UGANDAÂÂ31/12/2003Â12:01
ACHOLI DISTRICTS, MISSIONARY: âGREAT PARTICIPATIONâ AT PEACE MARCH
This morningâs peace march organised by ARLPI (Acholi Religious Leadersâ Peace Initiative) in the city of Gulu, the main town in the northern Ugandan district of the same name, calling for an end to the violence in the north of the country, âwas more successful than expected,â Father Carlos Rodriguez Soto, told MISNA. According to the Comboni missionary and spokesman of the inter-religious cartel engaged in mediating between the government and the rebels of the self-styled LRA (Lordâs Resistance Army) since 1998, âat least 3,000, maybe 3,500 peopleâ took part in the march, this year in its fifth edition, which saw âespecially the participation ofthe Lango and Teso religious leadersâ. At the end of the march, which finished at Saint Monicâs Tailoring School, the participants listened to the message, which will also be sent to the LRA rebels and to the government, in which the religious leaders of the four major confessions (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and Muslim) in Uganda call for an end to violence. The mood during the march âwas absolutely serene,â Father Soto told MISNA, adding that todayâs demonstration âdemonstrated that no-one is against the Acholi and that the common desire is for peaceâ.
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