Museveni Has No Right to Pardon Kony
By Alfred Taban, Khartoum Monitor
July 7, 2006 — Reports that President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has given war criminal, Joseph Kony an amnesty should be condemned and disregarded. Kony is a Ugandan that is true but he has committed crimes far beyond the borders of Uganda. After the untold crimes he committed in Uganda, against his own Acholi people, Kony is now wrecking havoc on our people in Southern Sudan.
Currently he is depopulating wildlife in another country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The animals at Garamba National Park are now in great danger of extinction due to his activities. The trees he is chopping up in Congo and Western Equatoria state without any thought about the environment will also contribute to global warming. Kony is now an international criminal wanted in three countries for the destruction not only of human lives, but also animals and trees. If the Ugandans have agreed to pardon their man, what about the Sudanese and Congolese who have also suffered from this man?
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Otim Odhiambo, Raska Lukwiya and Dominic Ongwen. These warrants are international in nature and were issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). They were not issued by Museveni and hence, he has no right to revoke them. It is only the ICC that can withdraw them and it is clear that body is not prepared to do that.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the peace talks, which I wholly support. The Acholi people and other tribes in Northern Uganda have legitimate concerns. They feel marginalised, economically and politically by the government in Kampala. They feel they have not been given a fair share of power in Kampala and have been agitating for more economic development of their region in Uganda. Some forces, even in Southern Uganda feel that Museveni is not democratic enough. These are issues the Ugandans can discuss and reach an understanding. That is why we support the peace talks that are about to begin in Juba.
The people of Southern Sudan want peace in Uganda because without peace there, there would also be no peace in the south. We want to trade with Uganda and we want Ugandan investors to come and put their money in the development of the south. We share a lot in common. This is what would sustain our peace.
However peace will not be achieved at the expense of justice. Alice Lakwena, terrorised Ugandans for sometime and after her military defeat, she fled to Kenya. She escaped justice. What happened? Her cousin, Joseph Kony took over the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) at once and committed even more atrocities against Ugandans. Before the couple, two other Ugandan leaders, Idi Amin and Milton Obote also terribly abused Ugandans. They too fled and never answered for their crimes. The culture of impunity, cultivated since the 60s continues today. Pardoning Kony will make this culture of impunity irreversible and is sure to lead to the emergence of another terrorist. Kony is denying that he ever committed even one atrocity. Everybody is wrong, except him. How do you pardon such a man?
Dealing with Kony demands a three-track approach. Negotiations such as the ones about to take place in Juba, military action which has been completely ignored by the Ugandans, MUNOC (United Nations Mission in Congo) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) and justice which is also being put aside. Justice here does not mean trials and courts alone. It means reconciliation and forgiveness as well.
If Kony expresses a feeling of remorse and asks for forgiveness, many people will forgive him, leading to his freedom and reconciliation with his victims. That is part of justice but remember peace achieved at the expense of justice will not last.