Kony peace talks won’t work â€" Rev. Ojwang
Jun 15, 2004
On May 18, the Anglican Bishop of Kitgum, <b>Rev. Benjamin Ojwang</b>, was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The UPDF soldiers later rescued him. He narrated his ordeal to <b>Denis Ocwich</b>
On May 18, the Anglican Bishop of Kitgum, Rev. Benjamin Ojwang, was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The UPDF soldiers later rescued him. He narrated his ordeal to Denis Ocwich
Q How do you feel now?
Ans: I am feeling much better, although I still have some pain on the chest, here on the ribs and the abdomen (he was still using his sceptre to walk).
The rebels tied my hands, kicked me a number of times and forced me to carry a sack of beans and one of the goats they had looted from my home. The goats were squealing and the rebels started killing them by breaking the necks.
One of them said I should be given one of the goats to kill, but I declined. They commander said “This is a Bishop, watch him carefully not to escape.†I spent the night in the bush bare-chested and bare-footed. I prayed a lot and saw the image of Jesus Christ carrying the cross. I thought I would not come back alive.
So how did you escape?
I thank the UPDF soldiers for rescuing me. We were abducted around 8.00pm, and led to carry the loots. One of the rebels was holding a rope tied to my waist like a goat. After midnight when we had moved some distance into the bush, the UPDF soldiers started shooting. I prayed all the time, asking God to forgive me before I die. That was a time to reaffirm my faith in God.
We kept running and falling down. Then I heard a cry of death from the man (rebel) who was pushing me. He was shot from behind and he died as his colleagues ran away. That was the chance for me to escape. I lay down shivering in the bush until the following morning when the UPDF soldiers and residents who were combing the area came across me early in the morning. I was admitted to Kitgum Hospital
After the incident, do you still have the heart to continue with your work?
Now that I am recovering, I will resume my work as long as the God who has saved my life keeps protecting me. I will not run away from my house. This incident will not weaken my faith in serving the church. I will die in the service. I thank the rebels for abducting me. I still love them, but I appeal to them to leave the bush and come back home.
Is dialogue with the rebels anything we can rely on?
Peace talks with the rebels may not work, because their commanders are not willing. We the religious leaders are hanging in dilemma. We are all in hearsay because there is nobody who has yet met Kony.
I am not happy because people are dying and yet others are taking advantage of the blood of our children. Even some of those in high positions think that if the war is over, they may not have any position in society. That is why this war cannot stop.
Do we then believe that there are many people in Acholi who still support Kony?
You cannot rule that out. At least there are people who support the rebels, although many people in Acholi are for peace. There are some people who have relatives in the bush, so they would certainly want to keep getting loots.
Can the United Nations do anything to help bring peace in northern Uganda?
The UN is a barking dog without teeth. We are still waiting to see if the UN is not a toothless dog. They should not continue barking like that for long.
Other people believe that if the northerners are united, the conflict can be brought to an end. What is your view?
It would be good if we the people from the region work as a team. But then, even if we are united, it is not a sure deal for peace. Nothing can be achieved if we do not bring the government and Kony on board.
How about recruitment of the local militias to fight the rebels?
I don’t support it. The military option will not be the medicine to end the war. We the Acholi are the ones who first started the idea of ‘Arrow militia’ as early as 1991 and we saw what happened (massacres) in places like Padibe and Pabbo; Kony said, ‘OK, you have picked up arms to fight me, I will show you.’ And he ended up killing more people. If the Langi had accepted our advice not to recruit Amuka boys, even the killings at Barlonyo (IDP camp in Lira, which was attacked by LRA last February) could have been avoided.
So, what then is the solution to the northern conflict?
The government should recruit enough national army in every district, other than waiting for emergencies to come up with militias.
And then, of course, the different stake holders, including the government, rebels, NGOs, cultural leaders and other local political leaders must be sincere. We should avoid pride and selfishness. What I have realised is that some people want to monopolise the peace process. They want to show that they are the ones playing more roles to bring peace. We must all accept humility and lower ourselves to work with everybody regardless of their status. And the government must keep offering amnesty to the rebels, because I have realised that many rebels, including commanders, are surrendering every now and then. That is the best solution. Even if they talk of prosecuting Kony in the International Criminal Court, who is going to arrest him? So, even that one won’t work
Many people are banking on the Sudanese peace process as a positive factor for peace in northern Uganda. What do you think?
I also think so. As long as the government of Sudan stops accommodating Kony and the government of Uganda stops harbouring SPLA, the rebels will be weakened. But if the government of Uganda does not work hard, Kony might still be very active in northern Uganda, even if the SPLA sign pact with Bashir. In fact, the LRA can become a more destructive guerrilla force in northern Uganda. Because even now that Kony is in Sudan, his men are still causing a lot of havoc in northern Uganda.
Will the north ever get peace?
The Bible says there is nothing that can defeat God. As human beings, we only need to keep praying; and I hope that one day we will get peace, although you cannot tell when. The people of Israel spent 40 years under bondage in Egypt, and people had lost hope in God. But God sent Moses to liberate them. We don’t know which Moses will rescue us. Those who are struggling for peace talks can go on, but the path of peace talks is filled with dew. The real hope is in God.
Q How do you feel now?
Ans: I am feeling much better, although I still have some pain on the chest, here on the ribs and the abdomen (he was still using his sceptre to walk).
The rebels tied my hands, kicked me a number of times and forced me to carry a sack of beans and one of the goats they had looted from my home. The goats were squealing and the rebels started killing them by breaking the necks.
One of them said I should be given one of the goats to kill, but I declined. They commander said “This is a Bishop, watch him carefully not to escape.†I spent the night in the bush bare-chested and bare-footed. I prayed a lot and saw the image of Jesus Christ carrying the cross. I thought I would not come back alive.
So how did you escape?
I thank the UPDF soldiers for rescuing me. We were abducted around 8.00pm, and led to carry the loots. One of the rebels was holding a rope tied to my waist like a goat. After midnight when we had moved some distance into the bush, the UPDF soldiers started shooting. I prayed all the time, asking God to forgive me before I die. That was a time to reaffirm my faith in God.
We kept running and falling down. Then I heard a cry of death from the man (rebel) who was pushing me. He was shot from behind and he died as his colleagues ran away. That was the chance for me to escape. I lay down shivering in the bush until the following morning when the UPDF soldiers and residents who were combing the area came across me early in the morning. I was admitted to Kitgum Hospital
After the incident, do you still have the heart to continue with your work?
Now that I am recovering, I will resume my work as long as the God who has saved my life keeps protecting me. I will not run away from my house. This incident will not weaken my faith in serving the church. I will die in the service. I thank the rebels for abducting me. I still love them, but I appeal to them to leave the bush and come back home.
Is dialogue with the rebels anything we can rely on?
Peace talks with the rebels may not work, because their commanders are not willing. We the religious leaders are hanging in dilemma. We are all in hearsay because there is nobody who has yet met Kony.
I am not happy because people are dying and yet others are taking advantage of the blood of our children. Even some of those in high positions think that if the war is over, they may not have any position in society. That is why this war cannot stop.
Do we then believe that there are many people in Acholi who still support Kony?
You cannot rule that out. At least there are people who support the rebels, although many people in Acholi are for peace. There are some people who have relatives in the bush, so they would certainly want to keep getting loots.
Can the United Nations do anything to help bring peace in northern Uganda?
The UN is a barking dog without teeth. We are still waiting to see if the UN is not a toothless dog. They should not continue barking like that for long.
Other people believe that if the northerners are united, the conflict can be brought to an end. What is your view?
It would be good if we the people from the region work as a team. But then, even if we are united, it is not a sure deal for peace. Nothing can be achieved if we do not bring the government and Kony on board.
How about recruitment of the local militias to fight the rebels?
I don’t support it. The military option will not be the medicine to end the war. We the Acholi are the ones who first started the idea of ‘Arrow militia’ as early as 1991 and we saw what happened (massacres) in places like Padibe and Pabbo; Kony said, ‘OK, you have picked up arms to fight me, I will show you.’ And he ended up killing more people. If the Langi had accepted our advice not to recruit Amuka boys, even the killings at Barlonyo (IDP camp in Lira, which was attacked by LRA last February) could have been avoided.
So, what then is the solution to the northern conflict?
The government should recruit enough national army in every district, other than waiting for emergencies to come up with militias.
And then, of course, the different stake holders, including the government, rebels, NGOs, cultural leaders and other local political leaders must be sincere. We should avoid pride and selfishness. What I have realised is that some people want to monopolise the peace process. They want to show that they are the ones playing more roles to bring peace. We must all accept humility and lower ourselves to work with everybody regardless of their status. And the government must keep offering amnesty to the rebels, because I have realised that many rebels, including commanders, are surrendering every now and then. That is the best solution. Even if they talk of prosecuting Kony in the International Criminal Court, who is going to arrest him? So, even that one won’t work
Many people are banking on the Sudanese peace process as a positive factor for peace in northern Uganda. What do you think?
I also think so. As long as the government of Sudan stops accommodating Kony and the government of Uganda stops harbouring SPLA, the rebels will be weakened. But if the government of Uganda does not work hard, Kony might still be very active in northern Uganda, even if the SPLA sign pact with Bashir. In fact, the LRA can become a more destructive guerrilla force in northern Uganda. Because even now that Kony is in Sudan, his men are still causing a lot of havoc in northern Uganda.
Will the north ever get peace?
The Bible says there is nothing that can defeat God. As human beings, we only need to keep praying; and I hope that one day we will get peace, although you cannot tell when. The people of Israel spent 40 years under bondage in Egypt, and people had lost hope in God. But God sent Moses to liberate them. We don’t know which Moses will rescue us. Those who are struggling for peace talks can go on, but the path of peace talks is filled with dew. The real hope is in God.