‘Kony must confess’

By Emmy Allio, Felix Osike
and John Odyek

Leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) must accept the crimes they committed, apologise and ask for forgiveness, internal affairs minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda told Parliament yesterday.

Rugunda, who is also the head of the Uganda delegation to the stalled Juba peace talks, explained that under the proposed Acholi traditional justice system, known as mato oput, there will also be sanctions, like restrictions on the movements of LRA leaders and reparation for the victims.

He was answering a question from Pokot MP Adamson Kiyonga on the strategies in place to sustain the talks in light of the determination of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The victims will first accept the apology and then ask for reparation. Government is ready and willing to work with both the LRA and the victims on this matter,” he remarked.

LRA leader Joseph Kony and his four top commanders are indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. It has not been possible to execute the warrants of arrests because ICC has no police, while the UN force in Congo, where the rebels were based, claimed it had no mandate.

Some MPs demanded that the ICC withdraw the case, calling it a stumbling block to the peace process.

But Rugunda cautioned against directing the international court to drop the charges, noting that it was an independent court.

“It is not possible for the ICC to lift the indictments before the question of impunity is addressed.

“The Government will formally engage the ICC only after a peace agreement has been reached and after the LRA has gone through the Mato oput process. ICC’s stand is that impunity should never be condoned. Uganda fully supports this stand.”

But he said since the affected population in northern Uganda was willing to forgive, the Government had embraced the traditional justice system.

Some MPs, like Abraham Byandala of Katikamu North, questioned the Acholi justice system and instead wanted the LRA leaders to be punished under a formal court system.

Others, like Barnabas Tinkasiimire, the MP for Kibale, asked why the Government could not accept the LRA’s demand for a change of venue and mediator.

Rugunda asserted that Juba was the best venue for the talks and that the mediator, Southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar, had vast knowledge of the conflict. He said he was optimistic that the peace talks would resume soon.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that LRA representatives plan to meet the mediator, Machar, in a bid to restart negotiations.

“There were differences between those who supported coming back to the talks and those who did not. Now they have reunited,” Machar said yesterday.

“After they arrive in Juba, I am planning to travel with them to meet the (LRA) leaders and set a schedule for the resumption of the talks.”

The Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is expected to address a forum on the Northern Uganda peace process in London on March 2.

The LRA leaders and more than 400 fighters were this week reported to have left their bases in Congo for the Central African Republic.