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02nd July 2004 No 58
1. New Vision: No amnesty for Kony Army Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lords
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels and his senior commanders will not benefit from
the Amnesty soon to be amended. Ankunda, who was briefing NGOs operating in Gulu on the general security situation in northern and eastern Uganda and southern Sudan recently, said the international court would prosecute top LRA leadership for war crime against humanity. He said the UPDF in Southern Sudan had been withdrawn towards the Uganda border at Aruu junction following the expiry on May 31 of a military protocol signed by Uganda and Sudan, allowing UPDF to pursue LRA rebels in Sudan. We hope defence minister Amama Mbabazi will seek an extension of the protocol to allow UPDF pursue the rebels in southern Sudan and even to allow us have joint military operation against the LRA so as to force Kony to talk peace or surrender, he said. He said the security situation was generally calm with high concentration of the rebel commanders in Gulu and Pader districts. Ankunda said 204 rebels, including LRA commanders Maj. Silvio Okot Ayoli and Capt. Owino had surrendered to the UPDF since April 29 2004. By Henry Mukasa and Hamis Kaheru (26th June, 2004) KAMPALA President Yoweri Museveni has contacted several heads of state who might have contacts or influence regarding the Lords Resistance Army rebel leader, Joseph Kony. Defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa told Parliament on Thursday that Museveni had contacted Libya president Col. Muammar Gadaffi, who in turn talked to Sudan leader Gen. Omar Bashir who is very influential in this war. He (Museveni) has gone through his fellow heads of state and it has yielded some results, Nankabirwa said. Negotiation isnt a tug-of-war. You must penetrate the two camps fighting and agree on the venue and the mediator. You cannot sit in Parliament and dictate issues concerning negotiations, Nankabirwa emphasised. The minister was reacting to comments by Lubaga South MP Ken Lukyamuzi that the Government should name a new northern war peace team since the old one is dysfunctional, with some members out of government and others in exile. 3. CNN: Mediator- Significant step in Sudan cease-fire NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Sudanese government and rebel officials have begun negotiating cease-fire details as part of a comprehensive agreement to end a 21-year war in Africa's largest nation, the chief mediator said Monday. The talks seek to set a cease-fire date, hammer out details on peacekeeping and monitoring as well as demobilization of troops and their reintegration into civilian life, chief mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo said. The talks began Sunday. "This is very significant because without the details, the war doesn't stop," Sumbeiywo told The Associated Press. The latest efforts to end the civil war in south Sudan began in Kenya in 2002. The Sudanese government and the main southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, have already agreed on how to share the wealth and power in the country. They have also agreed on how to demobilize their armies during a six-year transition period and how to administer three disputed areas in central Sudan. Government and rebel experts are now fine-tuning the agreements in talks in Naivasha, 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Sumbeiywo said. The negotiations in Kenya are unrelated to fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where fighting between the government and rebels has forced more than 1 million people from their homes and raised fears of ethnic cleansing. Chad, Sudan's western neighbour, mediates separate peace talks for Darfur province, a region the size of Iraq. The latest talks in Kenya are scheduled to end on July 19, Sumbeiywo said. They will be followed by another round of negotiations focusing on how to implement the peace deal, Sumbeiywo said. Those talks are expected to end between August and October. Negotiators will set the date for the start of the transition period and schedule elections expected to be held halfway through the six-year interim period, said Samson Kwaje, a spokesman of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The southern conflict broke out in 1983 after the rebels from the mainly animist and Christian south took up arms against the predominantly Arab and Muslim north. The insurgents say they are fighting for better treatment and for southerners to have the right to choose whether to remain part of Sudan. Although often simplified as a religious war, the conflict is fuelled by historical disputes and competition for resources, including major oil reserves. 4. IRIN: SUDAN UGANDA: Kony hiding
under Sudanese armys wing says Kampala KAMPALA, 25 Jun 2004 (IRIN) Uganda has written to Khartoum asking for help to locate Joseph Kony, the commander of the rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA), saying he was hiding beyond the scope of Sudanese territory within which the Ugandan army is mandated to operate, diplomats said on Thursday. The Hon Noble Mayombo [the chief of military intelligence], yesterday [Wednesday] delivered the letter to the embassy, and we have since brought it to the attention of our foreign ministry in Khartoum. The Sudanese defence ministry has also been alerted. Investigations will be carried out and action taken, the Sudanese ambassador in Kampala, Siraj al-Din Hamid Yusuf, told IRIN. The letter was prompted by Ugandas insistence that Kony was hiding near Sudanese army bases in Nsitu in the south. Uganda said Nsitu was out of reach for its army, which is deployed under Operation Iron Fist an operation agreed by the two neighbours which authorises Ugandan troops to enter, search and destroy LRA bases within Sudan. The Ugandan army spokesman, Maj Shaban Bantariza, told IRIN that President Yoweri Museveni had directed the defence minister to write the letter. We have deployed in southern Sudan, but the LRA has fled to areas under the control of the Sudanese army. We want the Sudanese government to do something as per the protocol that indicated that when the LRA flee to areas under their [Sudanese army] control, then they [the latter] take over from us, Bantariza said. Yusuf said Museveni had brought up the issue of Kony hiding in territory controlled by the Sudanese army during a bilateral meeting with Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir on the sidelines of a recent summit of the Common Market for East and Southern Africa, in Kampala. Since March 2002, when the Operation Iron Fist was signed, Uganda has overrun some of the LRA bases, but the rebels have continued their violent attacks on civilians in northern Uganda, displacing more than 1.6 million people. Yusuf said the operation would be extended. Two days ago, we had a meeting with the [Ugandan] minister of state for defence at the embassy to agree on when the extension will be signed. A date is yet to be set, but the extension was agreed upon in principle, he said. Meanwhile, the Ugandan army said on Wednesday it regretted that some children abducted by the LRA had been killed in combat. NGOs believe that the LRA has abducted over 20,000 children in its 18-year old war. The children are either forced to fight in its ranks or to become wives to rebel commanders. Bantariza told IRIN that the army faced a dilemma while defending civilians from what he called armed kids , and at the same time rescuing the children without killing some of them. In the past one year, we have rescued about 15,000 abductees, mainly children, from rebel captivity. But it is also true that we have killed slightly over 1,000 rebels [including children], which is regrettable, he said. Earlier this week, the retired Anglican bishop in Kitgum, Macleord Baker Ochola, told journalists: We have been telling the world for a long time that over 90 percent of the LRA is children, and you cannot kill so many people without killing these children. When the army kills LRA fighters, it says they are rebels, and when it rescues some, it says they are child abductees. Where is the rationale? 5. Features: New Vision: What
will Toronto meet on Acholi get? LAST Sunday, ahead of the Toronto conference on the crisis in northern Uganda, this writer sat down with delegate Msgr Matthew Odong, vicar-general of Gulu Archdiocese, to find out what he hopes will be achieved at the meeting. Over an hour, in between greeting well-wishers and blessing little children, Msgr. Odong expressed his personal thoughts and as secretary-general of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), here is what he had to say for the record. On the crisis in the north: We have now reached a very critical point where we can say honestly that we need outside help urgently. The crisis has many layers, each presenting a different challenge. At the very basic level, many of the people in the camps have lost their dignity and the will to survive. Let me put it this way; the camps have eaten away at the core of our people. They are in a 40 m deep hole, and they cannot get out without help. We know that suicide has become a problem-it has happened in some of the camps including Anaka. The immediate challenge, therefore, is to restore hope by initiating peace dialogue and begin the process of disbanding the camps. At another level, the crisis is an international one because Joseph Kony and LRA continue to operate with logistical support originating from Sudan. This despite continued denial from Sudan that it is not providing any support. Ask yourself a simple question: How can a rebel force operate year after year without someone giving the weapons to fight? Whether the Government is doing enough: The Government has the capacity and means to do much more than what it has done to date. Let there be no mistake about this the Government has not done enough to protect the citizens from the rebels. In fact, there are reports that in Pader district, some farmers now rent the UPDF for protection while they work in their fields. Can you imagine a taxpayer who pays the salary of the army being asked for extra money for protection? Thats how bad it is. But more important, the Government seems indecisive on what to do about the crisis. One moment its ready to talk peace and the next its ready to wage war. War has not worked in 18 years, now peace must be given a chance. How to end the conflict: As ARLPI has been saying all along, the gun has failed to solve the problem. Although some individuals in the Government see talking peace with the rebels as surrender or defeat, the ARLPI is saying that it is the most realistic and certain way to achieve peace. In 1994, peace came right to the doorstep because of the courageous effort of Betty Bigombe who worked hard to bring the rebels out. When President Museveni issued the ultimatum to the rebels to surrender, the LRA dug its heels in and there has not been peace since that day, ten years ago. Now, if President Museveni can recreate that original effort, we will achieve peace before the end of this year. Its a win-win for everyone the Government, the citizens and the LRA. Who should play a role in resolving the conflict? The crisis is both a national
and international tragedy. At the international level, the UN must take leadership.
It would be a shame if Kofi Annan were to come 10 years from now to commemorate
genocide in northern Uganda in the same way he has done in Rwanda. There is
immediate need for the UN to work with concerned countries like Canada and
members of the EU to set up a structure for getting the dialogue between the
Government and the LRA back on track. What the Toronto Conference will achieve: The crisis in the north is not going to be resolved by being quiet and alone. There is urgency to get countries like Canada involved in spearheading the resolution of the problem. Firstly, this conference provides yet another great chance to raise the alarm for international response. Secondly, it is a forum to show that Ugandans themselves have not given up on the problem for a lasting solution. Finally, the networking establishes future contacts for helping our most traumatised people heal and move forward. oloyao@ycdsb.educ.on.ca 6.
Development issues GULU. The Aids Support Organisation (Taso) has registered 1,779 clients in Gulu district within the last five months. The Chairman of Tasos Centre Advisory Committee for the Gulu branch, Rev. Willy Olango, disclosed the figures during the laying of a foundation stone for the organisations regional headquarters in Gulu recently. The Minister of State for Health, Capt. Mike Mukula, officiated at the function. Olango said the Gulu Taso branch had budgeted for and anticipated to register about 500 clients a year but the number had more than tripled in just five months. The organisation has only 35 workers to handle all the clients. Most of the registered people living with HIV in the district are residents of Gulu municipality. The organisation expects to receive more clients from the villages. Mukula said 8,000 people worldwide die of HIV/Aids daily while 14,000 infections occur every day. He appealed to the people living with HIV to adhere to drug regulations. He also urged them to avoid spreading the virus upon gaining weight after using anti-retroviral drugs. (b) Rupiny_56 children admitted
for Malnutrition Recently, 56 children suffering from acute malnutrition were admitted in the famous Kampala ward of Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial hospital, Kalongo, where they are being fed. Most of the children are completely emaciated and could only be recognised by their huge heads and countable rib bones. The doctors reported that on average five children suffering from chronic malnutrition are admitted daily in the hospital. (c) Rupiny: LRA ambushes ruin businesses By Katura Wokorach Oboi (1st July 2004) KITGUM LRA ambushes of civilian vehicles in Kitgum has ruined businesses. This was revealed by the chairman of the Kitgum chamber of commerce, Godfrey Tolit when he met Rupiny recently. He said that most of the vehicles ambushed by rebels are commercial transporters, and this has greatly affected the level of trade because the business community are scared. 7.
Society, Culture & Camp news THE Cabinet will consider a new draft policy on conflict resolution and the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) today, state minister for disaster preparedness, Christine Amongin Aporu said.
(b) IRIN: UGANDA - 6,000 IDPs homeless
after fire guts Pabbo camp KAMPALA, 30 Jun 2004 (IRIN) - At least 6,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were left homeless after a fire gutted parts of the sprawling Pabbo camp in northern Uganda, destroying hundreds of grass-thatched huts where the IDPs had been living, local leaders and the army said. Christopher Ojera, the area chairman, told IRIN that the fire, which started at a corner of the camp, burnt down 547 huts. Another 705 huts, however, had their roofs pulled down in an effort by the IDPs to thwart the spread of the fire. "The fire broke out at around early afternoon. A task force involving the army and some volunteers pulled down roofs of another 705 huts to stop the fire from spreading," Ojera said from Pabbo, 42 km northwest of Gulu town. The Ugandan army spokesman in the region, Lt Paddy Ankunda, told IRIN from Gulu, 360 km north of the capital, Kampala: "A fire broke out at Pabbo, but I have not ascertained the exact figures of huts burnt. Preliminary reports indicated that over 400 huts were burnt." According to Ojera, the fire broke out on Monday afternoon at a time when most of the camp residents had gone to the gardens near the camp, hence the delay in containing it. Pabbo is one of the largest IDP camps in northern Uganda, housing over 60,000 people. Many of the households had just received their monthly food rations three days earlier, and all this was destroyed in the huts, Ojera added. "People are scared but they are more concerned about the foodstuffs that have been destroyed, because this is their survival meal for the month and it is all gone," he said. The Ugandan government has embarked on a programme to decongest the Pabbo camp by moving some IDPs to other smaller sites where more health, water and sanitation facilities can be provided. Ojera said IDPs had started laying bricks at Jengari, one of the new sites. Another fire in Pabbo earlier this year destroyed several thousand huts and highlighted the problem of congestion in the camps. The congestion in the camp has also resulted in a breakdown of social structures, increased crime, and alcohol and drug abuse, according to local authorities. 8. Counting the weekly reported human costs of the war* A summary of the compiled reported human cost of the war for the month of June shows that, 305 people were reported killed , 2 were abducted, 42 injured, 149 were freed (rescued) or surrendered and 1555 huts were destroyed. KM E-Newsletter 58: 02nd July 2004
Sources: New Vision, Monitor, BBC, IRIN, Rupiny, MEGA FM, Simba FM Note: G= Gulu, K= Kitgum,
P= Pader; L=LRA, U= UPDA & LDU, O= Others |
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