Will Otti’s disappearance derail the peace talks?

Nov 30, 2007

Joseph Kony says his deputy, Vincent Otti, is under house arrest. Others believe Kony killed him.

By Chris Ocowun and Charles Wendo

Joseph Kony says his deputy, Vincent Otti, is under house arrest. Others believe Kony killed him.

Whatever the case, Otti, the man who has been the voice of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels since the beginning of the peace talks, is now out of the picture. What will his disappearance do to the peace talks?

Otti was the main link between the LRA and the external world. Several times he participated in radio talk shows by satellite phone. He also made frequent contacts with politicians, religious leaders and elders in northern Uganda.

Now the people of Gulu are demoralised by the possible death of Otti. They afraid of losing the relative peace they have enjoyed for more than a year. “If Kony can kill Otti, the powerful and fierce commander,” they ask, “Then who will survive?”

Willy Olango, a resident of Pece in Gulu town, wonders whether LRA can be trusted anymore. “If Otti is there then let him come and speak out.”

Likewise, Brig. Michael Acelam Odongo, a former LRA director of intelligence, says Otti’s departure might stall the peace process.

Acelam, who spent many years with Kony in the bush, adds that the LRA chief Kony will want to study the reactions of the people regarding his action on Otti.

“If he learns that people are bitter about his action then he may pull out of the peace talks,” says Acelam.

If, however, Kony decides to continue with the peace process, he will appoint another fighter to replace Otti, train him and brief him about the peace process. This, says Acelam, will take time.

The paramount chief of Acholi, Rwot David Onen Acana II, recalls that Otti was always available for consultations on phone and that he was pushing for a speedy peace process.

He had established a network for gathering views, locally and internationally, about the peace process and would follow up concerns raised to him and report back on time.

“One wonders why Otti took part in massacring people because when you meet him you may not know that he is a rebel. He talks freely and shares views with anybody,” says Acana. “But there is one thing that I noticed with him; he is a short tempered man.”

In Otti’s absence, the peace negotiations might become more complicated, Acana fears. He also fears that fighters who were loyal to Otti might fall out. “If it is confirmed that Otti is dead, then that will be too bad. We do not want any more bloodshed in Acholi. If there are problems, we have avenues for sorting them out other than killing.”

In particular, he fears that Kony is the type of man who only thinks about fighting, and that he can only accomplish his mission through war. “Kony one time quoted from the bible that King Solomon was a great fighter. I think he is driven by supernatural powers that he believes in.”

Acana adds. “The person who replaces Otti should also be open and communicate with people like Otti had been doing.”

He sounds as optimistic as Col. Walter Ochora, the Gulu Resident District Commissioner, who believes the peace process will continue with or without Otti.

Ochora, however, cautions against letting Otti’s death erode confidence in the peace process.

He says political, cultural and religious leaders in the north would not leave the peace process to the LRA.

Rather, they will join hands to ensure it continues. “We should not say, now that Otti is out of the picture the discussions are going to be harder. Even when Otti was taking decisions he was doing it with our advice,” he says. “You can see the LRA team making consultations. They are going to take decisions based on the people’s views.”

However, Yowasi, a former rebel now based in Kampala, says the only man who can make decisions on behalf of LRA is Kony.

“If Kony is serious about peace, the process will go on. But if Kony says there is not going to be peace, it doesn’t matter whether Otti is dead or alive. Kony is everything in the LRA.”

Yowasi says Kony is an authoritarian commander who does not take advice and does not want to be challenged.

He issues commands and those who do not follow them are killed. “There are times he would say the spirits had given him a message to pass on to us. He would address us from early morning till the afternoon without stopping, drinking or eating anything,” Yowasi recalls. “He would be the only one talking and after that nobody would be allowed to say anything. How can you say such a man can listen to advice?”

Yowasi recalls that during such addresses, Kony would issue instructions and those who did not follow got killed. Yowasi warns that even if Kony has killed Otti, he should not be threatened with hostile words because that can cause him to react violently.

He says whereas the LRA is incapable of capturing territory, the hundreds remaining are sufficient to cause tremendous havoc to the civilian population.

“They talk of 800; that is a very big number. They used to send 30 of us and we would do very big damage,” he recalls. “The condition in which our people are living is terrible. For the sake of peace, let us leave the LRA to sort out their internal problems. We have to end this problem and the only way is peace talks.”

Lt. Col. Francis Okwonga Alero, a former rebel now based in Gulu, says Kony is driven by spirits and Otti’s presence or absence does not change the way he does things.

The archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama, who is also the chairman of the Acholi religious leaders peace initiative, says Otti’s disappearance will not deter him from pursuing peace. “The people are saying please save us from this suffering,” he says. “Anything that makes the peace process doubtful should be cleared as soon as possible. Our appeal to the LRA leadership is to consider getting a solution to the stand-off among them so that the peace talks can go on smoothly.”

What is LRA
THE Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a rebel group led by Joseph Kony. Though Kony claims he wants to rule by the biblical Ten Commandments, the LRA has been the most brutal armed group ever known in Uganda.

The rebels have committed numerous abuses and atrocities, including the abduction, rape, maiming and killing of civilians and children. Over 20,000 children were abducted to serve as fighters, porters and sex slaves.

In one attack in Atiak, Gulu, the LRA killed more than 200 people in one village. In another attack at Barlonyo, Lira, they chopped human beings and boiled them in pots. The LRA is also known for cutting off people’s lips and ears.

In 2005, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the top rebel commanders in the group, including Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti.

The ongoing negotiations between the LRA and the government delegation offer the best chance for an end to the insurgency. However, President Museveni says even if the peace talks fail, the LRA has been severely weakened and cannot cause any serious trouble.

Reports are also rife that many rebels are defecting. Otti’s fate is still unclear.

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