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UN Security Council to discuss Uganda peace process

By James Gatdet Dak

June 18, 2008 (JUBA) — The United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)-affected areas and former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, is expected to brief the UN Security Council on June 20, 2008, in New York, on the status of the Uganda peace process, according to a statement published by UN sources.

According to the statement the meeting is likely to focus on the increasingly bleak prospects for the peace process between the Ugandan government and the LRA in the light of the failure of LRA leader Joseph Kony to sign the final peace agreement earlier this year. “There may be a review of possible options to revive the process,” the statement predicted.

The Juba peace process, by which a final accord was hoped to be signed by late March or early April, experienced a major setback with the refusal of Kony to sign the deal, insisting first on the removal of International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants against the LRA leadership.

After a series of delays, Kony sacked his chief negotiator and refused to show up for a much-publicized signing of the permanent truce scheduled for 10 April in Ri-Kwangba on the Sudan-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border.

In May the Ugandan government took steps to set up a Special Division of the Uganda High Court to try those accused of planning or carrying out war crimes and other attacks on civilians during the conflict.

The government highlighted this as an act of good faith to demonstrate its commitment to the peace process, at a time when Kony had refused to sign the final peace agreement, in an effort to build confidence among the LRA forces and encourage resumption of constructive engagement.

The Ugandan jurisdiction is preferred by the LRA to the ICC—although there is major uncertainty whether Kony would ever submit himself to the Ugandan High Court jurisdiction.

In early June, against the backdrop of reports that the LRA was re-arming and training for possible attacks, DRC, southern Sudan and Ugandan military officials held a series of meetings in Kampala to map out a strategy to curb LRA activity in the region, which seems to include military options.

At press time, it was unclear whether a new military offensive would materialize.

The key issue for the Security Council members is to get a clear sense of the current state of the peace process, including an assessment of whether it is retrievable. A related issue is consideration of how best to support the Juba peace process and prevent a relapse into conflict.

EUROPEAN SUPPORTS THE PEACE PROCESS TO CONTINUE

In a statement published by the ‘African Press Organization’ after a joint Council meeting between the European Union (EU) and the Great Lakes Region, which concluded on Monday, June 16, in Luxembourg, the ‘EU welcomes the facilitation efforts of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for LRA-affected areas, Joaquim Chissano, and of the vice-President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, and encourages them to continue’.

The Council, however, strongly deplores the fact that the LRA has not honoured its previously declared commitment to sign the Final Peace Agreement.

‘The EU condemns the recent abductions and demands that these and other serious breaches of international humanitarian and criminal law by the LRA come to an end. All abducted persons should immediately and unconditionally be released’ according to the statement.

The EU compliments the Government of Uganda on having constructively carried out the peace negotiations in Juba with the LRA. The Council encourages the Government of Uganda to honour the implementation of all applicable provisions of the agreements, in particular the Comprehensive Solutions and Accountability and Reconciliation, in order to stabilize the situation, ensure durable peace, respect international law and achieve full respect for human rights in Northern Uganda.

The Council welcomes the new High Court division to deal with serious war crimes, on the understanding, however, that its functioning will be in line with the provisions of the Rome Statute, establishing the ICC.

The Council reiterates that the EU will remain committed to supporting the peace process and fully upholding international law in full compliance with the mandate of the ICC.
LRA clashes with SPLA in Nimule

According to Reuters news agency, forces of the Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army have clashed with south Sudanese forces for a second time this month, Uganda’s military said on Tuesday.

One guerrilla was killed and three captured on Sunday after LRA fighters raided the small town of Nimule, which lies on a major trade route between northern Uganda and the south Sudanese capital Juba, a Ugandan military spokesman said.

Officials from the southern Sudanese army (SPLA) could not immediately be reached for comment.

“About 30 rebels came to Nimule, abducted two people and looted food. On their way back they had a brief contact with the SPLA,” said Captain Chris Magezi, the Ugandan spokesman.
The battle will worry the authorities in Juba and Kampala because it broke out in an area that was once an LRA stronghold. The area had been relatively quiet since mid-2006 when the rebels moved deep into northeastern Congo’s lawless Garamba Forest after the Juba peace talks started.

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION IS A “CHEAPER’ OPTION

The Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chief Mediator of the Uganda Peace talks Dr. Riek Machar Teny said it is cheaper to persuade the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leadership to sign the Final Peace Agreement than to go for military option against the rebels.

In a press conference held in his office on Monday, Machar told a group of national and international journalists that the Government of Southern Sudan will continue engagement with the LRA to persuade its leadership to sign and implement in full the Final Peace Agreement (FPA).

Machar distributed to journalists the final copy of the Final Peace Agreement ready to be signed by President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Joseph Kony of LRA together with a summary report he compiled as the Chief Mediator on the peace talks recommending the continuation of a peaceful path to end the 22 years of war in northern Uganda.

“We are caught up in this war… and lost over six thousand people before the Juba peace talks started on July 16, 2006,” he said, referring to the number of Southern Sudanese killed over the years by the LRA before the peace process began.

Machar said security situation improved in Northern Uganda and in Greater Equatoria in the last two years during the Juba peace talks.

When asked by journalists whether it was easier to destroy the LRA through military means, Machar replied that “it is cheaper… and easier to destroy the LRA through peaceful means than through military means.”

The 22-year war in Northern Uganda is rated to be among the longest running and brutal wars in Africa which resulted in displacement of nearly two million people and killed tens of thousands in the region.

The Juba peace process was seen as the best chance to end this war which has crossed into international borders, posing a security threat regionally.

(ST)

4 Comments

  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    UN Security Council to discuss Uganda peace process
    Dear Compatriots,

    You see, Dr. Riek Machar’s peaceful strategies are being understood and supported internationally even if some ‘internet warriors’ do not understand or refuse to understand them locally. Thanks to the UN Security Council, the European Union (EU) and the Great Lakes Region for their understanding on how to handle this brutal war in Northern Uganda which threatens security of the whole region. May God bless Dr. Machar and those who stood behind him internationally on this mission of peace in the region. Cursed are the warmongers!

    LRA provoked into resort to killings, etc

    The LRA is already resorting to its previous activities in Southern Sudan by killing, abducting and looting our civilians, a matter which stopped or improved for the better in the last two years during the negotiations until they were provoked recently by premature decisions within our government and army.

    Now the LRA is back in Nimule, Magwi, Kajo-keji, Morobo, and probably could be around Juba like they did before the Juba peace talks began. Some have already crossed into Northern Uganda as reported by Kampala intelligent reports. Some are reported to have remained in Congo, probably some are within Western Equatoria state. You see how complicated the matter is now after miscalculations to declare a war when the SPLA could not even stop the LRA to move to those areas?

    To my own understanding of Dr. Machar’s strategy, probably he chose the LRA assembly area to be at the Western Equatoria state border with Congo so that they would not be able to recruit fighters among other Equatorian tribes that are sympathizing with the LRA or speak the same language with LRA fighters. He knew that the Azande people have different body feature and speak different language and would never join the LRA as their fighters unless abducted by force which they would also resist like they resisted the British colony successfully in the past. He wanted to confine the LRA in the assembly area to monitor their activities and minimize them.

    Now that the LRA is almost every where again in the whole of Greater Equatoria, convincing them to re-assemble again will take some time and hard work. And for some body to just write that it is easy to fight the LRA and flush them out is day dream. Now their number will start to increase quickly because they will be able to recruit from certain tribes that are closer to them and speak the same language. Also, the so-called Sudanese LRA will appear again and that was why, I think, Machar wanted the LRA far so that those Sudanese LRA could easily be identified or abandon their activities if they see that the Uganda LRA which name they use to kill and loot people is no longer in their midst. Those who want to sabotage the government from within, the NCP and some looters like the 9 Murle, 2 Dinkas and 3 Lokoyas who were recently captured in February while killing Equatorians in Kajo-Keji, Lanya and Yei in the name of LRA will now resume their criminal activities in the name of LRA. Can’t you see how some premature decisions complicate matters?

    Who is ready to fight the LRA now? Let me take Nimule where 30 LRA soldiers are reported to have looted the town. I hope it will now be the responsibility of Dinka Bor IDPs who are joined by their armed Dinka Bor civilians who ran away from disarmament in Jonglei state. The people of Madi are crying that the Dinka Bor IDPs are occupying their land, so let them contribute to defend it against the LRA. I hope this will be a chance for Dinka Bor to really fight since they could not fight well during the SPLM/A war, some were just hiding in Itang refugee camp in Ethiopia, Kakuma camp in Kenya and the rest went to Uganda while John Garang just used to promote them to the rank of commanders despite their idleness chewing and swallowing whatever they could put their hands on somewhere far from the frontline. Let them fight the LRA now in Nimule, atleast the current hot debate between the Dinka and Equatorians on ‘SouthSudannation.Com’ website would have some meaning and appreciation for the Dinkas.

    Sorry for any insults

    I want to tell you that I am sorry if I have insulted some body on this web. I was just trying to apply what my American Professor told me that if you want to successfully treat a mentally sick person or mad man who screams or even barks like a dog, you may not succeed to reason with him or her or just telling him or her to come down. He said what you can do is scream loudly or bark like a dog in his or her face. This mad person will suddenly stop, look at you surprisingly why you bark like a dog. He or she will then realize that barking like a dog is not good for a human being, and he or she will feel that he had done something wrong by barking like a dog. So some of you have the custom of insulting people,leaders and fathers with primitive direct insults. I tried my best to calm you down and re-direct you to constructive criticism but you did not learn! So I resorted to my professor’s advice to insult like you so that you could sense how bad insults are. I don’t like this uncivilized discussions on this web, but if there are any of you who need my treatment such as this, I will not hesitate to apply it again.

    Gatwech

    Reply
  • The Wiseman
    The Wiseman

    UN Security Council to discuss Uganda peace process
    Gatwech

    I am Sorry, had a lecturer stood before you? I am very sorry on the behalf of those lecturers who taught you but there is no change! Do not be writting their names for it is already a ruin!

    How can you emphasise education to your fellows if you reaally behave as if no lecturer once stood before you? I did not expect this!
    You are rigid always on who makes the statement but not what it contains.You will be like Riek Machar Teny who has papers but no mind.

    Reply
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