As the Northern region goes through the rhythms and birth-pangs for a peaceful resolution of the 18 year old conflict that has wrought untold misery, loss of thousands of lives, whole livelihoods and astronomical economic losses to the country, one would hope that we have all learnt bitter lessons that will make us want to prevent any more such conflicts.
The causes of conflict are varied but in the Ugandan story have mainly hinged on political mismanagement, injustice, and brutality of state power machinery and indifference to the plight of the common man. These have been followed by use of the gun to muzzle any dissent and calls for redress.
It is however regrettable to say that either due to lack of acumen, insight, the will or outright callousness, among some in leadership positions today, we see recipes for further conflict everywhere. While it is obvious we can ill afford another bout of violent conflict anywhere in Uganda, one shudders to think that there are actually some in our society who are abetting it.
Failure to redress injustices created by insidious vagrancy that has left whole communities destitute such as in the regions of the Northern Eastern part of Uganda bordering Karamoja can only have one result, drive people to dissent. Lack of sustained programmes for resettlement of victims of past wars around the country is a disincentive to ending recourse to violence to settle scores.
The onus is really on the leadership in Uganda, not just the President or the army, to begin looking at the fundamental causes of dissension in our nation and regularly dialogue on strategies for resolution and avoidance of further conflict. We should not give in to the idea that only one person- the president - can give us peace and take it away.
To this end I wish to challenge the churches beginning with my own Church. With due respect to the Episcopal conference, I feel that while their recent visit to the war ravaged regions was a welcome gesture of solidarity, it came some fifteen years too late. You saw a situation that truly moved you to tears, a situation some of us in Teso thought had gotten much better, but to say that �you were not aware things were so bad� did not reflect well on the image of Church as one body of Christ, as I am convinced it does not take a year for anyone to notice pain in a part of his body.
As for the churches in the locale of the violence and dehumanization of the population it seems there is a call to do more than just giving occasional relief. It seems there is need to adopt a theology of liberation and stand up to the repressive and unjust structures that keep people enslaved by poverty and violence and fear.
As the Right Rev. Bishop Kaggwa of Kasana Luwero said in his Christmas message to the leadership of Luwero district, we can not leave the affairs of people�s lives only to politicians. The two must co-operate.
I dare suggest that when either party fails in its obligations to the people, then it has to be challenged.
Rev. Fr. Richard Pius Okiria
Yale University- USA
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