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EDICOLA / KIOSK | LADINBolzano/Bozen, Göttingen, 14. July 2006
The International Court of Justice at The Hague is in the
opinion of the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) threatening
the peace talks for northern Uganda, which are scheduled to begin
today, Friday, in the South Sudan. "The chances for a peaceful
solution are sinking as the rebel leaders have not appeared for
the negotiations with representatives of the Ugandan government
for fear of being arrested", said the GfbV Africa expert, Ulrich
Delius, in Göttingen. The Ugandan Minister for Security,
Amama Mbabazi, appealed in vain on Wednesday to the Court of
Justice at The Hague to give up its inflexible attitude and
suspend the warrants for the arrest of the five leading
commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
"The desire for justice cannot be an aim in itself and not at the
cost of peace", said Delius in a letter to the International
Court of Justice. "All forms of justice have their price, but to
accept the deaths of some 1000 people per week in the north of
Uganda is inhuman." This figure for the victims of attacks and
the catastrophic humanitarian situation is given by the United
Nations. It was only last Tuesday that the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees stated that Uganda is one of the three most
dangerous places in the world for children. Some 80 percent of
the LRA fighters are child soldiers.
"It is a disgrace that the Court of Justice is totally ignoring
the will of the civilian population in northern Uganda",
criticised Delius. The Archbishop of Gulu, John Odama, appealed
in vain to the Court not to endanger the peace process. "We must
first secure peace, then we can strive for reconciliation and
after that look for justice." Elders of the Acholi, the ethnic
group suffering most from the war, called on Wednesday for
forgiveness and reconciliation towards the LRA and demanded that
peace should at last be given a chance.
"It is true that the LRA does spread terror and fear in the
civilian population", said Delius. But this tyranny cannot be
stopped by the warrants issued in July 2005 against the LRA
commanders. There is in any case practically no chance for them
to be implemented as no country is prepared actively to pursue
and arrest these rebels.
Letter to President
Museveni
His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
State House, P.O. Box 25497, Kampala, Uganda
The Honourable President Museveni,
we are writing to you on behalf of a group of Italian
Associations which deeply care for Uganda and its people. For
years we have followed the unfolding of events within the
conflict in North Uganda with apprehension. There are those among
us who have been to these territories and have seen at first hand
the gravity of the situation. They can bear witness to the
tragedy of a war which has afflicted the population of the
northern regions for nearly twenty years, in particular its
children, and forced them to abandon their villages in favour of
refugee camps where they lead miserable lives and die devoid of
dignity. We value and appreciate your declaration, published to
representatives of both the European Union and the United States
of America on 6th March, in which you committed yourself to
ensure the closure of the refugee camps and the safe return of
refugees to their home villages. This was the sign that we had
all been awaiting from you!
We, Italian peace workers, are also confident that your
government (now at the beginning of your new mandate as
President) will take concrete action to bring about peace in the
North and re-establish fundamental human rights. Accordingly, we
deem it necessary that the conditions allowing for a return home
by the local population be guaranteed. We see these as: the
safety of the civilian population; the reconstruction of
villages, schools and public health structures; and the provision
of adequate food supplies along with seeds with which to
re-establish local agriculture. We also deem it a priority that
your Government open negotiations with the few remaining rebel
forces of the Lord’s Resistance Army still in the area so
as to reach a sure and lasting peace agreement. We would like to
assure you all of our support towards the development of Uganda
and, in a spirit of justice and peace, we wish you and your
government success in your efforts on behalf of Uganda and its
people.
Yours sincerely