allAfrica.com: Uganda: Final Peace Agreement to End North's 22-Year War Likely Just Days Away (Page 1 of 1)


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Uganda: Final Peace Agreement to End North's 22-Year War Likely Just Days Away


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Resolve Uganda (Washington, DC)

PRESS RELEASE
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 27 March 2008

Washington, DC

After nearly two years of negotiations, the Government of Uganda and rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are likely days away from signing the historic Final Peace Agreement (FPA) that will end Africa's longest running war. However, the intransigence of a few individuals in the rebel army still threatens to delay the final signing and disrupt implementation of the agreement. With the signing deadline a week away, international human rights activists are urging both parties—with the backing of the U.S. and international community—to sign the FPA and immediately begin implementation to allow the over one million displaced people to return home and begin rebuilding their lives.

The war in northern Uganda has lasted 22 years, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and displacing at one time up to 1.8 million people – over 80% of the region's population. Today, over one million people still remain in squalid camps or transit sites. The most gruesome feature of the conflict has been the forced abduction of children by the rebels for soldiering and sexual slavery. Estimates vary between 30,000 and 66,000 children affected.

The deadline for signing had been set for 28 March, but has been pushed back one week to 3 April at the request of the LRA delegation.

"The signing of the Final Peace Agreement will be a historic milestone for the people of northern Uganda who have endured this nightmare for over two decades," says Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director of Resolve Uganda, a U.S.-based campaign advocating for an end to the war. "We strongly urge the Government and LRA to sign this agreement by April 3rd; to realize the dreams of so many Ugandans who have labored and even given their lives in the name of peace."

The greatest remaining concern is that LRA leader Joseph Kony, who is now believed to have moved to Central African Republic, may ultimately reject the agreement. The LRA delegation has insisted that Kony will only sign when International Criminal Court warrants for his arrest are removed. "The LRA demand is more symbolic than substantive though," says Peter Quaranto, Resolve Uganda Senior Researcher, "because the UN Security Council won't even consider suspending the indictments without a signed final agreement. President Museveni has publicly made clear and should continue to encourage confidence that the Ugandan government will shield Kony from international arrest if he signs the final agreement."

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"However, the signing and especially the critical implementation of the Final Peace Agreement should not be held hostage by one or two obstinate individuals," Quaranto says. "The agreement provides an expansive framework to not only facilitate the demobilization of the rebels, but also address the root causes of the war, provide reparations to victims and ultimately, help displaced communities return home with confidence in their security."

"To ensure that the Ugandan government implements the agreement and that the LRA comply, the international community has a critical role to play," says Poffenberger. A press statement last week by the U.S. State Department committing to help implement the FPA is a welcomed sign. "The U.S. and others who have helped give birth to this agreement can't just walk away now; they have to nurture it and help it survive. Nearly half of all peace agreements collapse within five years of their signing."

For more information, see www.resolveuganda.org and www.ugandalobbyday.com.


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