Should the ICC drop charges against Kony?
Dec 18, 2006
WE asked our online readers for their opinion on the peace initiative in northern Uganda, with a specific question on the International Criminal Court charges against rebel leader Joseph Kony. Here are excerpts.
WE asked our online readers for their opinion on the peace initiative in northern Uganda, with a specific question on the International Criminal Court charges against rebel leader Joseph Kony. Here are excerpts.
Part of being in a global civilised world means that individuals or groups have to take responsibility and face consequences for their actions.
What kind of messages are we sending to other morons if we let people like Kony go free without facing consequences of their actions?
That would be an insult, not only to the people he killed, raped, mutilated and displaced, but to humankind as a whole.
We ignored what Lakwena did and Kony and his followers thought that was a good idea. They went ahead and committed all these atrocities. Punishing Kony and his henchmen should serve as an example to all would-be rebels. People should not be coerced into forgiving Kony.
Let Kony’s case be handled by the ICC, for that is where it belongs.
Kony had the opportunity to stop this war a long time ago; he did not; so he deserves to pay.
I have not heard that the LRA is sorry for what they did. I have not seen their written apology anywhere either. Why should we forgive people who have not expressed any remorse and are not acknowledging that what they did was wrong?
Let those who have no feelings go ahead and forgive Kony. As for the rest of us, Kony should be paid in his own currency.
Jenna
jkianu@hotmail.com
Let us learn from the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32. Kony has sinned. He went astray, but now he and his colleagues are bowing to us Ugandans for forgiveness. We are a God-fearing country. We should not look the other way.
It is unfortunate that Kony caused too much suffering to the Acholi, Langi and Ugandans in general. We should not forget but there are lessons to learn from such a horror.
Last week, I met some Acholi students. I learnt from them a lot — their experiences, miseries and worries.
They were not happy with me when I said Kony should be forgiven. “How can that be when he killed the Acholi, boiled the legs of our dear ones, cut lips, burnt people in their houses, ambushed and burnt their vehicles, abducted children, and above all, isolated Acholi from the rest of Ugandans?†they lamented.
I shed tears and said: “Jesus is with us. Do not look the other way.
“What would our Lord Jesus Christ do to Kony? Would He say he should be charged or would He treat him as the lost son?†I asked them.
I am happy most Ugandans are God-fearing. We are a forgiving people.
I pray and argue our God-fearing President Museveni to advocate dropping the charges. This will be a remarkable gesture, relevant to our country’s motto: “For God and my countryâ€.
This campaign is for everyone in Uganda and abroad. You can sign a petition, which will be sent to the ICC in The Hague, the Pope in the Vatican, and all parliamentarians here and abroad. It is not easy but we can do it.
The devil would not forgive, but Jesus did.
Ahumuza
samahumuza@yahoo.com
It is hard to understand Kony, ICC and the Government of Uganda’s decision. But what we are sure of is, after the successful completion of the peace talks between the Government and Kony’s LRA, the ICC has the mandate to drop the case, because Kony and his commanders shall come back to their villages, and destabilising them may cause them to run away again.
Uganda does not manufacture the arms that people like Kony are using. All these weapons are contributed by foreign manufacturers. So let the ICC assess the root causes of the war and, and act accordingly.
Odama Peter
Terego-Arua
Mato Oput cannot be applied to Kony and his “generals†because the issue here is not an Acholi problem. Kony indicated, from the beginning, that his aim was to rule Uganda as a nation of close to 30 million people.
To the people of Uganda and the whole world, he is just a thug who should be behind bars however long it may take the ICC to bring him to justice.
Alfred Simiyu Masinde,
Garowe, Puntland
Mato Oput is an Acholi word or a Luo dialect that means ‘come together for reconciliation’. The Acholi have been performing this ritual for many years to solve inter-family, inter-clan or inter-tribal conflicts. When the conflict drags on without any sign of ending, the community elders will consult each other and decide to use this method as a final recommendation for ending conflicts forever by forgiving each other. At the end of the conflict, peace prevails, boys and girls from both sides meet and are free to inter-marry.
This is why the Acholi are asking that they be allowed to use this traditional method to end the war, which has caused them untold suffering. Some people may ridicule the idea, but I believe some traditional divine methods can work where modern interventions have failed.
Mike Aziz
mikeaziaz@yahoo.com
My opinion about mato oput is that, first of all, we need to agree that the war is not only for Acholi or the northern region. It has affected everybody everywhere so we cannot think of only one way of resolving the problem. Why can’t we go about it this way?
Mato oput at the local level:
At this level, the conflicting sides have to be serious and sincere. Without seriousness, all the other levels will not work.
At the regional level (northern region), we should not look at it as an issue for the Acholi alone.
At the national level, let everybody join hands to do something that will bring lasting peace.
Since it also involves the international community, then something is effected at the international level. The ICC can come in here.
By the time case reaches the ICC, I guess the work of effecting justice and fairness will have been satisfactorily accomplished.
Mwalimo
Marom_7@hotmail.com
Visit the Discussion Board at www.newvision.co.ug and post your topical opinion. A selection will be run every week in The New Vision.
Part of being in a global civilised world means that individuals or groups have to take responsibility and face consequences for their actions.
What kind of messages are we sending to other morons if we let people like Kony go free without facing consequences of their actions?
That would be an insult, not only to the people he killed, raped, mutilated and displaced, but to humankind as a whole.
We ignored what Lakwena did and Kony and his followers thought that was a good idea. They went ahead and committed all these atrocities. Punishing Kony and his henchmen should serve as an example to all would-be rebels. People should not be coerced into forgiving Kony.
Let Kony’s case be handled by the ICC, for that is where it belongs.
Kony had the opportunity to stop this war a long time ago; he did not; so he deserves to pay.
I have not heard that the LRA is sorry for what they did. I have not seen their written apology anywhere either. Why should we forgive people who have not expressed any remorse and are not acknowledging that what they did was wrong?
Let those who have no feelings go ahead and forgive Kony. As for the rest of us, Kony should be paid in his own currency.
Jenna
jkianu@hotmail.com
Let us learn from the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32. Kony has sinned. He went astray, but now he and his colleagues are bowing to us Ugandans for forgiveness. We are a God-fearing country. We should not look the other way.
It is unfortunate that Kony caused too much suffering to the Acholi, Langi and Ugandans in general. We should not forget but there are lessons to learn from such a horror.
Last week, I met some Acholi students. I learnt from them a lot — their experiences, miseries and worries.
They were not happy with me when I said Kony should be forgiven. “How can that be when he killed the Acholi, boiled the legs of our dear ones, cut lips, burnt people in their houses, ambushed and burnt their vehicles, abducted children, and above all, isolated Acholi from the rest of Ugandans?†they lamented.
I shed tears and said: “Jesus is with us. Do not look the other way.
“What would our Lord Jesus Christ do to Kony? Would He say he should be charged or would He treat him as the lost son?†I asked them.
I am happy most Ugandans are God-fearing. We are a forgiving people.
I pray and argue our God-fearing President Museveni to advocate dropping the charges. This will be a remarkable gesture, relevant to our country’s motto: “For God and my countryâ€.
This campaign is for everyone in Uganda and abroad. You can sign a petition, which will be sent to the ICC in The Hague, the Pope in the Vatican, and all parliamentarians here and abroad. It is not easy but we can do it.
The devil would not forgive, but Jesus did.
Ahumuza
samahumuza@yahoo.com
It is hard to understand Kony, ICC and the Government of Uganda’s decision. But what we are sure of is, after the successful completion of the peace talks between the Government and Kony’s LRA, the ICC has the mandate to drop the case, because Kony and his commanders shall come back to their villages, and destabilising them may cause them to run away again.
Uganda does not manufacture the arms that people like Kony are using. All these weapons are contributed by foreign manufacturers. So let the ICC assess the root causes of the war and, and act accordingly.
Odama Peter
Terego-Arua
Mato Oput cannot be applied to Kony and his “generals†because the issue here is not an Acholi problem. Kony indicated, from the beginning, that his aim was to rule Uganda as a nation of close to 30 million people.
To the people of Uganda and the whole world, he is just a thug who should be behind bars however long it may take the ICC to bring him to justice.
Alfred Simiyu Masinde,
Garowe, Puntland
Mato Oput is an Acholi word or a Luo dialect that means ‘come together for reconciliation’. The Acholi have been performing this ritual for many years to solve inter-family, inter-clan or inter-tribal conflicts. When the conflict drags on without any sign of ending, the community elders will consult each other and decide to use this method as a final recommendation for ending conflicts forever by forgiving each other. At the end of the conflict, peace prevails, boys and girls from both sides meet and are free to inter-marry.
This is why the Acholi are asking that they be allowed to use this traditional method to end the war, which has caused them untold suffering. Some people may ridicule the idea, but I believe some traditional divine methods can work where modern interventions have failed.
Mike Aziz
mikeaziaz@yahoo.com
My opinion about mato oput is that, first of all, we need to agree that the war is not only for Acholi or the northern region. It has affected everybody everywhere so we cannot think of only one way of resolving the problem. Why can’t we go about it this way?
At this level, the conflicting sides have to be serious and sincere. Without seriousness, all the other levels will not work.
By the time case reaches the ICC, I guess the work of effecting justice and fairness will have been satisfactorily accomplished.
Mwalimo
Marom_7@hotmail.com
Visit the Discussion Board at www.newvision.co.ug and post your topical opinion. A selection will be run every week in The New Vision.