Mulindwa, I said it many times that I deplore the untold suffering of the people of Northern Uganda. No one wants Ugandans to live in such conditions but as you well know Kony and LRA have refused to talk peace and ceasefire.
The Movement government is dedicated to peace and there is the Amnesty in place, Ceasefire proposals and a Government peace negotiation team waiting foir Kony to respond. President Yoweri Museveni speaking recently said "This year 2003 will be a year of peace. We are going to do everything possible to have a peaceful Uganda. We shall dialogue with everybody," Attorney General Francis Ayume, also stressed recently that government was willing to talk to rebel leader Joseph Kony to end war in the north "I am anxiously waiting for Kony’s beep. I can assure you that I would call Kony back to arrange for peace talks if he beeped me" All that shows the godwill on the Government side to end the war and the suffering of our people. Mulindwa, tell me what has Kony done? where is his negotiating team? where are his demands? where are his ceasefire proposals? All we hear from Kony is that they want government to build permanent houses for them and they want to debate on Gulu Mega FM every Saturday. Previously they asked for sim cards and airtime. Surely Mulindwa is any of that good enough to warrant continued fighting? Discuss. LM --- Mulindwa Edward <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Growing up is good, I can not believe that this > posting has come from Opiyo Oloya. May God keep us > alive one day Lutimba Matovu will write it as well. > Who knows !. > Em > The Mulindwas communication group > "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 12:25 AM > Subject: [Ugandacom] Don't Rebuild Pabbo Camp! > > > Don't Rebuild Pabbo Camp! > > > > New Vision (Kampala) > > February 12, 2003 > Posted to the web February 12, 2003 > > Kampala > > -- A suggestion about the way out of the quagmire > in northern Uganda > > Letter from Toronto By Opiyo Oloya > > THE fire that burned down Pabbo Protected Camp did > more than just destroy homes and lives. It also > destroyed whatever credibility was left in the > Government's argument that the camps are necessary > while the war continues against the LRA led by > Joseph Kony. When President Yoweri Museveni > announced to the Parliamentary Committee on > Presidential and Foreign Affairs the creation of > protected camps on September 27, 1996, nobody asked > the thousands currently wasting away in the 43 > decrepit camps whether they wanted to live in such > quarters. The ultimatum to move to the camps was > enforced by the army starting in early October 1996. > Once in the camps, residents were told that the > inconvenience of living in dreadful, cramped and > unsanitary conditions was the price for winning > long-term peace when the LRA was defeated. So, with > no gainful economic, educational and social > activities, the residents sat and waited for peace > to come. The longest they expected to be in the > camps was until the next rain fell for cultivation. > > That was six and half years ago. Despite President > Museveni's personal commitment to see through a > successful military campaign against the marauding > Lord Resistance Army, weeks turned into months into > years. Under Operation Iron Fist, the UPDF continues > to press hard on the rag-tag rebels, killing many, > yet quite unable to deliver the final blow. While it > clearly dislodged the LRA from its traditional > security in southern Sudan, OIF has so far failed to > silence the pesky rebels. > > The problem, and this has never been appreciated > by the government, is not that the UPDF lacks the > tools and will to finish off the LRA. Rather, it's > that the LRA is conducting a relatively low budget > warfare, which requires minimum weaponry to keep the > conflict going into the next decade. It's the same > slow-burn tactics employed by the Hezbollah against > the Israelis, the FARC against Colombia, IRA against > the British government and the Basque Separatists in > Spain. With this kind of war, no one can honestly > place a timetable on the end of the fighting. > > The obsession with military campaign has wholly > blinded the government to one simple truth, namely, > that securing the welfare of thousands of Ugandans > is really the most important thing and not the > military victory over the LRA. To date, that mandate > is not being met. As many independent reports have > indicated, the wretched residents are not merely > losing lives, but also a lifestyle and a culture. > Reports of rapes, brutality, malnutrition and lack > of proper educational facilities cannot be brushed > aside as mere inconveniences to be endured while the > government battle the LRA. In fact UPDF victory > against the rebel has become irrelevant in the face > of the massive humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in > the camps. What would it matter if the UPDF wins > this war, and yet there is nobody left to savour the > victory? What would it matter if the LRA is > destroyed, and yet a whole generation of children in > northern Uganda grows up into illiterate thugs with > absolutely no moral compass in society? > > With that in mind, there are no rational arguments > left for the continued existence of the camps since > they were short-term security arrangements that have > outlived their usefulness. To regain this original > mission, the Government must now move to a > unilateral ceasefire. The pause is necessary for the > Government's and the Church's peace emissaries to > begin their work. It will also provide opportunity > to assess whether or not the LRA is serious about > wanting to lay down arms. Right now, the LRA claims > that the Government's relentless pursuit has made it > difficult to talk peace. > > Furthermore, it will allow government to begin to > refocus on the plight of thousands now stranded in > the protected villages. > > Rebuilding Pabbo so that people can remain in the > same abject poverty and dire situation is no longer > an option. The time has come for Ugandans living in > camps to prepare for the journey home to start the > major task of > > rebuilding their shattered lives. For that matter, > the argument to keep on banging away at the LRA no > longer serves > > the people, but perhaps only generals who want to > prove a point. > > In other words, Uganda citizens should remain in > the camps on the solid > > understanding that > > demobilisation will begin within eight weeks. This > is the deadline everyone ought to pay attention to. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! > Terms of Service. > > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com
