M7 cannot get enough of killings and lootings. He is by nature a greedy man and a kirra!
gook
Search for peace costly for Acholi peace team
By Samuel Olara
Jan 31, 2005
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It was not at all surprising to read in both the Monitor and the New Vision of Tuesday the 11th January 2005, that gunmen had robbed a team of Acholi peace negotiators on their way from meeting President Yoweri Museveni at his country home in Rwakitura, Mbarara. Having travelled without a scratch through the "terrorist infested" region of Acholi districts where ambushes, robberies, rape, murder, torture, false imprisonment, abduction, mutilation and forceful recruitment are the order of the day; they could not have imagined that a better match than Kony/LRA laid in wait at the shores of Rwakitura. The team led by the Gulu Catholic Archbishop, John Baptist Odama and included Bishop McBaker Ochola, Gulu LC5 Chairman Lt Col Walter Ochora and MPs Hillary Onek, Jane Akwero and Zachary Olum was allegedly intercepted at Sanga Trading Centre, about 30km from Mbarara town on the Mbarara-Masaka highway at around 10p.m. Gulu LC5 Chairman Lt. Col Walter Ochora reportedly blamed his robbed team members for not having followed the directive given at the president's home in Rwakitura; after the meeting, to move in a convoy. One wonders why such a directive should have been given and since when were people required to move in convoys in Mbarara? Ironically, President Yoweri Museveni compensated the peace team for their lost. Museveni and his NRM government, while performing political maneuvers, have not made any serious efforts or attempts at resolving the conflict in any meaningful way; they have rather defaulted and ambushed any attempts by Acholi leaders (both traditional and religious), who have either attempted or made contact with Kony and his LRA, in trying to end the human carnage that has consumed the entire northern Uganda. The president has made repeated public statements that military might is the only way to bring Kony and his LRA to their knees; he has also made repeated statements that he is willing to talk to the LRA but not with Kony himself or some of his commanders; he has also given the LRA "safety" assurances should they abandon "terrorism"; then he has said that he is not willing to pardon killers and terrorists; then he has said that he will only talk to the LRA outside Uganda (but does not want the involvement of another country) and continue to kill them inside Uganda and in Sudan; he has declared minimal ceasefire zones and has supposedly heeded to "pressure to talk to the LRA" yet ordered his UPDF to continue killing these "terrorists" whilst the talks are on-going. Peace advocators the world over, will point out that in any negotiation much depends on the spirit with which the peace-seekers enter into the negotiations. An erosion of confidence at the outset itself is a bad sign, to say the least. The truth is that president Yoweri Museveni is neither willing to make any concrete moves towards peace nor accept responsibility for his failure to provide peace and security in northern Uganda. He is perfectly willing to prolong the needless agony of millions of helpless people and also send many to their early graves. Observers must surely be left with the view that peace is an empty rhetoric from the Museveni government to the people of northern Uganda. As mediators, Acholi traditional and religious leaders have continuously worked tirelessly to see that peace returns to northern Uganda. Many have lost their lives along this dangerous path. Bishop McBaker Ochola is one among many; who has lost so much in his personal life; yet continues to suffer for the sake of peace in northern Uganda. The "Rwakitura thuggery" is yet another attempt to instill fear amidst those seeking a peaceful settlement to the northern Uganda question. However, these "thugs" ought to remember that the reality of negotiations, with or without mediators, lies in evolving shared goals; bridging existing gaps that exists between the government, the LRA, the people of northern Uganda and addressing the underlining issues to the conflict. To all intents, the desire to resume peace talks must be centered on the parties' sincerity. President Yoweri Museveni has never respected any peace agreement in his entire politico-banditry career, how in God’s name can we expect him to start treading a path of peace or dialogue when all he has known is the language of the gun? One must first of all understand that living the truth in one's heart without compromise brings kindness into the world; attempts at kindness that compromise one's heart cause only sadness. The scare game played by the "Rwakitura bandits" must be condemned in its totality. In similar thought, well-wishers and political pundits should ask President Yoweri Museveni to spare a thought this bleak New Year 2005, for all those he leaves languishing in deplorable conditions in his concentration camps in northern Uganda. President Museveni cannot afford to prolong the northern question forever; he has had a bellyful of violence, fighting, extortion, kidnappings, killings, brown envelopes and what not. A meeting point must be reached by his government and the LRA by any means; ambushing the Acholi peace team will not change that. The objects that set one on the path of confrontation and conflict are very important in understanding conflict and how to end it; without evoking much bitterness, hatred and feelings of revenge. Without such understanding and the ability to deal with the problem from its root causes; it is hard to see how such a conflict can come to an end, even if Gen. Museveni emerges a clear military victor over LRA. He will have won the battles on the killing fields of northern Uganda, but not in the hearts of the people of northern Uganda. When it comes to peace talks, one only needs to bear in mind Museveni's record on dialogue; it should be able to provide guidance for the future. The past portrays a man deeply possessed by his past deeds and constantly haunted by these deeds; leaving him to believe that everyone is out to harm him and his family, including Uganda's doctors. Such a captive mind is incapable of cogent analysis of present and future issues; nor can it take advantage of auspicious opportunities that are currently available for peace in northern Uganda.
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© 2005 The Monitor Publications.
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