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South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities

By James Gatdet Dak

July 1, 2008 (JUBA) — The Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) has passed a resolution condemning the atrocities committed by the Uganda rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Greater Equatoria region.

LRA_soldiers-3.jpgIn its two-day deliberations chaired by the Speaker of the House, Honourable James Wani Igga, the Assembly also passed another resolution endorsing a report presented by the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chief Mediator of the Uganda peace talks, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, on the status of the Uganda peace process.

The Southern Sudan lawmakers expressed their support to the peaceful settlement of the LRA’s war and urged the Government of Southern Sudan through the Chief Mediator to continue mediating the process and persuading the LRA leadership to sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA).

The motion that led to the condemnation of the LRA was moved by Honourable Ayoub Philip Gaza, representative of Ezo constituency from the Union of Sudan African Party (USAP) in Western Equatoria state.

“The Assembly condemns in the strongest term the massacre of our gallant SPLA soldiers and the civilian victims including the abductions of children and the raping of women in Greater Equatoria region,” the resolution reads.

The Assembly has also mandated its Security Committee to investigate the atrocities committed by the LRA.

In his presentation to the Assembly, Dr. Machar told the lawmakers that the Government of Southern Sudan prefers peaceful settlement to the LRA war.

“We, in the Government of Southern Sudan, should not entangle ourselves in a proxy war fighting with a foreign rebel movement which may last long,” Machar advised the Honourable members of the Southern Sudan parliament.

He argued that the Juba peace talks between the Uganda government and the LRA have improved security in Greater Equatoria region compared to the time before the peace talks during which, he lamented, Southern Sudanese lost nearly 6,000 people in the hands of the LRA.

The Vice President explained that humanitarian situation also improved with internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their once LRA-affected areas in both Northern Uganda and Greater Equatoria during the last two years of the peace talks in Juba.

He said the LRA continues to get support from those who want to interrupt the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and advised that these rebels should be handled with care.

He cautioned that a war with the LRA may get complicated and involve others, adding that his government had received information, which he did not want to reveal in the Assembly.

Dr. Machar further explained that the danger of the LRA is that it doesn’t target military installations, but civilians, making it difficult to pin them down because they spread out in smaller groups or melt into communities.

He said it was wise to assemble them in one area of Ri-kwangba near the Congolese border to minimize their movement and activities under the surveillance of the SPLA.

Machar told the lawmakers that Ri-kwangba should remain the assembly area for the LRA and to be surrounded by a buffer zone guided by the SPLA forces.

He warned that any armed groups, be it LRA or other bandits, find to be loitering around will be apprehended by the SPLA, adding that the SPLA forces will continue to deploy to protect the citizens in the LRA affected areas.

Machar also told the Assembly that a report submitted to his office after investigations of the recent attacks in Pageri in Eastern Equatoria state instead blame the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) for masquerading as LRA and killing civilians in that particular area.

After listening and deliberating on the Vice President’s presentation, the Assembly passed a resolution supporting and encouraging the Government of Southern Sudan to go a head with its contacts with Joseph Kony to persuade him to return to the negotiating table and sign the Final Peace Agreement.

The Southern Sudan parliament also expressed concern over the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants on the LRA leadership as a source of fear to Joseph Kony and voiced their support to the UN Security Council in its recent consideration to approach the ICC to defer the indictments and the arrest warrants.

Earlier, the European Union expressed their support to the continuation of the Uganda peace process in Juba as the best option to end the war in Northern Uganda. Machar also told the parliament that the American government has recently reacted to the situation, preferring a peaceful option to the LRA’s war.

GOSS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Dr. Machar explained to the Assembly that the Government of Southern Sudan has no longer been responsible for financing the Uganda peace talks since the year 2006, saying it is the international community that supports the peace process financially through the UN system.

He said GOSS does not either receive any money directly from the UN system for the peace process, which he explained, have been channeled through UN OCHA that clears any bills through a contracted international firm.

Machar also commends the role played by the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the LRA-affected areas and former President of Mozambique, Joachim Chissano, during the peace process until now.

The LRA war in Northern Uganda has displaced nearly two million people from their homes and killed tens of thousands more.

The Juba peace talks were seen as the best chance to end the 22-years of this brutal and longest running armed conflicts in the African continent.

(ST)

24 Comments

  • marial mach aduot mach
    marial mach aduot mach

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    How long will the southern Sudanese be the victim of their own misguiding? I mean the present situation of looting and killing of the civilians in western and Eastern equatoria is the failure of both defectors Dr Riak and the currant warlord Mr. Joseph Kony of LRA. Dr. Riak takes the law in his on hands by standing by LRA criminals and prevented the SPLA to crush the forces of LRA basing in south Sudan. Dear Dr. Machar, It is the privilege of the citizens in south Sudan to stay free from LRA rather then subjected their daily lives to fear and instability within their own land. Therefore I am requesting you Dr Riak Machar to cut the ties with those criminals and allow the south Sudanese army to defend their own people from LRA otherwise the insecurity in some parts of the country will affect developments of agriculture and some other things which need the efforts of those civilians terrorise by LRA.

    By
    Marial mach Aduot mach

    Reply
  • Majak-da
    Majak-da

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    Instead of dwelling on impartial reports about the parliament discussion, here is the detailed story on how Machar suffered in the House.

    (Gurtong)

    General News
    01/07/2008 19:50:34
    Assembly swings around on LRA

    JUBA, July 1 (Gurtong) – Lawmakers on Tuesday significantly reduced pressure on Vice President and chief mediator of the Uganda peace talks, Riek Machar over his position on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in an overnight turnaround.

    Machar was called into the assembly for a 3 p.m. session on Monday when MP Ayoub Philip Gaza tabled a motion that the legislators condemn a June attack in Western Equatoria that led to 23 southern deaths including 14 SPLA soldiers and that “the GOSS stop mediating the peace talks with the LRA.”

    Numerous MPs made speeches in line with Gaza’s position calling the LRA “criminals” and “barbarians.” In the next two hours, only one MP – from the National Congress Party – seemed to agree with Machar’s position, that the GOSS should continue providing sanctuary for the LRA in Western Equatoria and keep pushing for peace.

    “We should arm our army to the highest point possible and hunt the LRA until they leave Western Equatoria,” Barri Wanji, another , said to loud applause.

    “We must not loose a single life to promote criminals,” Wanji added.

    But by Tuesday lunchtime MPs were ready to redraft Gaza’s motion to urging Machar to persuade the LRA to sign as quickly as possible. Another MP suggested that the parliament even ask the International Criminal Court to lift its arrest warrants on the Ugandan rebels, in order to encourage the rebels to sign peace.

    A final draft should be ready to be read on Wednesday morning.

    Reply
  • Wene_mangeth
    Wene_mangeth

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    Bravo the SSLA for the resolution you have passed condemning the ruthless LRA fighters’ atrocities which are threats to these innocent civilians of greater Equatoria. I am really wondering why Dr Riek is always happy when these civilians are killed and rap by this endless gorilla fighters of the LRA AND UPDF and I wondered to Hon. Vice why he applauded his ambition of undermining the GOSS is he not aware about the Goss that these financial support is also known by the SPLA even though he(riek)use to sign the bill himself.

    Reply
  • Monye Jur
    Monye Jur

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    Dear Mr. Riak Machar

    You mentioned that “the LRA continues to get support from those who want to interrupt the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and advised that these rebels should be handled with care“.

    What type of care are you calling to be dealt with the LRA after knowing that some body is continiously supporting them to interrupt the CPA implementation? Are you still not satisfied with the money of your mediation over this 2years? When will you one day accepts that the LRA should be dealt with hardware? Put in your mind that a rebal is a rebal no matter how you deals with them. You took money and food to the LRA over the past year but still they remain rebals in their face and not friends to south Sudan.

    You should be clearly in your picture Mr. Machar because only you and one NCP MP who is still supporting peacefull negotiation with the LRA.

    I wished that the LRA base should be transfered to Panyagor so that Mr. Riak should deal with them with much care as his blood friends.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  • Deng Chol Malual
    Deng Chol Malual

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    The GOSS Assembly have not come out clearly with the LRA position in Sudan.
    Well, I got from Riak statement that funding is from somewhere through UN OCHA.

    OK, does that funds cover LRA Humaniterian Aid such as relief food among other things. If yes, then they should be disarm and kept uder the refugees law in Sudan by the care of UNHCR.
    And if not, then the GOSS should provide them with relief food, so that they are relief from looting.

    And I believe they are killing the citizens in the course of looting or search for food.

    I differ with this false urgement, that LRA army will be control by the SPLA. It is the legalisation of war in other word.Because no soldier can control other soldier under different millitary instructions.

    The Greater Equartoria Senators/MPs who supported the motion should rethink about RLA existence in the region. Otherwise, this civil unrest will continue.

    Thanks,
    Deng Chol Malwal

    Reply
  • Ben-Fu
    Ben-Fu

    JUBA Deploys Army Outside Uganda Rebel Hangouts
    JUBA, Sudan (AFP)–Southern Sudan has ordered its military to attack anyone bearing arms outside Ugandan rebel assembly points in a bid to clampdown on anti-civilian attacks, Vice President Riek Machar said Tuesday.

    Rebels from Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, overran a military camp on the Sudan-Congo border on June 4, killing at least 27 people.

    A Ugandan military squad raided a town on the Sudan-Uganda border, killing one person on June 14, according to a ceasefire monitoring team.

    “The SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) is under instruction that anybody holding arms must be attacked,” Machar told parliament in response to a call from lawmakers for the government to deploy more forces in the affected areas.

    “The army has now deployed,” he added.

    The Ugandan military has forces at the border with Sudan, but it remains unclear if and how deeply they have penetrated the country.

    Sudan-mediated talks between Uganda and the LRA halted in April when the elusive rebel leader Joseph Kony refused to sign a peace accord, on the grounds of outstanding International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrants

    Reply
  • Gum Bol
    Gum Bol

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    LRA must go hell and others here must go to hell too.

    Reply
  • Gatnath
    Gatnath

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    There is democracy in south Sudan, it all fake in fake as Kiir is interfering even in the election of preliminary president in upper Nile region

    Reply
  • Gabriel Zarete Gugu
    Gabriel Zarete Gugu

    South Sudan parliament condemns rebel LRA atrocities
    Hi I wonder to hear that the Vice President of South Sudan Dr Riek Machar asked for the pull out of UPDF in Southren Sudan leaving the LRA who are notorious of doing atrocities in the greate Equatoria.It is true that Kony is the best friend of Dr Machar.That is why he don,t want the UPDF in the area.Please Machar, put in mind that when KOny will be on trial by the ICC you will be nexst to him,bleave it or not.

    Reply
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