Efforts to Bring Peace in Acholi

By Hon. Dr. Martin Aliker (MP)
(Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Leader Government Delegation)

The Convenor of Kacoke Madit
The Chairman
All Participants

We have gathered here from many parts of the world. Some of us have spent a lot of money on our travels and all of us are sacrificing our valuable time to be here. I believe you have done all this voluntarily because of the purpose for which we are all gathered. I come here with the blessings of the Acholi Elders, the District Councils of Kitgum and Gulu, the Catholic Bishop of Acholi Diocese and the Church of Uganda Diocese of Gum and Kitgum and the Acholi business community.

There could be other reasons for some people for coming here. For most of us, the primary purpose of our presence here is to seek solutions to end the long suffering of the people in Acholiland. I certainly have come here for that reason only. While we may now have difference, I hope that at the end of this meeting we will have agreed on our common stand to achieve the objectives, which have brought us here.

I am well aware of the fact that many people here have been away from home for many years. There have been many changes. Sometimes information gets distorted thus causing wrong decision to be made. Nevertheless, your elected leaders speak with one voice and wish to bring you facts that can enable you to reach realistic conclusions.

The history of the conflict at home is well know to most of us. At this time it serves no purpose to apportion blame on any person or group of persons for what went wrong. If we are serious, then we should concern ourselves with possible solutions to end the conflict. We must focus exclusively on bringing peace to our people. Let us not be derailed in our efforts for peace by irrelevancies.

As an Acholi, I have always held the belief that only we the Acholi can bring about peace for our people. Alice Lakwena was home grown, Joseph Kony is home grown. No outsiders brought these people to Acholiland. Kony is an Acholi, Kony abducts young Acholi, robs and kills the innocent Acholi. Kony operates exclusively in Acholiland. Therefore, any lasting solution must be found by the Acholi. No outsider can do this for us.

There have been some serious attempts in the past to have a dialogue between Government and Kony. At great risk to her life, Mrs. Betty Bigombe met with Kony in the bush and they talked. The talk aborted because it was torpedoed by people who felt that the honour of bringing the conflict to end should be that of a true son of Acholi and not that of "Wayo mudwogo paco" (the aunt whose marriage has failed and has returned home). That was in 1994. Since then, there has been no direct talk with Kony.

It is true that Government has said that it will fight and defeat Kony. This has been conveniently interpreted to mean military victory exclusively. Let me assure this audience that it is not true. Government has never closed the door for peaceful negotiation. On the contrary, Government has encouraged dialogue through the church, the elders at home and even politicians. However, since 1994, Kony has never indicated his interest in any dialogue with Government.

In June of 1996, 1 was approached by an emissary of Oti Lagony who sought to have contact with me. Through this intermediary, Oti Lagony and I passed messages trying to arrange where to meet. When we had agreed on the approximate date, I sought permission from Government on what terms to negotiate. The Government readily agreed on these terms. Knowing that Kony draws his strength from the Sudan Government, I took the initiative and met with President El Bashir of Sudan. Bashir introduced me to Ah Athman Taha the Foreign Minister with whom we agreed that Sudan would arrange for us to meet in Khartoum. We never met. Why? It was because Sudan Government contacted some Acholi abroad - and I see some of you here - and consulted them about this meeting. It was these Acholi who told Sudan never to allow Oti Lagony to meet Aliker saying that the two are from Koch and Aliker is bound to influence Oti Lagony. I have risked my life and travelled to Khartoum and met with Dr. Tourabi, seeking a solution to the problem at home. Among the anti Aliker/Lagony meeting are very highly placed Acholi including one whose very job is to bring peace to the world.

Interestingly, that organisation has never even attempted in any way to resolve the conflict in Acholiland. We are here to try to bring peace at home, yet some of us present here have approached Iran, Israel, Scandinavian countries, individuals in the U.S.A and U.K. for arms and money to assist Kony to continue to kill your very own relatives. This is being done because of the hatred some of us have for Museveni personally, the NRM Government and the Bantu as a people. If the arms we seek were to be used against Museveni’s army, it would be justified. Unfortunately, these arms are used to rob, kill, main, rape the ordinary Acholi and destroy the little they have. The banditry which some of us encourage has become a business. Your radio robbed in Palenga finds its way to the shop in Gulu or to Sudan. After a big raid in Acholiland, the Sudanese army waits for the loot to be delivered to exchange for arms. Clearly, there is no indication here that Kony's army intends to defeat Museveni’s army, advance to Kampala and topple the Government.

Some of us support Kony because we have lost our leadership in the army. This is not an entirely a bad thing. For too long we relied for employment in the army not realising that real wealth does not come from salaries but from self-employment. We have the largest piece of land per population in Uganda. Restoration of peace and a proper exploitation of our fertile soil would change the equation in Acholiland so that we would not miss being in the army.

Let us not allow either our own personal frustration or the frustrations of the Acholi as a people blind us from the only goal we should seek now which is peace so we can freely go home, plan and organise ourselves, to enable the dreams we may harbour now could come to fruition.

I am here to tell you that the Government of Uganda has given me the authority to negotiate single handedly, if necessary, with Kony and his group.

My terms for negotiation are:-

I carry these conditions ready to meet and talk with Kony any time he is ready. And I believe Kony is ready to talk. This gathering must know that I am in indirect contact with Kony's group. I have never met the top names of the group - but I have met with persons who claim to be from the bush. As I speak now, I am expecting a message that will name the place and date when I will meet with one of the leaders. I have letters from the bush indicating the wish to talk. However, these people are afraid that when they surrender, all of them will be killed. I have read it in their letters. My letter to Oti Lagony dated February 27, 1997 assures them that no such thing will happen to them.

Meanwhile, what is happening on the ground? I have just returned from Kitgum and Gulu Districts. I have visited the camps in Gulu District and the one at Gang Dyang near Kitgum town. May I assure you that the international community has not turned a blind eye to the plight of the Acholi. I personally signed the protocol with the World Food Programme for the supply of food to Acholiland for six more months. Oxfam have donated very nice tents for the people in Kitgum. I take my hat off to the Italian Aid Programme who have rehabilitated Kitgum Hospital to a standard it never enjoyed before.

Red Cross, UNDP, European Union and more, are all helping Acholi. No, it is not true that the international community have turned a blind eye on us. There have been criticisms about the "protected villages". The principle was to protect civilians in cross fires. Some people objected and since it was voluntary, these people returned to their homes. In all the areas of Gulu and Kitgum, only those who voluntarily come to sleep near military detachment are there. There are no forced protected villages.

My tribes people, the international community stands ready to move into Acholiland in a big way.

The European Union is ready to channel most of their aid to Uganda for at least two years to the North.

I was present when the Director General of ------ AH) promised a mini Marshall plan aid for the North. But first, we must bring peace at home. How would it sound on CNN Television that a UN Aid worker from Sweden or New Zealand was blown to bits by Kony's landmine trying to help the Acholi. That news would delay help for a very long time.

For those who support Kony, you will be interested to know that Makerere University has a total enrolment of over twelve thousand students. Out of those, there are 300 Acholi down from a peak of seven hundred. This academic year 107 Acholi students entered Makerere. Of those 30 came from the schools in Gulu and Kitgum Districts. The other 70 came from schools elsewhere. During the last long vacation, the Acholi students at Makerere were stranded on the campus because of insecurity at home. I had to beg food for them from the Red Cross. We got the food. What will happen in next long vacation. How long must we suffer the humiliation of begging? Those of you who support Kony should also know about the four hundred Acholi women who break stones in Kireka near Kampala for U.S cents 50 a day.

I am sure you are interested in knowing that our women in Kampala now form a large group of poor HIV career prostitutes whose other income comes from selling illicit alcohol. May be one of them is your close relative. The time is now for us to tell Kony enough is enough. We cannot support his actions. Kony is not a rebel because a rebel has a cause. Kony is a bandit. He has found a cheap way of living off the foods, goods and women of Acholi.

For those of you who still support Kony, may the blood of the innocent Acholi being spilt be on your heads and the heads of your future descendants for ever.