Army Must Prepare for Peace Time
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The Monitor (Kampala)
OPINION
May 6, 2004
Posted to the web May 6, 2004
Izama Angelo
Kampala
There is a very melancholy side to the roadside businesses along the highway to
northern Uganda. Signs like 'God is Great Bar', 'Lubanga Tia Restaurant' and 'Trust in
God' introduce one to the small shops as one approaches the conflict zone.
These shops are named in what appears to be an expression of the trauma suffered by
the local population as a result of the 18 years of insurgency in the middle north.
The frustration here is almost beyond words.
Considering the language of ordinary businesses, the pain of this Joseph Kony-led war
has permeated into the psyche of the society, which is now like the scarred acid
victim unable to look into the mirror to confront what he or she has become.
The fear and anxiety lingers in various disguised forms, the little hope left is
kicked by the wayside here where dusty villagers eke a living out of the leftovers of
a brutalised society. Life, it seems has gone numb in this part of the world.
Mothers must mourn their unborn children dreading the day they will be born only to
walk into the trap of one mad man called Kony.
Assurances from the army leadership that the war will soon are more of a mockery to
these suffering Ugandans.
Well, the war has not ended but another protocol between the two governments of Uganda
and Sudan is being pursued, this time allowing Uganda an opportunity for both ground
and air assault on the rebels inside Sudan, where they reportedly have rear bases.
Many sceptics will adopt the attitude, " it is not over, till it is over" since the
rebels despite several near defeats by the army continue to survive even within Sudan.
Kony seems to be the embodiment of "as long as you have not been defeated, you have
another chance to win".
Doubts persist among pessimists in the opposition of the capacity of the army or the
political leadership to end this war. The rebel Lord's Resistance Army has come to
resemble the Aids scourge in the minds of the usually apathetic Ugandan.
At first, "Kony kills, maims, rapes, cuts off peoples lips and boil's them alive" was
greeted with horror. Now people have grown used to news of the brutality. It is like
HIV/Aids, terminal yes, but you can live with it.
It would indeed be a sad day yet when Ugandans wake up to find that the victims of the
war have grown accustomed to the brutality and resigned themselves to the fact that
their countrymen do not really care for them.
Recently, there have been opinions that nothing short of a "regime change" can
galvanise the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces into taking the decisive action needed to
deal effectively with Kony.
Like most analysis on how to end the war, there is almost always a partisan twist to
how the facts are presented. A danger lurks here because it means while one can
perceive the problem, but without being alive to of the larger picture, the search for
a solution is lost.
There are currently tow arguments on how the rebellion can be brought to an end; peace
talks or war but the dynamics of how to bring the country around to appreciating these
points is still a complex, political, economic and social conundrum.
Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi has even suggested that the issue requires investigation
from an academic point of view with university dons putting their heads together.
We however, must not lose sight of the central role that the army plays in this
conflict because in one way or the other, they too are victims.
Those soldiers are human beings too and it is ironic that while we mourn that they are
ill-equipped (many times pictured in tattered uniforms) and endure untold hunger,
disease and aware of the fact that they may never see their loved ones again, we still
blame them for failing to kill Kony.
There is a paradox here. No soldier would like to be at the frontline because war is
often a last resort when it comes to the defense of a nation.
No soldier however brave would like to dwell on the prospect of death. The blame for
the collective failure of the army should be one borne by the leadership of the army,
no one else.
Leadership failure in the army can be exemplified by the massive corruption revealed
in the ghost soldier scandal and the current efforts to "understand it" through the
court martial.
The conclusion of many battles may rely on stratagy but often it has been shown that
in the north pure motivation and facilitation are lacking.
Ugandans are paying a high price for the ambivalence of the military leadership; more
sons and daughters are left dead at the frontlines.
One gets the feeling that the army leaders often talk like tourists or expatriates in
this life and death struggle.
It is said that fortune favours the prepared and the bold. If the UPDF is going to
crush its adversaries it should not tolerate any mistakes, particularly from its
leaders. Preventable mistakes cost human lives.
And for a situation like ours where there is no clear distinction between the army and
politicians, we have to be more careful.
Many watchers are waiting to see how the army is going to handle the impending
political transition. In effect, the fate of the army and that of the future of
politics of Uganda are joined like Siamese twins.
Relevant Links
East Africa
Conflict, Peace and Security
Arms and Military Affairs
Uganda
And so it is in the interest of the army to get out of the Kony war and prepare to
live in peace times as custodians of the choices Ugandans will make beyond 2006.
It is time for Uganda's national army to come back home from the jungles and savannahs.
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