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The Monitor (Kampala)
November 18, 2003
Posted to the web November 18, 2003
Emma Mutaizibwa
Parliament
Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu has said mistrust amongst members of the Presidential Peace Team could frustrate efforts to restore peace in northern Uganda.
"Some of us are taken as rebels," Mr Okumu, a member of the team, said while appearing before the House committee on Defence and Internal Affairs yesterday.
"There is lack of trust. At some occasion I was taken to be a double-crosser. Meetings were held behind my back in Gulu."
The MPs had invited members of the peace team to evaluate their progress.
The peace team was set up on August 14, 2002 to negotiate an end to the conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, which has been running since 1988.
Okumu said efforts to restore peace should be re-focused.
"You know even the President [Yoweri Museveni] does not trust me," he said.
Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh and Pader Woman MP Santa Okot are the most committed members on the team, Okumu said.
Mr Eriya Kategaya, the former minister of Internal Affairs, heads the peace team.
During the committee meeting, Mr Odonga Otto (Aruu) clashed with Dr S.P. Kagoda, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The two men disagreed over who violated the ceasefire during last year's aborted talks between the peace team and the LRA.
Kagoda, who is also the co-ordinator of the peace team, told the committee that the LRA violated the ceasefire.
But Otto disputed Kagoda's assertion, labelling him a liar.
"You are a liar. It is the Division 5 under the command of Col. John Mugume who attacked Pajule [venue for the peace talks] with helicopter gunships before the LRA began their attacks," he said. "Gen. Saleh was even blocked from moving to the venue of the talks at Acholi-pii camp."
He said that it seems some people deliberately frustrated the September 2002 talks.
"Before the talks could take place, Reagan's life was threatened," he said.
"The intelligence officer of Operation Iron Fist, Lt. Col. Charles Otema, went on radio playing tapes of Museveni abusing Kony. I don't know why he chose this time."
Otto warned against commercialising efforts to restore peace.
"Saleh should stop offering money to those who want to return from the bush. Most of them aren't genuine," he said.
"The Chief of Staff of the LRA Kolo yesterday [Sunday] called me and said that the money is being offered to people in Gulu town who aren't rebels but pretenders."
