What next if the current offensive does not smoke out the LRA?

By Peter Otika

December 17, 2008 — The peace talks between the Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA, and the Uganda government is officially over. The ongoing attacks and aggression against the rebels launched by the Ugandan government hit the last nail on the coffin.

Since the LRA declared cessation of hostility and ceasefire two years ago, the people of northern Uganda have been enjoying peace and tranquility, a rare treat they have never had since 1986. But the current aggression towards the rebels by the Ugandan government is the biggest worry as people fear the rebels will recommit to war and try to revenge. If that happens, the suffering and deaths of people in northern Ugandan will continue or even worsen.

To understand the dynamics of this war, we need to know the background to it. This war that started way back in 1987, when Holy Spirit rebels (led by Joseph Kony) launched a military rebellion against the government of Yoweri Museveni, a former rebel himself. A year earlier, Museveni had just overthrown another government and became president of Uganda.

This war has continued since then and thousands of civilians have been killed, raped and maimed both by the rebels and the Ugandan army. Both sides have been involved in committing these atrocities and using children as soldiers in their ranks. Museveni used children in what became known as the “Kadogo,” a Swahili word for small or the young one. The LRA, on the other hand have been accused of abducting children and using them to fight for them.

Fast-forward to present, many peace talk attempts have been made. Some were initiated by the rebels, some by Uganda government or its officials. But most were initiated by religious and community leaders. The most hopeful peace talk was the one that just collapsed in Juba, Sudan. I call this the most promising because the signing of the peace agreement between the rebels and the Ugandan government led to two-years of peace in the region and compelled the rebels to stop fighting and withdraw from the region. Even the international community has been very excited at the prospects this agreement brought. Sadly and unfortunately, the Ugandan government has decided to choose the path of war and thereby bringing to an end, the just ushered in much needed peace.

Many pro-Museveni and war-hungry agitators say the LRA refused to sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and that is why the government has decided to fight the rebels once more. This group of thought argues that the LRA do not want to sign the final peace agreement and are playing tricks. They stop short of mentioning the fact that President Museveni who is a party to this peace agreement has not signed it either. Which brings us to another point which is; should we start another phase of war just because someone did not sign a piece of paper? The LRA has respected the cessation of hostility agreement made in 2006 and ever since then, they have not return to attack Uganda. Could this peace process have been saved without ever having the Uganda government shoot a single bullet?

The final peace agreement in its present form is not acceptable to the LRA and they have been very clear about it. One concern is the issue of the LRA officers’ indictment by the International Criminal Court or the ICC. The ICC wants to try the LRA leaders for alleged war crimes they have committed including killing, abduction of children and other crimes. The peace agreement is very vague on this and does not address these concerns. The LRA have agreed to face war and trial for any crimes, if it is all open and fair. But it appears that the Ugandan government wanted to trick the rebels into coming out of the bushes, arrest them and hand over them to ICC. Although this is not the official position of the Ugandan government, all signs point to such a move. But logically, the ICC has no police or army and has to rely on governments like that of Uganda to enforce their arrest warrants.

Secondly, the LRA have demanded that their combatants be reintegrated into the Ugandan National Army and that their political and military officers be given Ministerial or senior government positions in the Ugandan government. The peace agreement does not address this either and the Museveni government does not want anything to do with that. With such rigidity, the peace talk had dug its own grave and was destined for an abysmal failure.

To many people, the LRA is just a bunch of criminals who should be hunted down and killed to the last one. There is some truth to that. But to many Ugandans, the so-called tricks or lack of interest to sign the peace agreement is not new in Ugandan politics. In 1986, Yoweri Museveni signed a peace agreement with General Tito Okello Lutwa in Nairobi Kenya promising to join hands with Lutwa to end the war he started and rebuild Uganda. Naive enough, Lutwa took him seriously and believed in each and every promise Museveni made. The next thing we saw was Museveni marching his troops into the heart of Kampala overthrowing Lutwa’s government. The Nairobi peace agreement he had signed was shelved and later thrashed.

Similarly, Museveni has made agreements with many of his political and military opponents, only to break them the next day. Some of his opponents have ended up in secret jails, some feared dead, others mysteriously disappearing; and the lucky ones fleeing to exile. With such a record of a man who with tight control over the army and intelligence services, signing any agreement with him and hoping it will be honored is taken with a grain of salt.

Ugandan politics has always sadly centered around guns, violence, corruption and suppression of opposition. This culture is as instilled into the government as it is in its history. Most crimes go unpunished and corruption in government ranks has been at its apex since Museveni became president over two decades ago. The Ugandan army has killed thousands of people unabated, especially in the northern region of the country. In fact, their human rights abuse record is as dirty as those of the rebels they pursue or blame. With such an army record, many Ugandans who live in northern Uganda have been left to choose between which is worse, instead of which is better. To them, both the LRA and the Ugandan army have killed, tortured and abused them and if there is a need for justice, both should be put on trial.

The hopes and wishes of local people especially those in the Acholi sub-region have been that this short-lived peace would be permanent. In fact, they have forgiven the rebels and offered them “Mato Oput” or reconciliation with the hope that they will end the war. So far, the rebels had kept their side of the promise and have since never come to attack the locals. But the Ugandan government, ICC and outsiders to northern Uganda have to the contrary, been pushing for war or trial. This position is contrary to the needs of the people who are suffering in northern Uganda. At this time, there is a need to listen to the call of the local people and allow them to help in the peaceful ending of the war.

Africans and Ugandans especially, should realize that twenty two years of war in the Great Lakes of Africa is devastating. Any Ugandan leader that shuns peace and chooses the path of war should be boldly told to stop and or be rejected. It is the many wars that Uganda has been involved in that have destroyed, divided and tarnished the image of Uganda abroad. Today, Uganda is the laughing stock of her East African neighbors. Even foreign investors and citizens of the other East African countries fear to invest in Uganda because they fear our entrenched war culture will destroy their investments. War has been the order of the day since 1979 in Uganda. We the citizens of Uganda need to take it as our responsibility to reject war and promote peace and development. We need to keep the army out of the presidency and instead, demand for a democratic and accountable leadership that will not only benefit us but our children and grandchildren.

The election of United States new President Barack Obama should be an awakening for Ugandans, a sign that violence will not be the face of U.S. diplomacy. In fact, rumors on the streets say, Ugandan government is rushing to shoot and finish the LRA within the next few weeks before President Obama takes office because they fear President Obama will not back them for the war option. Obama promises to support those committed to peace, not war. President Obama should stick to his words and put pressure on oppressive military and anti-democratic minded African leaders like President Museveni of Uganda by pressing for peaceful dialogue. President Obama should tie foreign aid to actual commitment to peace, justice, human rights and democracy in the region. He should deny military and foreign aid support to leaders and countries that are not practically committed to these ideals.

After two decades of instability both inside and to the neighbors of Uganda, we as citizens of Uganda need to re-evaluate our support and the role of our president Yoweri Museveni in all these wars. We need to expose what he has done or not done in either flaming or defusing the wars. We need to question whether Museveni is a solution or the problem in the Great Lakes of Africa. Finally, what do we do next if the current offensive does not smoke out the LRA?

The author is an Achloi from northern Uganda, currently based in the USA. He may be reached via email at [email protected].