allAfrica.com * Homecoming for LRA in North's Camps The Monitor (Kampala) NEWS 11 November 2007 Posted to the web 12 November 2007 By Glenna Gordon When the local council chairman of the Koch Goma internally displaced persons camp, just one hour outside of Gulu Town, asked the gathered residents to, by show of hands, indicate how many had forgiven Joseph Kony, the crowd of some 300 or so people enthusiastically raised their hands and let out yelps of affirmation. Hands shot up in the air and everyone sitting in the hot northern Ugandan sun, watching the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) peace delegation at one of the first ever historic camp visits, suggested they were ready to forgive. After the ceremony at Koch Goma,Ojul handed out Shs20,000 notes to some residents of the camp. Photo by Glenna Gordon Underneath a blue tarpaulin in front of the crowd sat Mr Martin Ojul, LRA spokesperson, and his entourage of members of the cessation of hostilities monitoring team, Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao, LRA lawyers, and other important figures. When it was Mr Ojul's turn to speak, the rowdy crowd fell silent. "I'm a son of this place," said Ojul, sweeping his arm in a large swinging motion pointing towards the distance. "I have sacrificed my life to stand by Kony. But I have told Kony to never go back to fight. We must talk so that people can go home." Mr Ojul, though a member of the group that had been terrorising the same people sitting around in a semicircle greeting him, was given a hero's welcome. The people of northern Uganda are so eager for peace that they are willing to forgive the crimes of the past two decades of insurgency and look towards a hopefully brighter future. However, some people criticised the choice of displaced persons camps for the delegation to visit, arguing that this particular camp was neither one of the harder hit places nor a home of a particularly large population. Nonetheless, the day proceeded with much pomp and ceremony. When the delegation arrived at the outskirts of the camp, an egg and bitter root were brought forth and symbolically placed on the ground for each member of the LRA delegation to step on before they proceeded to enter the camp. This was in practice with the symbolism of the traditional justice mechanism, Mato Oput, preferred by the Acholi people of the region. This system is preferred to the harsher decrees of the International Criminal Court ICC), which is pursuing a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Kony and three other top LRA commanders. The ICC indictments of the LRA top guns for various crimes against humanity and war crimes is one of the sticking points in the peace process. The rebels insist that they will not sign any sort of peace agreement unless the warrants are dropped but the ICC remains adamant, arguing that to do so would be tantamount to condoning impunity. "I ask forgiveness, that we forget what happened and focus on the future," said Ojul, beads of sweat forming on his brow under the blistering hot Acholiland sun. Mr Ojul was insistent that though he respected the wishes of the International Criminal Court, the kind of justice that it wants to serve is not appropriate for the specific situation of Northern Uganda and the conflict that has this formerly rich land to waste and dehumanized a whole generation. "We just want a different way to peace," he said. Mr Mao, a key cog in the wheels of the peace process - though operating on the sidelines, agreed with Mr Ojul. "People have forgiven," he said. "It is our people demanding amnesty. There is no reason for tension between justice here and with the ICC. We are pursuing accountability. The ICC cannot monopolise justice." Though Mr Mao and Mr Ojul may be on different sides of the talks, both agreed that the ICC warrants are the biggest obstacle to cementing the peace that has for the past one year reigned in the north as the talks dragged on in the south Sudan capital of Juba. Outside Gulu in an IDP camp called Opit, just 29 kilometers from the town, many of the few remaining residents expressed similar sentiments about willingness to forgive and readiness to create peace. The camp, which used to house some 45,000 people, is now over 70 percent empty, the remaining women and children staying here do so only for the school facilities and access to clean water which is available close by. They want a sustainable kind of peace, including some form of compensation from the government that has neglected them for so long, they say. Ellen Atim, 46, came to Opit in 2003 after her village was attacked, her husband and several of her children were killed, and she narrowly escaped with her life. "The problems should be solved from here," she said. "The rebels should be granted amnesty. God knows their mistake and they will pay in the future." Mr Mao also added, "Signing the agreement is just one part. We will not be judged by signing but by whether we can rebuild the lives of millions injured by the conflict." As the delegation toured the camp, Mr Ojul and others entered a typical small hut the kind of which that families inhabit in the camps. Though they stayed inside for just a minute or two, each IDP family lives in the small structures permanently. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2007 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------