Frank Nyakairu and Emmanuel Gyezaho
2 August 2006
Joseph Kony, leader of the Lords Resistance Army, held a meeting with religious, cultural and political leaders from northern Uganda on Monday, asking the government to order a ceasefire if peace in northern Uganda is to be achieved. Daily Monitor's Frank Nyakairu recorded the statement and Emmanuel Gyezaho brings you the excerpts.
I want to thank you for being courageous to come and see me here. I want to assure you especially the Acholis that I am an Acholi like you and that is why you shouldn't have feared to come and see me here. I want to confirm to you that yes this time, I am all for peace talks with Museveni.
I have called for peace talks so that we can solve this war, which has gone on for 20 years now. There have been wars in Sierra Leone, Congo, Sudan and Liberia and all have been settled peacefully. Even other wars like this one can be settled peacefully.
Me Gen. Kony as I speak to you now, I am not a wizard who talks to spirits. If I am, even Rwot Achana and Jimmy Akena are also that kind because I am a normal human being like them.
It is not me who begun this war. I just offered to help those who were oppressed.
To you my elders, my brothers, my sisters, my fathers and my mothers, now that you have come and seen for yourselves that I am not a monster with a tail and huge eyes, you have confirmed that I am a human being.
Now go back and tell the people of northern Uganda that I want peace. But as we sit here, I have my peace team in talks in Juba. But I am not happy with the report that they have brought.
(Diverts a little...) Ohh I can speak English by the way. But I want to stress in Acholi so that my mother and fathers can really understand. (Speaks in Acholi but LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny translates in English for journalists)
Now this report, which has come from Juba, is not good because the first thing, which should have been done, is the cessation of hostilities. But it wasn't done.
I want to ask you; how can we end this war? To you my fathers and mothers, sisters, and brothers, I would like you to focus on the situation in the IDP camps.
I would like your minds to focus on what we can do for this situation. I would like to assure you that I am here for you. If you have any doubts, any questions, ask me.
Security concerns
I am here so that we can find a solution to this problem.
But I am deeply concerned about your movements. I was, because there are very many reckless people who would like to destroy this chance but by God's grace, I am glad you are here. I would like to ask you.
Why is it that when talks begin, someone always comes up with an ultimatum that by this time, talks should have ended?
Is that the way things must be? To my elders, we are your children. This war is like a game. I am giving an example of a cockfight where one might be stronger than the other but they will keep chasing after one another in the compound the whole day.
Do you want this war to be like that? If you look back, you would not have imagined you would be here.
But it is because of us. We are using every opportunity to talk peace.
This is my first lecture to you. You may add your own things but say to the people of Uganda that I want peace. One issue I would like to assure you about is the issue of amnesty, which presupposes that I lay down my arms and give in to the government of Uganda.
But you see my people here. They are very many. If I go, what will happen to them? And to you my brothers and sisters, you have heard a lot of things said about me. You have heard that the LRA is a small-disorganised group.
I would like to tell you that LRA is a highly organised group. If we were not organised, you wouldn't see all these people here. You wouldn't have heard us over the international media. We are organised and we know what we are doing.
I have my forces in Gulu, Pader and Kitgum. I also have a lot of forces outside Uganda. We have graduates and elites in LRA. I want to ask you; have you ever heard me making an appeal to treat my people? We have what it takes.
I would like to explain that war is a very difficult thing. War is very tough. If it weren't tough, you would have joined me. The other thing I want to say is there are mobile forces of the UPDF. They are moving from place to place in northern Uganda.
They are killing our people but they blame it on LRA. I want to say that I don't kill my brothers. I don't kill my sisters. I don't kill my mothers and fathers.
That is all propaganda since it is the government of Uganda, which controls all the media. Now that you have come here, lets find a solution and end this war.
To demonstrate my genuineness for peace, I will give the example of my friend Walter Ochora who has come all the way without security. He is a high-ranking government official but he has walked five miles without security. He came to my home and my wife cooked for him. But the government he works in doesn't want to talk peace.
They want to push me in a corner to surrender on their own terms. But I want to assure you that, the ear is not mightier than the head.
My final word to you all; I will repeat my fears about the peace talks. We have not ceased hostilities. What meaningful peace talks can we have without cessation of hostilities?
We speak to government authorities as they shoot at us. We cannot have meaningful talks. We cannot trust the government of Uganda. Please make sure that you secure a cessation of hostilities so that we can talk in a good environment.
My final appeal to the elders of Acholi; I am ready for any possibilities of peace. To you elders, look at yourselves as Acholis.
Bring your heads together so that we can have this war over. I also would like to dispel the mystery that me Kony, I only listen to the holy spirits. That is not true. I work with people all the time and I listen to them.
Please bring your ideas together so that we can find a solution. I also urge you to believe in God's power. It is by God's power that everything happens. You never doubt God's power. Many times you have heard that Joseph Kony doesn't have any reason to fight. But I have heard Mao saying that Joseph Kony cannot fight without a reason.
God's convenant
That is true. I would like to declare our political agenda. We are fighting for the 10 commandments of God. If you look at the 10 commandments of God, are they obeyed? They are violated everywhere. We are fighting because its God who created us so we should fight for his rule.
I am not fighting for the Constitution, which has been designed to give some people more time in power. I am fighting for the 10 commandments. You elders of Acholi, you gave me the blessings to go and fight. Now why don't you give me the blessing to talk peace? I have opened up to you all. I have not hidden anything.
I also want you to open up for me so that we find a solution to this problem.
Finally I would like to thank you all very much for coming here. Thank you very much. I want to repeat that I am Gen. Joseph Kony.
I am from the district of Gulu in an area called Odek. I was born in 1962 and I went to the bush at the age of 23. I have not seen my brothers and sisters and agemates since. Right now if I look at my global positioning system, I am 1,700kms away from Gulu, yet you have come here to see me.
I would like to thank you very much, may the good Lord bless you.
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