Hope remains for imminent end to Uganda’s 22-year war

WASHINGTON D.C. (14 April 2008) – After weeks of intense speculation, Joseph Kony, the elusive leader of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army’s (LRA), has continued to delay signing a final peace deal that would bring an official end to his 22-year rebellion and Africa’s longest running war. Though this development presents a setback to the negotiations process, caution and creativity on the part of negotiators and mediators can still encourage Kony to sign the agreement. If the LRA leader ultimately discontinues his engagement of the process, the Government of Uganda, with the support of its international partners, should act unilaterally to implement key components of the Final Peace Agreement (FPA), a move that would sustain the progress toward peace made during the past two years.

“Joseph Kony’s delayed signing is understandably frustrating, given the hard work and courage of those who have labored for almost two years to keep this peace process in motion,” says Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director of Resolve Uganda. “But by no means does it spell the death of this agreement.” The FPA is the culmination of negotiations between the Ugandan government and LRA since mid-2006, mediated by the Government of South Sudan. The process has been challenged by periodic delays, doubts about the credibility of those negotiating on behalf of the rebel group and questions of the Ugandan government’s commitment to a peaceful resolution. Still, all parties were hopeful last Thursday that Kony would sign the final agreement at the Ri-Kwangba site in southern Sudan.

“It seems likely that Kony was apprehensive about signing an agreement without clearer guarantees for his own personal and security,” says Peter Quaranto, Resolve Uganda’s Senior Researcher. “Now, more than ever, sustained international involvement and outside-the-box creative thinking is needed to keep dialoguing directly with Kony and induce him to come out of the bush. Given the volatile region and risks of escalated violence, renewed military operations by the Ugandan army must remain a last resort.”

“Ultimately, peace in northern Uganda doesn’t have to depend on the actions of Joseph Kony. If the Ugandan government pledges to uphold the commitments it made during the negotiations process to help redevelop war-affected areas and make amends for the crimes committed during the war, peace can still be achieved. A separate strategy can then be put in motion to deal with remaining LRA forces, who are likely to operate on the border areas of Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan,” says Quaranto. “There are several important mechanisms of the Final Peace Agreement that can be implemented with or without the LRA.” This specifically includes jumpstarting the stalled $606 million Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP), setting up the infrastructure for disarmament and demobilization, and establishing a new investigatory body to facilitate truth telling processes.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that this peace agreement is also about restoring the Ugandan government’s relationship with people of northern Uganda who have endured the brutal consequences of this war,” says Poffenberger. “The international community has a critical role to play in helping the Museveni government to take such steps for lasting peace and national healing. The progress made thus far must not be reversed.”

For more information, see www.resolveuganda.org