Rwenzururu, Bamba kings sign peace agreement

The Rwenzururu and the Omudingiya W'Obudingiya Bwa Bwamba cultural leaders have agreed to re-establish peace, security and stability in the conflict-torn Rwenzori sub-region.

Rwenzururu cultural leader, Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere and his counterpart, retired Lt.Col.Martin Kamya, Omudingiya W'Obudingiya Bwa Bwamba, signed a four-point communiqué in which they committed themselves to pursue peace and reconciliation in the area.

The signing ceremony, brokered by the NRM Vice chairperson in charge of Eastern Region and MP Soroti Municipality, Flight Captain Michael Mukula, took place at the Mountain of the Moon Hotel in Fort Portal on Thursday night.

Top religious leaders under their Inter-Religious Council of Uganda lead chaired by the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Mubajje and the National Elders Forum chaired by Justice James Ogola, witnessed the function.

Before the two leaders signed the Royal Communiqué, they were engaged in closed meetings with Mukula and Inter- Religious council of Uganda headed by James Ogola.

What they agreed

The duo agreed to work tirelessly towards re-establishing peace, security and stability in the Rwenzori region through promoting deliberate and strategic conflict resolutions.

They also agreed to promote inter-cultural institutional dialogue and activities as a confidence building mechanism.

According to the communiqué, the two leaders will also conduct joint mobilization rallies in their respective territories with a purposeful message of peace, stability and harmonious co-existence.

The communiqué states that both the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu and Obudingiya Bwa Bamba cultural leaders are important in providing positive leadership and guidance to their subjects in the region.

Mumbere, Kamya speak

"I thank the organizers of this meeting for bring us together to share peaceful words so that development can be achieved in the region, the Rwenzururu king said.

"Whenever I think of the cost of instability on the development of this region, I feel disturbed," Mumbere said.

Omudingiya Kamya said, "Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress and remaining together is development."

Justice Ogola hails

Justice Ogola hailed the two kings, describing them as one family whose forefathers had jointly started the Rwenzururu liberation struggle in the early 1950's 60's and 70's. He wandered why the minds of such brothers now seem to have diverted from the common goal of peace.

The retired judge of the Supreme Court described the communiqué as depository which will be archived for years in the Inter Religious Council which, among other objectives, had moved into the Rwenzori sub-region to work for peace in the region.

The Rwenzori region has of recent, experienced a wave of tragic, traumatizing and regrettable events and developments characterized by insecurity and instability.

The recent tribal clashes between the Bamba and Bakonzo in the districts of Kasese and Bundibugyo left over 45 people killed, scores wounded and 8,000 displaced.

What Communiqué says

• To work tireless and endless towards re-establishing peace, security and stability in the region through promoting deliberate and strategic conflict resolution mechanisms, including early warning signals so as to prevent possibility of reoccurrence of situations that may again threaten peace and security in the region.
  
  It has consequently been agreed and resolved that a permanent working committee comprising relevant stakeholders from the cultural institutions, government from the republic of Uganda and eminent citizens of Uganda be setup for the purposes of coordinating these efforts.
   
  A road map beginning with the calling for cessation of hostilities to calling of consultative and coordination meetings of the two cultural institutions will be designed and agreed upon and implemented to its logical conclusion.

• To promote inter cultural institutional dialogue and activities as a confidence-building mechanism between and amongst the above mentioned cultural institutions within the region and for the government of the republic of Uganda to continue proactively engaging the said cultural institutions through process geared towards resolving and addressing their specific concerns and need of the institutions in accordance with article 246 of the constitution of the republic of Uganda.
  
  It has been commonly agreed and resolved that the two principles i.e the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu and the Obundingiya Bwa Bamba will hold join mobilization rallies in their respective territories of jurisdiction with the purposeful message of peace, stability, and harmonious co-existence. Government of the republic Uganda will be represented at these joint mobilizations at the highest level of His excellence the president of Uganda as the fountain of honor.

• To work together as a cultural institutions with stake holders in the region to draw the clear dichotomy between national and local politics and the cultural institutions and to specifically curtail their respective subjects and people who are engaged in elective politics from evoking the cultural institution and to lies with government of the republic of Uganda to "immunize" the cultural institution from the body politics.
• To promote the principles of equity, justice and specifically respect for the rule and institution of law within the region and to particularly discourage impunity and such similar acts involving the people and subjects of the respective cultural institution of extra-judicial activities.