Do Not Make Fr. Carlos a Sacrificial Lamb
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The Monitor (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
April 4, 2004
Posted to the web April 4, 2004
Kampala
The army has once again called for the deportation of peace crusader Fr. Carlos
Rodriguez from Uganda, or at least from the northern part of the country.
While the army's reason for wanting him out last year was that it could not guarantee
his safety, this time round, according to army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza, the
priest is involved in stocking and dispatching an assortment of supplies to rebel
Joseph Kony and his bandits.
These are grave accusations but are in no way new. Two years ago, Fr. Carlos was shot
at as he made contact with rebels on behalf of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace
Initiative (ARPI).
The army said then, that he had been delivering supplies to the rebels, else why were
they not notified.
usually, the first casualty of any war, internal or foreign, is the truth. As such,
the truth of the activities of Fr Carlos and the UPDF in their efforts to end the war
in the north - one by peaceful means and the other by blood and iron - may forever be
buried in the murky depths of war propaganda.
But one thing is worthy of note, Fr Carlos cannot be a 'superman' who is the reason
the army has failed to end the war in the north for the last 17 years.
Removing him from the scene will therefore do nothing to end the war if the army does
not address its own internal weaknesses that have given strength to the rebels.
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The frustration that comes with the failure to end the war in this part of the country
should not be poured on a lone missionary who has risked his life many times to
advance the cause of peace in the north.
Instead, more energy should be put towards exploring alternative means of ending the
insurgency given that 17 years of blood and iron have only spawned more blood and iron.
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