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The East African (Nairobi)
October 27, 2003
Posted to the web October 29, 2003
B. Musinguzit, Special Correspondent
Nairobi
AFTER INTENSE lobbying by Ugandan civil society groups, the European Union Security Commission last week held its first discussion on the Joseph Kony-led rebellion in northern Uganda and called for an end to the military option being pursued currently.
"The EU is not keen on the military option that has been pursued and failed. Rather, we believe in a peaceful solution," a member of the EU Security Commission, told The EastAfrican last week.
The discussion was aimed at identifying how the commission could contribute to finding a peaceful solution to the 17-year old conflict, that has led to the loss of thousands of lives.
The Netherlands Minister for Development Co-operation, Agnes van Ardenne, who was also in Uganda last week said: "The EU explored the possibility of bringing President Yoweri Museveni and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony together to start a dialogue."
During a tour of war-ravaged northern Uganda, Ms Ardenne met leaders of civil society organisations operating in the area and visited the internally displaced people's camp in Pagak, north of Gulu town. In their recommendations to the international community, civil society groups in Gulu called for an end to the conflict by prevailing upon the warring parties to pursue peace through dialogue, preferably with the involvement of a third party mediator in a neutral country agreed upon by the parties involved.
"We see no light at the end of the tunnel, but rather the continued cycle of abductions by the LRA and poverty, all exacerbating the conflict," Ms Ardenne said.
A recent example is how the 2002 child-rescue military operation "Operation Iron Fist" applied concurrently with the Amnesty Commission, led to increased child abductions and worsened the humanitarian situation.
Unicef estimates show that over 18,000 adults and about 10,000 children were abducted between 1990 and 2001. Since Operation Iron Fist began, about 8,000 children and the same number of adults have been abducted by the LRA.
Most of the adults were released but more than half of the children have not been accounted for to date, and are believed to have either died or are still in captivity. The majority are abducted from internally displaced peoples (IDP) camps set up by government, purportedly to offer protection to the civilian population.
Over 1.2 million people are displaced in the war-torn region and are living in makeshift shelters at various IDP camps dotted all over the Acholi sub-region.
Ms Ardenne said there was need for commitment to a ceasefire agreement by both the government and LRA if any meaningful peace efforts were to be achieved.
Ms Ardenne, who was in the region to evaluate the ongoing peace processes in East Africa and the Horn of Africa also attended the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting held in Kampala last week.
In her talks with heads of government, ministers and representatives of civil society in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, she reaffirmed her government's commitment to assist the Great Lakes region.
The Netherlands has had a long term aid relationship with Rwanda and Uganda, while in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, it has been involved in humanitarian aid, peace initiatives, disarmament and the reintegration of former combatants.
In her meeting with President Museveni, she emphasised the need to extend the mandate of the Amnesty Commission, currently handling issues to do with rebels giving up rebellion.
"The Amnesty Act and Commission are confidence and trust building measures. They are doing a good job, active in reconciliation, giving amnesty to ex-rebels and we think they should continue," she said.
The mandate of the Amnesty Commission expires on January 17, 2004, and its chairman, Justice Peter Onega, is optimistic it might be extended.
