Involve local people for peace in Rwenzori - Civil society

Richard Businge(L) the country manager of International Alert and Milton Kambula, country director Global Peace Foundation demonstrate how community members in the Rwenzori region should embrace peace and reconciliation instead of promoting confrontation, January 20,2016.Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba

Civil society organizations have urged the Government to involve local people in the peace process for a lasting solution in the Rwenzori region.

The Peace Service Ambassador, Milton Kambula, who is the country director Global Peace Foundation and the country manager International Alert, Richard Businge addressed a press conference at the international Alert offices in Ntinda, Kampala on Friday.

According to Businge, the organizations want to see that there is grassroots peace building unlike previous efforts where only selected officials from cultural institutions have been engaging with government.

Businge said that there were three major groups behind the conflict in Rwenzori region. These include the group that supports the Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu, the group that is against the cultural institution and those who want Rwenzori to secede from Uganda.

He said the latter is the one involved in circulating negative propaganda in the region.
"We propose that the cultural leaders from the three major cultural institutions of Obusinga, Obudingiya and Toro kingdom be brought together for a peace deal," he stressed. 

He said although the Government offered amnesty to the perpetrators of the July 2014 violence, it made no efforts in reconciling them with the victims of the violence.

Kambula wants government to commit programmes for communities in Rwenzori region, including sports where leaders are directly involved, tree planting, training the youth in skills to deal with poverty and other issues.