War in Acholi: What can we do?
Jun 03, 2003
Godfrey lies in pain in the dressing room of St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Kitgum Mission. I can see the terror in his eyes. In the evening of May 30, the rebels came to his home in Mucwini and cut off his ears, lips and fingers
By Fr. Carlos Rodriguez
Godfrey lies in pain in the dressing room of St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Kitgum Mission. I can see the terror in his eyes. In the evening of May 30, the rebels came to his home in Mucwini and cut off his ears, lips and fingers.
It is the fourth such incident I have seen over the last month. His ears were wrapped in a letter and put in his pocket. The blood-stained piece of paper gave a strong warning to whoever wants to joint the local defence forces (LDU):
“We shall do to you what we have done to him.†Godfrey, 17 never had any intention of joining the LDUs, since his plan was to begin Senior One next year.
His father brought him on the back of a bike at midday, as I was in the Mission just listening to another group of people who had come from the same area.
For the last two weeks the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have been stealing food from people’s granaries, abducting children and beating up people.
In addition to this in Kitgum District, the Jie warriors continue to kill villagers, often just shooting on sight, while at the same time the army often tells people that they are here to fight the rebels, not the Karimojong. People have lost hope.
On the local scene, people are more interested in what is going on in the north than they were a few years ago, but many do not understand why there is no change for the better. But who can understand this long boring war where everything is so illogical and complex?
People say despite the well-publicised successes by the military from the beginning of the ‘Operation Iron Fist,’ their security situation is not any better than it was a year ago. One wonders why.
On December 20, 2002, the UPDF said that according to documents captured from the LRA, the figure of fighters was down to 500. a simple day-do-day addition of rebels allegedly killed, captured or surrendered during the first five months of 2003 reaches 350, so if the figure of 500 corresponds to the real situation on the ground, the remaining rebels would not be more than 150. This obviously does not seem to be the case.
Despite setbacks, the Government has encouraged efforts by religious and cultural leaders to look for results through dialogue. So far, 20 meetings have taken place between rebel commanders and the men of the cloth, plus two courageous cultural leaders from Pajule since July 2002.
Although a much-awaited first-face-to-face meeting between the rebels and the Preside-ntial Peace Team never materialised, they were able to talk on the phone many times. However, contacts seem to have stopped in mid-April.
We members of this peace initiative are puzzled by recent rebel attacks on Catholic institutions, particularly the abduction of more than 40 seminarians on 11 May but we still hold some hope that the LRA will again show interest in dialogue towards peaceful resolution to this conflict.
For years the rebels have just been fighting, or just attacking defenceless civilians, but when in the first contacts with the religious and cultural leaders they were asked to present their points to the Government, they were forced to hastily draw up a political agenda. But they seem to have abandoned it in favour of violence.
A key element which may account for the failure of the peaceful option so far is the role of Sudan in Northern Uganda conflict. I have heard young men recently coming from rebel captivity in the Sudan telling stores of Sudanese army officers delivering trucks of military aid to Joseph Kony.
The Sudanese government, at the official level, keeps repeating that they have severed links with the LRA, but the reality on ground seems to be different. Although at the beginning of the Iron Fist operation the LRA fought fiercely against the Sudanese Armed Forces, it seems that they tried to reconcile in July 2002.
Eye witnesses have told me of a meeting in Nisitu at that time in which Kony was given a good amount of military supplies, and the same sources have indicated that during the battle for the re-capture of Torit later in November LRA forces (commanded by Tabuley) fought alongside the Sudanese army against the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA).
It may be difficult to convince the LRA to settle for a peaceful negotiated agreement while somebody at the other side of the border is calling them to receive a new consignment of arms and ammunition.
But if the arms that kill the Acholi still seem to come from Sudan, some reason for hope could also come from there. The signing of the long-awaited peace agreement between the Sudanese Government and the SPLA is due in June and many people in Northern Uganda are already asking how they will benefit from it.
That would be good news for the five hundred children who have taken refuge in the Catholic Mission of Kitgum. Parents know that if rebels find the village empty of children, they themselves will be cruelly beaten, but they are ready to pay the price.
Soon after I left Kitgum I received a message from Bishop Ochola, who had just seen Godfrey at the hospital: “My soul is much troubled this day that after seeing the boy I just don’t know what to do.â€
Until recently, peace advocates like Bishop Ochola knew well what to risk going to the bush and convince the rebels to stop fighting and come for a peaceful settlement. One of our contact persons with the rebels, after I shared with him my worries, commented: “Don’t worry, something will happen soon that will make the rebels change their attitude.â€
Whether it is prayers, or a change of heart from the ruthless LRA, for the sake of the suffering people it should indeed happen soon.
The writer is a member of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace initiative.
Godfrey lies in pain in the dressing room of St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Kitgum Mission. I can see the terror in his eyes. In the evening of May 30, the rebels came to his home in Mucwini and cut off his ears, lips and fingers.
It is the fourth such incident I have seen over the last month. His ears were wrapped in a letter and put in his pocket. The blood-stained piece of paper gave a strong warning to whoever wants to joint the local defence forces (LDU):
“We shall do to you what we have done to him.†Godfrey, 17 never had any intention of joining the LDUs, since his plan was to begin Senior One next year.
His father brought him on the back of a bike at midday, as I was in the Mission just listening to another group of people who had come from the same area.
For the last two weeks the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have been stealing food from people’s granaries, abducting children and beating up people.
In addition to this in Kitgum District, the Jie warriors continue to kill villagers, often just shooting on sight, while at the same time the army often tells people that they are here to fight the rebels, not the Karimojong. People have lost hope.
On the local scene, people are more interested in what is going on in the north than they were a few years ago, but many do not understand why there is no change for the better. But who can understand this long boring war where everything is so illogical and complex?
People say despite the well-publicised successes by the military from the beginning of the ‘Operation Iron Fist,’ their security situation is not any better than it was a year ago. One wonders why.
On December 20, 2002, the UPDF said that according to documents captured from the LRA, the figure of fighters was down to 500. a simple day-do-day addition of rebels allegedly killed, captured or surrendered during the first five months of 2003 reaches 350, so if the figure of 500 corresponds to the real situation on the ground, the remaining rebels would not be more than 150. This obviously does not seem to be the case.
Despite setbacks, the Government has encouraged efforts by religious and cultural leaders to look for results through dialogue. So far, 20 meetings have taken place between rebel commanders and the men of the cloth, plus two courageous cultural leaders from Pajule since July 2002.
Although a much-awaited first-face-to-face meeting between the rebels and the Preside-ntial Peace Team never materialised, they were able to talk on the phone many times. However, contacts seem to have stopped in mid-April.
We members of this peace initiative are puzzled by recent rebel attacks on Catholic institutions, particularly the abduction of more than 40 seminarians on 11 May but we still hold some hope that the LRA will again show interest in dialogue towards peaceful resolution to this conflict.
For years the rebels have just been fighting, or just attacking defenceless civilians, but when in the first contacts with the religious and cultural leaders they were asked to present their points to the Government, they were forced to hastily draw up a political agenda. But they seem to have abandoned it in favour of violence.
A key element which may account for the failure of the peaceful option so far is the role of Sudan in Northern Uganda conflict. I have heard young men recently coming from rebel captivity in the Sudan telling stores of Sudanese army officers delivering trucks of military aid to Joseph Kony.
The Sudanese government, at the official level, keeps repeating that they have severed links with the LRA, but the reality on ground seems to be different. Although at the beginning of the Iron Fist operation the LRA fought fiercely against the Sudanese Armed Forces, it seems that they tried to reconcile in July 2002.
Eye witnesses have told me of a meeting in Nisitu at that time in which Kony was given a good amount of military supplies, and the same sources have indicated that during the battle for the re-capture of Torit later in November LRA forces (commanded by Tabuley) fought alongside the Sudanese army against the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA).
It may be difficult to convince the LRA to settle for a peaceful negotiated agreement while somebody at the other side of the border is calling them to receive a new consignment of arms and ammunition.
But if the arms that kill the Acholi still seem to come from Sudan, some reason for hope could also come from there. The signing of the long-awaited peace agreement between the Sudanese Government and the SPLA is due in June and many people in Northern Uganda are already asking how they will benefit from it.
That would be good news for the five hundred children who have taken refuge in the Catholic Mission of Kitgum. Parents know that if rebels find the village empty of children, they themselves will be cruelly beaten, but they are ready to pay the price.
Soon after I left Kitgum I received a message from Bishop Ochola, who had just seen Godfrey at the hospital: “My soul is much troubled this day that after seeing the boy I just don’t know what to do.â€
Until recently, peace advocates like Bishop Ochola knew well what to risk going to the bush and convince the rebels to stop fighting and come for a peaceful settlement. One of our contact persons with the rebels, after I shared with him my worries, commented: “Don’t worry, something will happen soon that will make the rebels change their attitude.â€
Whether it is prayers, or a change of heart from the ruthless LRA, for the sake of the suffering people it should indeed happen soon.
The writer is a member of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace initiative.