Why should SPLA allow citizen to be killed?

By Ngor Arol Garang

Februay 21, 2008 — Though the peace talks between the notorious Lord Resistance Army of Joseph Kony and the Ugandan government of Mr. Museveni, the president of the republic of Uganda are progressing well in Juba, LRA still attack civilians in greater Equatoria region where their talks with the government are being held. The LRA forces have continuously been looting and killing our civil populations in Equatoria despite the efforts being exerted by government of southern Sudan vice president Dr. Machar to bring peace in Northern Uganda through dialogue with their government. The killings of innocent civilians from a country sponsoring talks is a perplexed story to tell, why, because there is no such a peaceful region like Southern Sudan where talks between the government of Uganda and rebels are going on while citizens of the same region continuous to be killed in their own region.

This is where I do not understand why the government of Southern Sudan is so much engaged in LRA negotiations with government of Uganda when the LRA are not interested in negotiations. LRA seems to have become Southern Sudan rebels not a Uganda rebels for they are ever killing our innocent civilians in greater Equatoria region where their talks are being held. Had the government of southern Sudan become the government of Uganda, LRA would have that right to fight the SPLA not the Civilians, but again, it would be a violation of cessation of hostilities which they had agreed and signed last year with the fresh extension early this year in Juba. This could work well in a situation where SPLA had become UPDF.

But now that GOSS has not changed to be a Ugandan, why is the LRA killing our civilians monthly? And still the government of southern Sudan does not say anything about these regular killings by the foreign forces in our region. LRA ought to respect southern Sudan as the host region with her citizens. Living peacefully with citizens of a host region help brings a quick and peaceful settlement of any political, social and religion conflict in any given country around the globe. Having said this, i would like to ask LRA this question in your newspapers and webs that why shouldn’t you have learned from our relationship with Kenyans before and during the time when our CPA was being negotiated in their Capital Nairobi? Such relations is what the citizens of a host country expect from any rebels seeking for peaceful settlement of the conflict with their government when the talks between them are being held in that country but not a turn against the people who are working for good your good.

If the LRA had these relations in minds, they should have not attempted to loot the properties of our innocent civilians, set their houses on fire and kill local inhabitants without reasons even if they are being pushed by enemies of peace and development in Southern Sudan.
If they continue to do us any another bad activities, I will be among the citizens to go on strike.

Besides this, there will be no reason to support their talks to continuous in
Juba while their forces are killing and looting properties of our innocent civilians in Equatoria. They should now decide, not later, which one to take, peace or war with us and their government?

If LRA have become another Missyria and Janjaweed to destabilize peace and development in Equatoria, then SPLA must not remain sited waiting for orders when civilians they have recently liberated are being killed openly without accountability and resistance to such killings.LRA attacks on civilians in Kajokeji, central Equatoria State and now again in Western Equatoria ought to be responded to accordingly.