setting it on fire (see an incident in 2002).

Recently, Kony appeared in a TV interview in which he denied that the LRA was responsible for these crimes.

Bishop Zac Niringiye visiting a displaced people’s camp (Photo: Julia Katorobo/CMS)

As a result of the atrocities, an all-pervading fear has enveloped the region for years, and the people’s very culture has been eroded because of displacement into camps.

A whole generation has missed out on being brought up in a proper home setting, with drastic social consequences such as lack of schooling and the rapid spread of AIDS.

It is in the context of these contradictions that the UJCC is urging all concerned to go ahead with the talks nevertheless, keeping in focus the people’s plight and aiming to work for their good.

In a recent resolution, the UJCC said it “strongly welcomes the initiative taken by the First Vice-President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan, Mr Salva Kiir, to mediate in the conflict between the LRA and the Government of Uganda.”

They appealed to President Yoweri Museveni and Mr Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, all Ugandans and the international community to embrace the initiative for peace talks and give Mr Kiir and his advisers all the necessary moral and diplomatic support.

The UJCC members include leaders from the (Anglican) Church of Uganda, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in Uganda.

The UJCC has also jointly issued a statement with the New Sudan Council of Churches, in which they appeal to the international community to support the effort at mediation by the Government of Southern Sudan.

One of the points they make is that “All member states of the African Union, including Uganda, are also member States of the United Nations whose cardinal principle is to promote peaceful resolution of disputes.   We therefore expect that in handling any situation that threatens general peace and stability in any part of Africa, the focus should be on seeking a peaceful solution rather than dependence on the use of force, which often results in more suffering for the affected population.”

They called for passionate prayer for those making decisions in the peace efforts to have the spirit of wisdom and compassion.

“We, for our part, are convinced that posterity will condemn us to everlasting shame if we allow our anger, bitterness or hatred to stand in the way of peace, thereby condemning millions of innocent people to perpetual suffering and a hopeless future. We have been called to promote the ministry of reconciliation,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, The Monitor newspaper reports that the Minister for Security, Mr Amama Mbabazi, is in The Hague to make a case for Uganda’s offer of amnesty to the indicted LRA rebel leaders.

The paper quotes a government official as saying, “We will have to convince them (the ICC) that traditional justice will be put to use to ensure that there is no impunity and to make sure there is reconciliation between the rebels and the community.”

“What will happen is that the rebels will apologise, and there is a cleansing ceremony and reconciliation such as took place in post-apartheid South Africa.   Northern Ireland also did the same,” the official said.

Last week, President Museveni extended the deadline for the end of talks with the LRA to 12 September.   The latest round of talks began on 12 July.