South Sudan move towards Uganda rebels a positive step
Seeking Security for Southern Citizens by Meeting with Ugandan Rebels
By Melha Rout Biel*
May 28, 2006 — The move taken by the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) a few months ago to mediate between the Government of Uganda and the Rebels of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda is a welcome gesture. South Sudan is in urgent need of peaceful and secure neighbours, particularly the Republic of Uganda.
After twenty-two years of war, of the destruction of human life, of a lack of security and of the long absence of law and order, South Sudan cannot afford to accommodate refugees from neighbours such as Uganda, who come to Sudan because of civil war or a lack of security in their own country. That lack of security in Uganda could easily march to Southern Sudan. We have seen before that the fighting between the Ugandan Army and the rebels of the LRA can touch our citizens in various ways, especially those in border areas. Recently, many citizens in the Equatorian States were killed at the hands of the LRA.
South Sudan also needs peace in Uganda for economic reasons, so that trade between Uganda and South Sudan can proceed smoothly.
For these reasons, the mediation of the GOSS should be warmly welcomed, and the steps taken by the GOSS to deliver food and other materials on 2 May 2006 to the Ugandan Rebels of the Lord Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, should not be criticised but supported. We know that some wars fought in Africa might not necessarily be political, but a result of other problems, such as lack of food or security. The decision of the GOSS to provide needed materials to the LRA is a tactical one and is logical for many reasons. For example, it is better to give the rebels the material aid they need than to allow them to rape our people in Southern Sudan for lack of food. Giving food to the LRA means security for Southern citizens. We hope, of course, that the materials given to the LRA will not be used to buy arms.
The most important result of Machar and Kony’s meeting is that the LRA has agreed to reconcile with the Government of Uganda. Hopefully, this promise will soon become a reality. The Government of Southern Sudan has acted rightly to protect her citizens by giving food to the starving rebels of the LRA. However, what is most important is finding peace between the warring parties in Uganda through the mediation of the GOSS, led by the SPLM.
Africans must learn to resolve their conflicts through peaceful means, not wars. They must also accept mediation from other African nations instead of looking to actors outside the continent. The people of South Sudan have a great interest in seeking peace in Uganda and would like to live peacefully with their Ugandan brothers and sisters. It is very encouraging that the GOSS and Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny have met with the LRA.
It is time for the Government of Uganda, under President Museveni, and the LRA, under Joseph Kony, to reconcile and work for peace in their country. The GOSS should therefore continue to do whatever it can to help our beloved neighbours in Uganda reach a peace settlement.
In 2005 supporters of the Lord Resistance Army were seeking the mediation of the SPLM under the late Dr. John Garang. Unfortunately, these past attempts did not succeed for various reasons. In the past, some exiled Ugandan intellectuals had asked Southern Sudanese intellectuals to use their contacts to encourage the SPLM to mediate between the Government of Uganda and the LRA. However, this was put down by the SPLM leadership at that time, because it was thought that the LRA was not ready for a peaceful resolution with the Government of Uganda. Now the time has come for peace in Uganda, and the GOSS should lead the mediation for several reasons. For one, Southern Sudan has a number of tribes who speak the same languages and have the same culture and traditions as various tribes in Uganda. For this reason, it should be much easier to talk to one another. In short, the South has a historical tie with the people of Uganda and is in fact Uganda’s sister country.
We hope the Government of National Unity in Khartoum will give its blessing to this move toward mediation by the Southern Government led by Lt. General Salva Kiir.
* The Author is a political scientist and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt Germany. He teaches International Dimensions in Social Work and Social Education. His teaching focuses on African and European Affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]