Paul Amoru, Tabu Butagira and Warom Felix Okello
7 October 2008
Kampala — The deadly attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Dungu in the DRC are calculated to displace the indigenous population to secure a safer base for the insurgents, a Catholic priest in the area claimed yesterday.
Fr. Benoit Kinalegu of the Peace and Justice Commission, who has been documenting the rebel's activities in the fragile area since February last year, told Daily Monitor from The Hague that the rebels seem determined to terrorise civilians.
"They appear to want to reinforce their army and to push the population away from their bases," he said.
On the same day, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been in contact with the priest, separately echoed fresh calls to member countries to immediately arrest the LRA commanders, fearing that a delay could enable the insurgents destabilise the entire Great Lakes region.
"At the end of 2007, (LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony) issued orders to abduct 1,000 people to expand the rebel ranks. Kony is now implementing his plan," Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor, said.
He said that on September 17, the rebels raided Congolese villages in the Haut Uelé District, Dungu territory, killing civilians, including local chiefs. This came shortly after another horrifying onslaught on a market during which school children were abducted, food stuffs looted and properties set alight with thousands displaced.
"The Office of the Prosecutor again urges all actors, including regional and international organisations, to support and work together with the DRC and Uganda governments in the planning and execution of the arrests.
Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who heads the government peace team at the stalled Juba talks, was not available for comment yesterday.
Political leaders in northern Uganda said they are upset with the ICC repeated threats, which is a turn off to get Kony sign the Final Peace Agreement.
"We are not part of that circus of the ICC," Gulu District chairman Norbert Mao said. "We believe in putting our efforts to any means that will yield a peaceful resolution to this conflict through the Juba peace process."
He said Kony communicated two days ago that he was willing to sign a peace deal with the government, but the rebel chief was advised to communicate directly with Chief Mediator Riak Machar and Special Envoy Joachim Chissano.
Mr Okello-Okello, the chairperson of the Acholi Parliamentary Group said, "We are for peace and I think the renewed arrest warrant is not a good development. To me this ICC is not useful."
The United Nations Mission in Congo (Monuc) yesterday said Uganda, Sudan and the DRC governments should expedite the arrests.
Mr Jacob Mogni, the Monuc representative in Ituri, told a security meeting in Arua that the authorities in Kinshasa had deployed over 600 soldiers to protect the vulnerable communities.
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Uganda, Kony does not want peace. For if this man truly wanted peace he would do what is right for the total situation! Stop killing Ugandians, I laugh at the notion the ICC is causing more problems! Ask yourself this, has the ICC killed anyone yesterday, today? No, can you say the same for Kony. Most people who even care about this situation now wishes for Kony to be dead. Kony has killed so many innocent people and so much more for so long haven't Ugandans had enough or do you relish in misery. If something is not done about… [Read Full Text]