South Sudan needs to readjust Uganda peace mediation
LRA-UG Talks: Mediation is Mutual, Part of Conflict Resolution Process
By Ohiyok D. Oduho
Feb 6, 2007 — The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has made clear its reservations on the mediation of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS). In fact it has decided that the South African government should take over the mediation role of the GoSS. The LRA accuses the GoSS of colluding with the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) to surround the areas of their concentration with the intention of arresting their leaders and to hand them over to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Given the statements made by most Ugandan Government (UG) leaders, including President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, it would actually be very unfair to blame the LRA for their decision to relocate the peace talks. Because it is one thing to encourage anti-peace rhetoric and face the consequences that would follow; and another to issue presidential orders to stop all anti-peace rhetoric, especially from UG officials and enjoy the benefits of non-confrontational dialogue.
In conflict resolution and management, it is very important for the negotiating parties to agree on the mediator. If one side loses confidence in the mediator(s) and chooses to relocate or change the mediator, it should not be blamed. It is part of the conflict resolution process.
Otherwise, the interest of GoSS in trying to bring about peace in Northern Uganda is genuine. Genuine in the sense that the people of Northern Uganda and those of South Sudan have been victimized by the LRA more than anybody else in the region. This being the case, the GoSS truly needs to watch the double standards of the Ugandan leadership in trying to address the issues of war and peace in Uganda. The leadership of GoSS needs to engage in dialogue with President Museveni in order to do the following for the reactivation of the stalled, and success of the LRA-UG talks:
1). Initiate the need for his political and military officials to abide by the ceasefire that must have monitors from national, regional or international forces;
2). The need to freeze all antagonistic statements from his political and military officials that are likely to anger the LRA negotiators; and
3). To stress the need for respect from his negotiators to the LRA negotiators – respecting the values of LRA negotiators (an important element in conflict resolution and management process).
The LRA, on the other hand, should be mature enough not to react to every statement and action made against them. LRA should know that there are people in Uganda who are actually benefiting from the war and they would do just about anything not only to stall the talks but actually see the peace process destroyed. These kinds of people are there in many countries that had gone through wars and hence the peace negotiations. What should be important to LRA is the will of the current UG government to negotiate peace with them.
The UG, especially the current leadership, should make a reflection to Uganda’s past, which is not only known to Ugandans alone but event to neighbours like the Sudan. Ugandan people are not ready to go through that experience again; indeed any reasonable person would not, if it is within his/her powers, allow such a thing to happen to the Ugandans again. Thus, the current Ugandan leadership should work hard to see peace in Uganda and preserve the good name it has developed through hard work in very many spheres.
Since it is impossible to address the issues of war and peace concurrently, one would sincerely wish the Ugandan leadership the wisdom to choose peace that has to be pursued to a successful conclusion.
* The author of this article is Ohiyok D. Oduho, a columnist with Sudan Vision Daily. He can be reached on [email protected]