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The Monitor (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
December 23, 2003
Posted to the web December 23, 2003
Kampala
It would be irresponsible if anyone started gloating over the reported difficulties the Arrow Group militia is facing now.
The young men who joined this force were supposed to supplement army operations against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army forces in Teso and for a while they were reported to be making a useful contribution. The plot, however seems to be tittering on the brink of collapse.
Some politicians from the sub-region say the army has treated the militia shabbily, but the army claims the ministry of Finance is not being co-operative; while the boys are convinced somebody is exploiting them. A fuzzy picture is what we are left with at the end of the day.
When Arrow Group was initiated the enthusiasm of some of Teso's elite, blinded many people to the need to have a coherent structure under which the militia would be administered. Consequently, an artificial and fragile chain of command filled the vacuum.
The army at one time insisted the boys should fight alongside its forces but this quickly led to friction with the militiamen saying the regular soldiers were not serious about engaging the rebels.
In one of the worst incidents an 'arrow man' shot dead a soldier when he reportedly refused to join a firefight.
Critics of deploying militia tactics warned at the outset that the country run the risk of tribalising the conflict in the political north. Others pointed out that this could be an admission that the Uganda People's Defence Forces has been outwitted by what government continues to call a ragtag band.
While these might look like the product of simple administration-related hiccups, there is the lingering suspicion that the problems Arrow Group has run into fit into the pattern of past failed local initiatives to confront the LRA.
Ms Betty Bigombe, the former minister in the north was frustrated by elements in government for unknown reasons. The religious leaders' efforts have equally been sneered upon, while the politicians are labelled rebel collaborators.
Together with the ghost soldier phenomenon, Arrow Group's troubles only reinforce certain cynicism at the Movement government's commitment ending this insurgency.
