| Letters |
Why Kony will not stop fighting
Ekweu Charles
I would like to comment on the peace attempt between the government and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on the war in the north. Many Ugandans still wonder why the UPDF can not have meaningful peace talk with the Lords Resistance Army. I think the answer dates back to the days of the famous Nairobi Peace Talks in 1985.The collapse of Obote and UPC was among other factors, due to the pressure created by various rebel groups and especially the National Resistance Army that was quite organised, as well as the internal conflict within the Uganda National Liberation Army (Acholi Segment and the Langi segment).
The UPC government lost the battle and Tito Okello took over power apparently without a clear political wing. Faced with these problems, the government of Tito Okello invited the NRM political leadership whom they referred to as �our brothers� to come out of fighting and head for a power sharing deal, now that Obote was gone.
It was also during this time that Tito Okello�s government hurriedly assembled a political wing that was outwitted by the NRM. This deal that was tabled in Nairobi failed largely due to what was described as mistrust by both parties.
The Tito team accused the NRM of not keeping their part of the bargain,and the NRM in turn accused them of having a mediocre programme and continuing to kill Ugandans.
On the other hand, the government of Okello and those who believed in the 1985 coup claim that they did the spade work and handed over State House to the NRM easier than they would have got it.
The military junta thereafter lost power to the NRA/NRM. This acted as a confirmation of the mistrust and that problem has not been sorted up to now. Soon the northern war started.
But what we should know is that the LRA will never have a political agenda even if it extends its bush life for the next 10 years. They seem to fight the government because they believe Okello lost power unfairly.
The likes of Kony and his LRA still think that the NRA has not ch anged much and therefore trusting them would be a disaster; that is why they don�t respect even the benefits of the amnesty granted to them.
Therefore to achieve meaningful peace talks, government should build a confidence level that will be aggreable to the rebels but without harming the civilian population and itself.
Let us go to the population with a comprehensive political, social and economic programme, and tell them that the NRM government has not neglected the north and that there is a package that can be unveiled should the war end.
Let us tell them that there is better life after war and that it is necessary to settle down and embark on productive activities.
October 29, 2002 23:23:14
Gook
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