allAfrica.com * Beyond the Juba Peace Talks The Monitor (Kampala) OPINION 2 January 2008 Posted to the web 3 January 2008 By DR Paddy Musana We have lived in hope of the impending end of the insurgence in Northern Uganda now for quite a while. We have over time been promised a 'cleaning up' of the mayhem that has ravaged the area. But alas, time has come and gone with no end in sight. Towards the end of last year (2007), there was the much-hyped 'Peace as a Christmas Gift'. It was like a dream about to come true! Then came Christmas, New Year's Day, and a whole year in anticipation, to no avail! We have trudged down the dreary street, waiting for the proclamation of the 'Good News'. It has all been a mirage! My heart goes out to the people who have faced the brunt and brutal impact of the insurgence. We can only thank them for the patience, perseverance and endurance so far expressed. 2007 should have been a year of completion for those who have experienced the northern insurgency. Will 2008 see the dawn of a new era, marked with the realisation of the long-promised and expected peace? Peace cannot be bought and neither can it be handed out. No one can deny the fact that war is very expensive and the way of peace is the only life-affirming principle that should govern humans. However, there are those who love disorder and would benefit from the suffering of others. For such, only conscience will be their judge. We cannot condemn them, for then we would justify their acts, but leave them to see how the 'joy' they derive from the suffering of others continuously causes their hearts to beat fast at the mention of those they have sacrificed. We have been shocked by the developments in the Juba Peace talks. There has been the signing of the different agenda items, the most recent being agenda item Number Three on Accountability and Reconciliation. The impact of this agenda has been such that at different fora, different discussants have unequivocally declared that the peace process has reached 'an irreversible' state. If Kony can kill Otti, who can escape his bullet, if he chooses a target? It is here that we should commend Betty Bigombe, Ndugu Ruhakana-Rugunda, Norbert Mao, and all those who have taken the risk to enter the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the sake of peace. But now the mother of all questions: "After Juba, what next?" The rebels have, up to date, not lived to their expectations in as far as the requirement to assemble at Owiny Kibul is concerned. Now, we hear the DRC giving deadlines and ultimatums. The President of Uganda has also given a deadline for the signing of the Peace Agreement. What are the implications of all this? Has the goodwill been lost with the death of Vincent Otti? Was Otti the actual 'middle-man' in the Peace Talks on behalf of the insurgents? Has the Government of Uganda assessed the effectives of the insurgent's national consultative meetings and come to the conclusion that they are inconsequential at this level of the situation in the North? We have to anticipate the rebel's negotiating team's fear and failure to get back to Garamba. In such circumstances, it will take Kony himself to either accept to be airlifted to Juba, or surrender through a hurried signing of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of the insurgents. What a sweet dream! And it can be true. Peace cannot come in bits and pieces; it is wholesome. If negotiations are the only genuine way to go, the government of Uganda should go all the way and pay the ultimate price once and for all. We should learn from the history of this insurgency, which has gone through different metamorphoses with the spiritual ideology being the mould that has shaped its nature and course that we have to avoid the advent of another 'Kony'. While the religious nature of the conflict may be denied vehemently with reference to modern war theories and analyses, those of us-and we are many even among those who deny the fact-who subscribe to basic social structures know the ties that hold us together. If you doubt this, check the political structure of our 'decentralised' districts and the national ethos. The burden of goodwill remains with the Government of Uganda, and ultimately, with the Ugandan to press for wholesome peace. Even in the context of Accountability and Reconciliation, it is the Government of Uganda that should be seen to be leading the way. There is no way we should compare the acknowledged civil structures of Government with those of the rebels. Government should be willing and ready to accept the wayward son should he choose to come back home. It should practically be seen addressing the claims presented as the premises for the rebellion. Meekness and gentility are the greatest weapons against pride and hostility. Peace begets peace. As for the International Criminal Court, the process was initiated by the Government of Uganda, and it is the only one we can trust at this stage to handle it. The rebels have no voice since they have not presented their perspective. Government should grant assurance to those indicted that it will not hand them over, and stick to that commitment so that our traditional justice system, which is restorative, can take its course. A hybrid one could also be birthed to take care of the complex context in which we operate. We shall by this be offering our homegrown solutions to our problems. The writer is Coordinator, Peace and Conflict Studies Program ,Makerere University. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. 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