NewsNotes, July-August 2008
Joseph
Kony, the Lord’s Resistance Army’s (LRA) leader, has
refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement and officially end his 22-year
rebellion, citing concerns for his personal security. After requesting a
meeting with civil society leaders on May 10 to clarify the accountability
mechanisms outlined in the agreement, Kony did not
show up. He and two of his senior deputies are wanted by the International
Criminal Court for war crimes, including rape, murder and the abduction of
children. Resolve Uganda presents a
disturbing picture of the current situation:
The
LRA has resumed civilian abductions in the Central African Republic, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and southern Sudan; there have been reports
they are preparing for renewed military operations. An attack by a group of
rebels on a Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) camp in Nabanga
on June 5 left 30 people dead, including 14 SPLA, six women, six children and
four LRA.
Military
leaders from DRC, the SPLA and Uganda, as well as the UN peacekeeping force in
DRC (MONUC), have agreed to share intelligence and confront the LRA rebels.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni,
in a national address vowed to “destroy” Kony if he
returns to Uganda.
However,
local civil society leaders, notably Archbishop John Baptist Odama and Paramount Chief Rwot
David Acana II, have called for restraint and
continued efforts to engage direct dialogue with rebel leaders, recalling that
past military offensives have caused backlash against civilians and led to
greater displacement. They note that the majority of the people in the
war-affected areas still agree that the process has been a significant success.
Nearly
700,000 internally displaced people were able to return to their villages
during the negotiations, although a lack of basic services and security
institutions is hindering their transition.
The
Juba negotiations were the first initiative to address the political roots of
the crisis. The parties signed five separate agreements that provide frameworks
to address historical grievances, facilitate disarmament and demobilization,
promote reconciliation and establish accountability for crimes committees
during the war. According to Resolve Uganda, the cumulative Final Peace
Agreement (FPA) is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, laying out a
clear agenda for the transition to peace.
Lt.
General Riek Machar, vice
president of Southern Sudan and chief mediator of the peace talks, also called
for continued efforts to engage the LRA. His report, issued on June 16,
maintains that implementation of key elements of the Juba Agreements should
begin, despite this setback. “The agreements reached in Juba,” he said, “are
all legally valid: they are not provisional agreements. They require no further
negotiations.”
Furthermore,
according to Machar, it is urgent that the
international community remain engaged in the process – as donors in support of
the stable reintegration of formerly abducted and displaced people and as
diplomats to reinforce the efforts of local religious and civil society leaders
to restart direct dialogue between the LRA and the government of Uganda.
Renewed military action, which would risk the lives of those still in LRA
custody and greatly increase insecurity in the Great Lakes Region, would be a
tragic mistake.
A
U.S. State Department communiqué on June 17 expressed continued U.S. support
for a peaceful end to the 22-year-old conflict between the LRA and the
government of Uganda. It said, “We call on LRA leader Joseph Kony to sign and adhere to the FPA negotiated in talks that
have now concluded in Juba, Sudan. The United States will support the
government of Uganda in implementing aspects of the FPA that pertain to
reconciliation, reintegration, and development in northern Uganda.
“The
United States condemns the recent LRA attacks on Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation
Army forces at Nabanga, Sudan, and elsewhere, as well
as the LRA’s abductions and other abuses of innocent
civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and
southern Sudan. We will continue to support regional initiatives to protect the
citizens of these countries.”
Faith in action:
Write
to Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer,
thanking her for this statement and encouraging continued U.S. engagement in
the process with an emphasis on the isolation of peace process “spoilers,”
renewed dialogue and support for the peaceful reintegration and human
development of formerly abducted and displaced people. (U.S. Department of
State, 2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520)