Taking off the rosy glasses
The Ugandan government has lately been rather bubbly about the resettlement of IDPs in the north. The media followed suit, republishing figures and statistics that were all a little mysterious to those of us here among the displaced people. I found myself asking, "Are they going to the same camps that I am?" Turns out they weren't, as this article from Uganda's 'Daily Monitor' explains. It's a very informative read.
The report from the Refugee Law Project that the article cites claims that only about 10% of IDPs in the Acholi subregion have begun returning home. This number, which seems accurate in my experience, reflects the continuing sense of insecurity among residents of northern Uganda. They still live in fear of a return to war. It's happened before. Twice.
And the negotiating parties in Juba who have responsibility for establishing peace in the long embattled region still seem to think it's okay to risk progress for the sake of exchanging witty barbs at each others' expense, as this current controversy over the LRA's request for $2 million has shown.
We are not out of the woods yet, my friends. Not with the ICC still looming like an immutable cloud over the proceedings and Joseph Kony still firmly entrenched in a remote region of the already remote Democratic Republic of Congo. Instead of my predictions I'll give my hopes: The US sends a high-level envoy to observe the talks and finds them progressing, but sees the road block that is ICC warrants waiting to halt progress not far away. The US works together with other international stake holders to convince the ICC to suspend the warrants for a period of time in order to allow the government of Uganda and the LRA to engage in local peace processes that will fulfill the ICC's conditions for justice. Thereafter the warrants are dropped and peace settles like a deep breath over northern Uganda. My friends move out of the camps and know freedom, some for the first time.
Now is the time to make this happen. Work with Resolve, Enough, UgandaCAN and Invisible Children to get this ball rolling before it's too late.
The report from the Refugee Law Project that the article cites claims that only about 10% of IDPs in the Acholi subregion have begun returning home. This number, which seems accurate in my experience, reflects the continuing sense of insecurity among residents of northern Uganda. They still live in fear of a return to war. It's happened before. Twice.
And the negotiating parties in Juba who have responsibility for establishing peace in the long embattled region still seem to think it's okay to risk progress for the sake of exchanging witty barbs at each others' expense, as this current controversy over the LRA's request for $2 million has shown.
We are not out of the woods yet, my friends. Not with the ICC still looming like an immutable cloud over the proceedings and Joseph Kony still firmly entrenched in a remote region of the already remote Democratic Republic of Congo. Instead of my predictions I'll give my hopes: The US sends a high-level envoy to observe the talks and finds them progressing, but sees the road block that is ICC warrants waiting to halt progress not far away. The US works together with other international stake holders to convince the ICC to suspend the warrants for a period of time in order to allow the government of Uganda and the LRA to engage in local peace processes that will fulfill the ICC's conditions for justice. Thereafter the warrants are dropped and peace settles like a deep breath over northern Uganda. My friends move out of the camps and know freedom, some for the first time.
Now is the time to make this happen. Work with Resolve, Enough, UgandaCAN and Invisible Children to get this ball rolling before it's too late.
Labels: 2007, Enough, ICC, Invisible Children, LRA, Norhtern Uganda, Peace Talks, Refugee Law Project, Resolve, Uganda, UgandaCAN
posted by James at 23:48
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