Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
By Steve Paterno
April 6, 2008 — For those who don’t know yet the self-imposed Lord Resistance Army (LRA) mediator, Riak Machar, the Vice President of autonomous South Sudan region, by now they must have some pretty good idea who the fellow is. For starters, this fellow is accustomed to being fooled, not just on April Fools Day, but in many occasions that even include life and death situation. A perfect example among others was when he signed a bogus peace agreement (The 1997 Khartoum Peace Agreement) with Khartoum while he was the head of Khartoum backed militia of South Sudan against the SPLA. That agreement came to be derided as April Fools Agreement due to the facts it make no sense and lacks substance or credibility.
Typical of Riak Machar’s habit, he dove right in and immersed himself in the LRA saga by imposing himself as the mediator for the peace talks between the LRA and Uganda government—to the extent that the LRA Chief, Joseph Kony, became his dictator. Just few days ago, in euphoria, Riak Machar trotted around to inform people to get ready for a grand breaking news of the signing ceremony for the peace agreement between the LRA and Uganda government, in Juba, South Sudan on March 28th, 2008. He declared the date “a very important day.” One wonders how far he went with that preparation which would have involved killing bulls and making few invitations for foreign dignitaries. But for sure, there was never any signing ceremony on March 28th, 2008, leave alone the significance of that day to be termed “a very important day.”
In another upbeat enthusiasm, Riak Machar changed his story by declaring that there were going to be two grand signing ceremonies; one at the bush in Ri-Kwangba on April 3rd, and another in Juba on April 5th. The proposed dates will all pass without any single signing ceremony. As has been reported, it turned out that the LRA chief, Joseph Kony is not even in Ri-Kwangba, but in the Central African Republic, alleged to have been suffering from diarrhea that he could not even move.
Currently, some random dates are selected for signing the peace agreement; April 10th & 14th, 2008. Apparently, it became clear that Joseph Kony does the fixing of the signing dates randomly, and all Riak Machar had to do was to agree with him. Kony keeps pushing the signing days further with the hope that he never signs any peace deal. And even if he signs, it will make no difference because he will still remain at large in his hideout in the jungles. Speaking of symbolism, what does a peace deal signed in the jungle symbolize anyway?
At any rate, all the indications from the start shows that peace talks with the LRA will not be fruitful. The LRA has no credible agenda beside their brutal image to enable them get any political credence. They tried the Ten Commandment agenda, but it did not work. So they brought in the Uganda opportunistic “Diasporans” to negotiate on their behalf; they failed as well because they were not credible themselves—so detached from Kony’s world. Every time they tried to throw the power sharing agenda into the negotiation, it flies back in their faces, and the Kony’s Holy Spirit is never there to intervene.
The LRA delegation is in difficult credibility problem to negotiate on behalf of the LRA. For example, the current head of the delegation, David Matsanga, nicknamed Nyekorach, is not only a controversial figure, but an opportunist who even recently went on the record demonizing the LRA. Though he never passed an opportunity to benefit personally from the LRA as he made his way through to be the head of the LRA negotiating team. The previous head of the delegation, Martin Ojul was of course fired by the LRA chief for allegedly getting bribes from the Uganda government. It is said that the Uganda government has infiltrated the LRA delegation pretty well, of course through bribes. The LRA delegation is only good at conning the mediators for peace talk money. Case in point is when the delegation requested money for workshop, supposedly to be conducted in Nairobi, and after going to Nairobi they all disappeared without conducting any workshop. Beside, they deliberately delay the negotiation just to get on vacation in cities while the real Acholi they claim to be representing were rotting in squalid displaced camps across Northern Uganda. For the LRA delegation, this opportunity for peace talk becomes a money-making opportunity.
And then, there is the Uganda government, which of course, has no interest in negotiating with the LRA. In reality, it is not in the government interest to negotiate with LRA, because the LRA is already out of Ugandan territory. They were squeezed and put on the run to live with wild animals at the Garamba National Park in the Congo. Secondly, the Uganda army had been hunting down the LRA inside Sudan and willing to pursue them in their hideout in Congo. Thirdly, the Uganda government used the global war on terrorism as strategy to put pressure to bear on the LRA with the hope that LRA leaders would be routed out with high-tech weapons as in the case of the USA against al-Qaeda terrorist leaders. In short, the Ugandan government is confident to pursues the LRA militarily and hope that they will eventually defeat them. After all, the LRA is only numbered in less than eight hundred teenage combatants and the Uganda government is on record defeating several Uganda rebel groups.
Now, the Uganda government is falling back to their desired plan “B” of confronting the LRA militarily even if it means in-hot-pursuit by invading hosting countries. This plan is well founded since the Uganda government already signed a security pact with the great lakes countries and U.N. peacekeepers to pursue the LRA militarily. Among those advocating to activate this plan within the Uganda military is Major Paddy Ankunda, the Uganda Army Spokesman. Major Ankunda is a young raising star within Uganda army. He has once, as a captain, been one of the Uganda government delegations in Juba peace talk. He is also very much involved in Uganda army foreign intervention policy by being deployed with the Uganda army contingent in foreign countries like Somalia. Major Paddy Ankunda epitomizes the vision of Ugandan army as envisioned by President Yoweri Museveni
In the Ugandan Monitor edition of March 31, 2008, Major Ankunda published an article title, “Time for Action Against Lord’s Resistance Army.” In the article, Major Ankunda justifies a strong military action against the LRA and concludes “whether the talks succeed or not, the current peace in northern Uganda will not be derailed.” This is so partly because the LRA are no longer in Northern Uganda. There is no doubt that the Uganda army will soon activate the plan B option of confronting the LRA militarily.
As for the South Sudan beloved Vice President, Riak Machar, he will continue to enjoy being fooled around. For the people of South Sudan, Machiavelli has a better advice for them to get a real leader. A good leader as Machiavelli would metaphorically advise, that it “does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defenses and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous.”
Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]
Gatwech
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Steve Paterno,
It is no wonder that any mouth-piece of the National Congress Party (NCP) would not appreciate the excellent job done by our Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar in order to consolidate peace in Southern Sudan and in the neighbouring countries.
This is simply because the NCP and its agents like yourself want to destabilize Southern Sudan using different elements including the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and therefore ending the LRA war peacefully is a failure to their destabilizing strategies in Greater Equatoria region.
While the whole world including Southern Sudan and Uganda are appreciating Dr. Riek Machar for his successful peace mediation, the NCP and its agents are burning up with gealousy and hatred. Shame on you!
How come you claim to know Dr. Riek Machar when you cannot even spell his name correctly.
The Khartoum Peace Agreement you nicknamed as April Fools Day which was signed by Dr. Riek Machar in 1997 gave you for the first time, if you are really a Southerner at heart, the right to self-determination and to be exercised in a referendum. This is also now embodied in the CPA and of course the most important clause in the CPA that the SPLM leaders are very proud to have achieved.
Don’t lose sight for just being a stooge of NCP. There is something more than this for you.
It is not the first time or something new in peacemaking that datelines for signing ceremonies can be changed.
The CPA itself changed its dateline for signing ceremony from December 31, 2004 to January 9, 2005. It is not new at all.
What we need is that Joseph Kony inks the agreement for his organization on any given date as soon as possible. And tell the NCP that this will happen whether they like it or not.
Duop Chak
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Even if you have thrown all you can in one tub, hoping something is going to happen, there still going to be no change in the real subject. You must think logically and bear in mind that wishful thinking has no room in real world and it is also been known for its quick shameful disappearances and as matter of fact never stay alive. I don’t want him/her to do such a thing because of whatever reason doesn’t work anymore—such a claim must be well-design to survive. Dr Machar is doing what he was given to do by the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS).
Gatluak Wech
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Your hatred to Dr Riek Machar will do nothing but mental harm to your self and this is no joke.
young paul
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Good Job Comrade Steve Paterno
We odd to give this womanizer Riak Machar , some credit for doing what H.E Kiir , once mention in his first visit to USA and I am sure comrade Steven Paterno, was there at American University , when Kiir declared that if International court can’t apprehend Josehp kony, then they GOSS will have to do some thing so as not to destabilize their backyard. So this mediation was bless by GoSS and the ruling party SPLM supports it. But I agree with the professional analytic of Steve, in predicting that we are in a losing game here with this lunatic Josehp kony, .On the character of Machar, you nailed this fool right, you did a wonderful job putting him where he belongs. I don’t know what to do with this stupid idiot Gatluk Wech, who doesn’t known, who is the real stooge of NCP. He needs to shut up, and stop support Riak Macha, because he is a Nuer like him, he should have learn a least some thing from the article of Luka Dak, and for comrade Steve, keep up the good job you have turned out to be a very potential asset to people of South Sudan.Rest assured you have our support until all the traitor are expose
young paul
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Gatwech Just Logic and Facts
Mr. Gatwech, you same to make some sense, this is why I said let‘s give some credit to Machar, and my advise to Gutluak was to stop supporting Machar, blindly for the sick that he is a Nure like him.You know very well that this stupid blind support of Nurism, have cause Nuer a lot not only in prospective of how others perceive them to be subhuman. But the heinous atrocity they committed to other communities and to themselves prove that there is some thing wrong with Nuer culturally if not psychological. No doubt the enemies have taken this Nure self distractive syndrome and use them as distractive tools to meet the enemies end goal. Yes, machar , was once a true leader before his self ego turn him to one of the worst enemy South Sudan had very witness. H.E Machar is suffering from an incurable disease call Hideous syndrome, that is why he couldn’t control himself sexually with the wife of a pastor sent by her church from USA to help fed the dying poor Nuer children in those days when the highly learned Nuer on the earth Dr Machar considered himself anoint king of South Sudan. Yes, he is a wounded solider with all spots of guilt infest in his heart. Thou he is walking the road of repentance; there is some hope that his victims will grant him a second chance. As for gutluak, if he is doing those wonder things that you mention above for the welfare of our people God bless him. Tell him to stop following other he can be a leader on his own merit. No harm mentally just logic and facts
young paul
Uganda LRA pulled off another perfect prank on Mediator
Gatlual , your adoration for Dr Machar, seem to overridden the love of Angelina, one of his many wives. Gatlual, unless you are telling me that your love for this man have blindfolded you to the facts of his weak character. I know Machar personnel, and have access to him anytime, you don’t know maybe I am related to him. I don’t harbor any hatred against him, it’s his selfish character that I was point to. And these are facts that can’t be hidden. For your information I don’t have any complaint that needs to be pass to H.E Machar, not in my live time will I ever need any thing to do with this lunatic, for your information I also have access to H.E Kiir any time.