LRA’s lack of consistency and maturity is a snag to Peace
By Peter Lokarlo Marsu
August 19, 2006 — For nearly two decades the Uganda’s so called Lord’s Resistance Arrmy (LRA) organisation has resolutely embarked on blurry and ambiguous agenda administering theatres of bloody campaigns in northern Uganda as well as South Sudan, displacing over two million people, maiming and driving into misery countless civilians from their country of origin.
Whatever precise motives and goals plunged this organisation into conducting spree of killings remains obscure to any rational thinker. Evidently the organisation has no political programme of action for Uganda except murders abductions and looting. Initially, the background scenery of the rebels’ quarrel with the government of Uganda was shrouded in religious and numinous argument by the LRA that Kampala was gravely flouting the Biblical Ten Commandments and that the LRA was created to nurture Gods Legislation and furthermore to ensure that Kampala never again fiddled or compromised the Laws of the ALMIGHTY and that setting would be accomplished only after the installation of the LRA’s government in power in Uganda. Today nineteen years later the LRA has not yet attained its goal but has become a ruthless organisation dispensing terror and agony wherever they happened to be.
On account of this gruesome scenario, the government of South Sudan motivated by genuine concern for peace to reign in the region, which had witnessed the most unprecedented turbulence and brutality in Africa in the recent past, has stepped forward to intercede between the government of Uganda and the so-called LRA.
The vice president, of the government of South Sudan Dr. Riek Machar who is charged with mediating the current rounds of talks is the right man armed with the requisite paraphernalia and experience who can galvanise the spirit of the meetings and would undoubtedly ensure that both parties emerge as victors from the negotiations in Juba. It is regrettable that the LRA is now dithering the progress of the peace process by calling for a needless condition thus prevaricating the parley in Juba. Insisting on replacing Dr. Riek Machar by a negotiating team from South Africa is both naïve, disrespectful and represents a blatant display of cynical behaviour.
The accommodation of South Africa as an active participant at the discussions as demanded by the LRA is not conducive at this time as stated by the government of Uganda.
Admittedly, The Republic of South Africa is a major international player in such areas; there is hardly any doubt about this affirmation as asserted by the LRA’s leadership, but the LRA should have raised this issue right from day one to enable the South Africans acclimatize themselves with the political terrain and parlance of the negotiations before commencing the trek. It is quite apparent that the LRA has lost track of its vision if at all it has any. manifestly the Organisation’s political itinerary contains nothing but diabolic intent and self-delusion that are far from attainment
There is plainly no justifiable drive to rebuff the mediating efforts of Dr. Riek Machar who on a number of occasions had so benevolently identified with the LRA’s plight, handing them cash to procure food to dissuade them from looting and other unruly acts normally and regularly practiced by the atrocious and blood thirsty organisation.
Inviting the government of South Africa to co-sponsor or take over the steering wheel from the South Sudan vice president in the Juba talks indicates lack of respect for the authorities in South Sudan and that conduct typifies a bunch of disorganised yobbo marred with disorientation and absence of comprehensible goals and vision. This behaviour unmistakably amounts to lack of political maturity, consistency and foresight on the part of the LRA’s entire leadership. Vincent Otti, the second in command to Joseph Kony, who is clearly handicapped by naivety in matters pertaining to peace arrangements mistakenly believes that the government of South Sudan had already conspired with Uganda to hand him and the others over to the ICC for trial in The Hague when they personally attended the Juba talks. Plainly this option is not on the cards in Juba. The vice president Dr. Riek Machar has never contemplated to betray the LRA leaders. If that has been the objective and intention of the government of South Sudan, then it is hardly a big deal to round up all of them and allow justice to take its course; SPLA soldiers are capable of doing that and can accomplish the job within a short time even without any assistance from the UPDF soldiers. However adopting such a trend or apprehending Joseph Kony and Company is not a worthwhile solution to ending the 19-year old conflict.
The position taken by the government of Uganda is understandable and is now taking a plain silhouette on the minds of South Sudanese. The LRA has clearly shown that it has no interest in the current peace negotiations in Juba. It is illogical to demand the presence and representation of South Africa at the talk’s venue in Juba when everyone is expecting the successful conclusion of the negotiations. Indisputably, South African representatives could be present at the signing ceremony but not at this moment.
In conclusion, the LRA must understand that our patience in South Sudan is not elastic and we can’t keep on turning the other cheek. It has already done more havoc and harm to innocent civilians in South Sudan in their bloody campaigns of terror. Unless they abandon their senseless ventures and culture of persistent murders, kidnappings and maiming, and reach a genuine peace accommodation with the government of Uganda, they will regret their action.
* Peter Lokarlo Marsu is based in Australia, he can be reached at [email protected]