ugnet_: More honesty will help end LRA war

[Matekopoko]

More honesty will help end LRA war
Editorial
March 4, 2004

What do you do when you have a statement that reads like this before you: "If everybody has been ignored by Kony, why does everybody think that it is up to government to create a conducive atmosphere for talks?"

This statement came out of the army spokesman on Tuesday as he responded to enlightening revelations that a representative of the government peace team last year explicitly requested the European Union to write to Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader, Joseph Kony. Surely, Maj. Shaban Bantariza must be aware of the fact that government has the constitutionally stated duty to ensure security of person and property of all people living within Uganda's boundaries.

Everybody expects government to create conditions favourable for dialogue, much as everything else that has been tried in the fight to end the northern conflict, because it is a principal actor.

Outside of the LRA and government, other involved parties are simply corollaries. Whatever they do has to be with the blessing or knowledge of either of the main actors.

It is as simple as that. The onus is on the Uganda People's Defence Forces to execute its duty, much as it is on the authorities to explore all other avenues that can lead to a cessation of hostilities.Happily, the major's tone has changed from the belligerent one he used last week when he 'revealed' to the public that the EU Head of Delegation, Mr Sigurd Illing wrote to Kony in 2003.

>From insinuating that Illing's efforts were somehow illegal, we find the spokesman's about turn honourable in light of 'new evidence' that in fact government sanctioned the EU's communication.But we must again also point out that the army's outburst was typical of government's double-faced policy on dialogue. On the one hand it purports to support peace overtures while on the other it enthusiastically denigrates and disparages the same.

This is not very helpful.Quite correctly, the rebels are an unwieldy package but it could also be true that the optimism for a negotiated settlement in March 2003 was hurt by government's ambivalence. A little more honesty will not hurt as we all work for peace in the north.

© 2004 The Monitor Publications



"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."

- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister