Rebel LRA signed DDR Agreement with Ugandan Government
By Isaac Vuni
February 29, 2008 (JUBA) — After one day brake off for consultation with Joseph Kony yesterday at Riikwabwa the designated assemble area, the LRA team and the government of Uganda this evening signed the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) together with its implementation and monitoring mechanism at Juba Raha Hotel.
The agreement stipulates that former LRA combatants and non-combatants shall be supported in their transition to civilian life while LRA officers who have chosen not to join the armed forces or other security agencies should receive reintegration support in line with Uganda’s national reintegration policy. And all former LRA members who wish to go to school, including vocational training schools, should be assisted to do so.
Arrangements should be made in Uganda for the DDR of any LRA members who may surface in Uganda after the signature of this Agreement, provided that such persons come forward at places of worship and to cultural leaders, with their weapons within 2 weeks after a sensitisation period of 2 weeks.
The Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration agreement are crucial component that will enable LRA combatant’s transitions either into UPDF or a productive civilian life.
In his keynote address to the signing ceremony, H.E. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the LRA affected areas call on government of Uganda and the LRA to takes the joyce they got from signing peace agreement from Juba to the people of Uganda.
“We are very much emotionally moved to witness a ceremony like this tonight” say president Chissano.
President Chissano said time has now come for the LRA combatants to laying down their arms and that there should be no more chances given for guns to sing their songs. Rather let the children and women of Uganda sing their traditional songs with smile in a free and peaceful environment.
The UN special envoy emphasized that the implementation process of the signed peace agreement must remain in the hand of Ugandan because it is the people of Uganda who are going to do away with any spoilers of the agreement. “If the people are all on board, no spoiler will succeed”, he remarks.
He assured the parties that the UN secretary General will appreciate the good news they have done tonight in Juba and that he will appreciate more when the final deal become operational as soon as possible.
President Chissano recalled that when he was brought by UN Secretary General to take facilitator role, he was in darkness do not know exactly what his role would be because there was already appointed facilitator and that he became more confused of the leadership of the LRA including the mission of Uganda government. Even that his own people also told him that he was embarking on impossible mission but the doubting Thomas are proven wrong by the two parties who made it possible tonight by signing peace agreements.
He paid tribute to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for having given him full assurance to negotiate peace to its final conclusion and similar assurance from Ugandan president and LRA leader General Joseph Kony.
He thanks the five representatives of African countries DRC, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan in particular Democratic Republic of Cong (DRC) President Joseph Kabila whom he said then was under pressure from many countries of the world demanding president Kabila to kick out the LRA rebels from DRC territory.
The Chief Mediator and Vice president of the government of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar congratulated the two parties for signing the final agreements under his guidance, saying their mission was a very difficult one. Nevertheless, the Vice President said in front of them still a task of implementation schedule and when will it kick off.
Hence, Machar demanded from the parties fixing of a final ceremonial date for signing agreement after twenty months of negotiation and also to enable president of Southern Sudan to extend invitations to Head of states and governments to come and witness appending of final signatures by President Museveni together with LRA Joseph Kony.
In his vote of thank address, Ruhakana Rugunda, Minister of Internal Affairs and Head of Government of Uganda Delegation said the successes scored by the two parties are very essential to make substantial and fast progress in order to ensure peace prevails in north and north-eastern Uganda that requires reconstruction as stipulated in the signed protocols agreements.
Responding to allegation of LRA team leader that spoilers are from government delegations, Minister Rugunda said on contrary, the government and the people of Uganda under the leadership of president Museveni remains equivocally committed to peace process from the very beginning up to this very end and that government will be more committed in implementation of the signed agreements.
He further assured LRA delegations that together they would foster ahead to realisation of lasting peace in Uganda and that president Museveni was prepared to fly in Juba even within a short notice invitation to sign the final ceremonial agreement together with LRA Joseph Kony.
Minister Rugunda all heartedly welcomes LRA leader’s declaration that there is no more war in Uganda and urges him to made the same declaration to people of Uganda through Mega FM radio station in Gulu District so the people get direct message from voice of Joseph Kony himself.
He thank the government of Southern Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit and his Vice President together with the people of southern Sudan for helping warring Ugandan resolved their 21 years conflict, then extended invitation to LRA delegations to travel with him the following day to Kampala for yet another celebration at home.
Meanwhile the leader of the LRA/M Delegation, David Nyekorach Matsanga said they have achieved in Juba peace talks what many people predicted would not have been achieved. Adding that they have done what the humanity will remember them for in many years to come in Uganda.
“We have recorded in the history of Uganda one of the best agreements that has been well negotiated and guidance under the auspices of the government of Southern Sudan Vice president Dr. Riek Machar, national and international community observables.”
Matsanga announced that General Joseph Kony would be the one to sign the final comprehensive peace agreement in Juba and that he hopes Ugandan president Museveni too would come to Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan on that D Day.
However, he said General Kony is not happy to hear that many people of northern Uganda are still living in Internally Displaced People’s ( IDPs) camps even after they have signed cessation of hostilities with the government of Uganda two and half years ago and pledged not to return to another struggle in Uganda than allowing all Ugandan to live in peace.
ICC ARREST WARRANTS
Regarding the ICC, Matsanga requested Uganda government to ask ICC to suspend their arrest warrants on LRA leaders because LRA/M have signed enough documents for the government of Uganda to present to ICC besides the parties had discussed ICC issues in Juba talks for fourteen and half hours.
He call upon the permanent members of UN Security Council on the negotiating table in Juba to help in addressing ICC issues because the people of Uganda are not for ICC processes.
That ICC only comes in a situation where a country has collapse but that Uganda is not a failed state for ICC to found breading ground. The LRA/M team leader said the failed states were ICC could operates are Liberia, Serrialone, Kosovo and Serbia among others.
Any body attempting to block the resolution of lifting ICC arrest warrants on LRA leaders is actually causing anarchy for the people of northern Uganda, remarks Matsanga; adding that only a Ugandan special court would be the one to try the accused LRA leaders in Uganda.
The LRA spokesperson Matsanga warned that there are so many spoilers among Ugandan delegations and that he has already received many text messages telling him that he is haring very fast in signing peace deal.
Matsanga reiterated that LRA/M has combed all spoilers from within its delegations that resulted to the current team led by him and that those spoilers now shouting from outside but could not come closer to divide LRA/M any more.
He appeals to international community for supply of 5000 tens and provision of sanitary implements and services to LRA forces at Riikwambwa assembles point.
When briefing traditional chiefs delegations who came from Gulu to witness the final signing, LRA team leader Matsanga assured them that General Kony was committed to signing comprehensive peace deal but a his hide out location around Riikwabwa where the mediator would have to charter Helicopter to transport some few witnesses to see General Kony appending his signature on the truce then it would be brought to Juba for Ugandan president to complete endorsement in present of invited other head of states governments.
According to Senior Lawyer Caleb Alaka from Kampala that Joseph Kony has given okay to represent him in the ICC case in Hague and will leave on Tuesday to register an application requesting ICC to suspend their warrant of arrest on LRA leaders to enable the com to sign the final deal IN Juba the capital of southern Sudan. Lawyer Alaka said the process will at least require seven days to complete.
Hence LRA wanted the final agreement to be sign on 28th March this year in order to give chance for Joseph Kony to prepare to come and sign the final agreement.
LRA WALK OUT
A reliable source from negotiating table says amid tremendous progress made on Juba peace talk, LRA team leader, David Nyekorach Matsanga became wild and calling name to government delegations, spoilers and thieves as he walked out at the last minute when the chief mediator demanded from the two parties to fix a ceremonial final date for signing a deal that will be witness by heads of states and governments. The government delegation says they are going to consult with president then they will communicate with the chief mediator later.
The source further attributes the arrogances of LRA team leader Matsanga to the time when they were drafting the final documents, the Donor conflict of interests emerged over the final implementation programme and that donors had wanted the Vice President to retire soon after the final agreement was reached in order to pave way for the European Union who had lobbied Ugandan delegation in order to take charge of implementation process as they alleged that Machar had a lot of work to do besides being in charge of mediation.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants on 8th July and 27th September 2005 against Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lakwena, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen but it was kept under seal until 13th October 2005 when it was send to countries where LRA is active-Uganda, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. These were the first warrants issued by ICC since its establishment in 2002.
Despite signing peace agreement with LRA/M, Ugandan government is yet left with one rebel group of Allies Democratic Forces (ADF) led by Jamil Mukulu, hails from Muganda ethnic tribe but lives alternating in Nairobi Kenya and London and he is alleged to be getting support from Arabs world while soldiers compose of Muslim Busoga tribe who occasionally sneak out from their hide out base in the Democratic Republic of Congo to terrorized innocent people of Western Uganda.
Peace talks have been going on between the government of Uganda and the LRA under mediation of Riek Machar, the Vice President of the government of Southern Sudan since 14th July 2006 and have now reached final stage by today’s agreements.
Earlier there were several mediators who have failed to bring LRA on a negotiating table and among them were the Catholic Community of Sant Egidio, Jimmy cater Center Initiatives and Ugandan’s Betty Bigombe who did not even manage to meet Joseph Kony during her 1994 talk initiative. At the time when Goss took charge of mediating, LRA had gone under ground without communicating with outside world particularly with the media for nineteen years.
(ST)