U.S. Should Change Policy On Military Help to Uganda
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New Vision (Kampala)
OPINION
April 7, 2005
Posted to the web April 7, 2005
Jesse Bernstein
Kampala
AS an American citizen, when I read press reports that the US government had donated $800,000 worth of trucks to the UPDF, I was dismayed.
While the US Ambassador, Jimmy Kolker, emphasised this gift did not signal a shift in policy but was rather part of an overall strategy to promote peace negotiations while also supporting the UPDF, I tried to understand how such a multifaceted policy existed in real terms.
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In northern Uganda, the UPDF is accused of committing abuses against civilians.
During my two-week trip to the region last year, many civilians expressed frustration regarding the behaviour of the UPDF. One community leader in Pader alleged that the soldiers raped young girls and that, as most of these incidents took place at night, it was hard to identify the perpetrator, yet for any redress to take place, the victims needed to enter the barracks to identify the perpetrator.
Which young woman would risk this?
A recent report by the District Disaster Management Committee in Gulu, lists rape, forced labour, torture and elopement with civilian women as some of the abuses committed by the UPDF. Most of these crimes go unpunished.
Why then should the US government condone such behaviour by assisting an institution with such a dubious reputation. Of course, abuses committed by the LRA are atrocious and the conflicts must be brought to an end as soon as possible. Historically, however, the military solution has shown no promise of ending the conflict. It only increases the suffering of civilians.
At a time when Washington is increasingly becoming known for its hawkish policies and over reliance on military options to pursue foreign policy objectives, and considering the dismal failures of the UPDF in the north, pressure for peace should be emphasised.
The LRA actions must be brought to an end, and while its defeat may include a military component, protection of civilians is paramount. Military support should be linked to curtailing abuses from all parties. Assistance from donor governments should be linked with training of soldiers on human rights. Donor governments and civil society groups should support processes that hold those who commit abuses accountable.
This can be done by increasing amount of paralegals in areas of displacement. Mere talk of accountability and impunity-related problems at conferences is not enough. The recent US-sponsored civil-military conference is a good start and such should be encouraged if the relationship between the army and civil society is to improve.
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While the UPDF may need assistance in dealing with rebels, such assistance must be holistic in nature - it must address the capacity of the UPDF, their operations and the consequences of such operations on civilians.
The writer is a researcher at the Refugee Law Project. The views he expresses are solely his own
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