Kony War: Time For
Uganda Govt to Call for Help
What are we as Ugandans to make of the tragic loss of the lives of so many civilians at a time when the army has stepped up its operations against the LRA, and has recruited thousands of militias to help it fight Kony? Was it lack of proper intelligence, operational mistakes or poor co-ordination? According to the media, the rebels appeared dressed in uniforms similar to those worn by the Uganda People's Defence Forces. Where did they get these uniforms? Or do they have the same supplier?
It has long been my contention that it is time that the government owned up to the fact that it will need outside assistance if it is to defeat Kony. If there is anything that one learns about guerilla wars, it is that they are notoriously difficult to win. And having battled the LRA for 18 years and failed to bring it to heel, it is time the government began actively soliciting international assistance to help it win this war.
The horrors of the war in northern Uganda should be brought to the attention of the international community. This will help not only in isolating that demon-possessed cult leader, his crazed followers, and his sympathisers, but also help to win sympathy for the Ugandan government in its efforts to end the long-running war, and hopefully, assistance in the form of money and weapons with which to prosecute the war, from the international community.
I believe the war in the north is not getting the attention it deserves, both within the country and abroad, simply because it is in an area that is peripheral. But judging by the suffering that has been inflicted on the people in northern Uganda, it qualifies as one of the most brutal conflicts in the world. As a colleague commented after reading the news of the Barlonyo massacre, the government might just have to appoint a minister in charge of "burial affairs" if the situation in northern Uganda is not urgently addressed.
STEPHEN NAKONYA
via e-mail
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