Patience Aber and Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa
15 June 2008
Gulu — Political and religious leaders have opposed the government's latest stance to pursue Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels after the Juba peace talks failed to yield a peaceful settlement to the rebellion.
They told Sunday Monitor that a military approach is not the better option.
"Even though the peace talks collapsed, there is still chance to resolve the insurgency through peace talks," said Sheik Musa Kelin , the vice chairperson of Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) .
He said the military option will only disturb the relative peace the people in northern Uganda are currently enjoying. "This option has failed in 20 years and it will still fail," he said. "The army can manage to smoke the rebels out of Garamba Forest but it must ensure that the rebels don't sneak here again to breach our peace."
Early this week, the government announced that it would resume its military operations to completely silence the dreaded rebel group but this time with the full support of other countries in the Great Lakes region.
Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao described the UPDF's planned move as reckless saying any attempt to use force would further drive the LRA away from signing the peace deal.
"If the army is interested in resuming the war, why should they go to the media and declare their intention anyway?," Mr Mao said. "They should not think that the LRA rebels are sitting."
He said if the UPDF embarked on attacking the LRA, it would be the innocent civilians to suffer. Mr Mao said during the past military encounters between the UPDF forces and the rebels, the latter used to turn their anger onto the locals Mr Mao cited the Barlonyo massacre that occurred after Operation Iron Fist where several innocent civilian were butchered by the LRA.
Mr Mao said the UPDF should not declare war before getting a report from the peace talks Chief Mediator Riek Machar and the UN envoy Joachim Chicano that the peace talks have completely botched. "We don't want them to re-launch an operation that will be disastrous to the people of northern Uganda," Mr Mao said.
The Bishop of Northern Uganda Diocese, Onono Onweng, said: "War can never be a solution to the conflict because it will have a short term remedy," he said.
The International Criminal Court has maintained that whether or not Kampala opts for an alternative justice system to try the indicted rebel leaders, it will still pursue, apprehend and try them.
"We are also deeply troubled by the latest announcement from the Uganda government, that jointly with the DR Congo, South Sudan, and MONUC, it will resume full military operations against the LRA," the Episcopal Conference Chairman and Lugazi Diocese Bishop Mathias Ssekamanya said in a June 11 statement.
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