Bush got Acholi bishops’ letter

Jul 13, 2003

US President George W. Bush received the letter from the Acholi religious leaders and it was discussed during his meeting with President Yoweri Museveni on Friday

By Eddie Ssejjoba
in Masaka

US President George W. Bush received the letter from the Acholi religious leaders and it was discussed during his meeting with President Yoweri Museveni on Friday.

US Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, speaking in Masaka on Saturday, said he passed the letter over to Bush.

The letter urged Bush to cause the northern Uganda conflict to be put “on the agenda of the UN Security Council and other international fora as a matter of urgency.”

Kolker was on Saturday talking to journalists at Kaddugala Muslim Secondary School about Bush’s visit. He said he was happy to have come to Masaka still fresh from that visit.

“We received a good letter from religious leaders from the North, which I put to the attention of President George W. Bush, and it was a subject of discussion with President Museveni yesterday (Friday),” said Kolker when asked whether the US would help Uganda end the war in the north.

Kolker was in Masaka to launch a computer lab donated by schools and rotary clubs in the US. The Bukoto East MP, Alintuma Nsambu, secured the donation of 70 computers and four printers to four schools. The beneficiaries are Kaddugala, Archbishop Kiwanuka SS, Christ the King Kalisizo and Talent College Mukono.

The letter said, “We appreciate the concern your Government has in pursuing peace for Africa in countries like Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. You have also recognised the need to neutralise terrorism in eastern Africa. We believe that the Government of the United States of America has the might and the ability to help end the suffering in Northern Uganda.”

The letter was signed by Gulu Archbishop John Baptist Odama, retired Bishop Mcleod Baker Ochola, Bishop Nelson Onono-Onweng of Northern Uganda, Bishop Benjamin Ogwang of Kitgum, Sheikh Musa Khalil, the Acholi Khadi and Fr. Julius Orach of the Orthodox Church.

“We are concerned that the international community remains silent when children are dying in thousands and many more are permanently living in terror and trauma,” the letter said.

They said “unspeakable crime has been committed with the support of Sudan and has brought general mayhem to the community.”

Kolker said the US was ready to help Uganda end the war, protect civilians and bring in humanitarian assistance to the victims.

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