By Dr Okot Nyormoi & Dr Ocan Otim
Nov 15, 2003 - Monitor
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Friends for Peace in Africa (FPA) is a non-profit organisation based in the United States and Canada, and headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a mission to facilitate dialogue and empowerment and the implementation of conditions for full peace across Africa. We wish to express our appreciation to The Monitor for providing a forum through which people can express their ideas on how to end the 17-year old brutal war in northern Uganda. As well, we are heartened by the relentless efforts of individuals and organisations that continue to decry the horrors of this war and advocate for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. It was encouraging to hear the calls by Mr Sigurd Illing, the head of the European Union Delegation and most recently Mr Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, and Mr Jon Elliot, the deputy British High Commissioner, for a negotiated settlement of the war. However, though the government of Uganda has publicly stated its willingness to negotiate with the rebels, it was dismaying to hear Vice President Gilbert Bukenya give the same old excuses for delaying the start of real dialogue with the rebels. While the Vice President argues that the rebels are an illogical force, there is a growing perception that the government of Uganda is missing a golden opportunity for change by stubbornly insisting on a military solution while rebels continue to wreak havoc on the people. In fact, it is illogical to remain inflexible in the face of the growing catastrophe in northern Uganda and a growing realisation by the international community that the military approach is not the answer to ending the war. FPA, therefore, endorses your editorial comments entitled, "Accept Outside Help On Rebels" that was published on November 11. It further reinforces the Prof. Dani Nabudere Report on the war in the North that was discussed very recently in Kampala. We particularly applaud the four specific recommendations that were made in the Nabudere Report. They include the following: "The first is the need to involve the international community to prevail on the parties to agree to a ceasefire and appoint a third party mediator to act as a go-between the parties to initiate the talks. The second is the need to hold a political and constitutional national conference to be attended by all the political parties and other stakeholders, including civil society organisations, representatives of the Church and traditional institutions. The conference should be a forum where the demands of the Lord's Resistance Army and other armed groups as well as those of the political parties, can be discussed and resolved. The third step is the need to embark immediately on the resettlement of the displaced population and the dismantling of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps. No time should be lost as talks begin, the IDPs, the returning abductees and former rebels should find a new life in their villages, which they abandoned due to insecurity. However, this alone will not result in amity in the communities, and hence the need for a fourth step. This is the facilitation of the communities to embark on lower level reconciliation processes. Reconciliation at a national level will not cure the trauma suffered by the communities unless this is combined with reconciliation between individuals, families, clans, religions and the communities at large". The generous offer by Under-Secretary Egeland to help with humanitarian needs in the disturbed areas is a step in the right direction. However, the urgency to move forward with any peace initiative must be balanced with the critical need for security. The combatants, unarmed civilians and organisations involved in humanitarian work, must feel secure enough to participate in the process of peace making. FPA requests that the UN, the African Union or other international organisations be given the important role of providing security in the disturbed areas. This will help separate the combatants, facilitate the necessary humanitarian work and, more importantly, create the necessary conditions for the combatants to come together for dialogue. This might be particularly important for encouraging the rebels, who have been put on the list of international terrorists, to come out and negotiate with the government. While we agree with Vice President Bukenya that we may be dealing with illogical situations in this war, it will be tragic if we allow that to stop us from looking for creative ways to solve the problem. The writers are senior members of the FPA. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
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