Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Agenzia Fides) - “I am still not aware of all the details of the agreement, but from what I can gather until now, from reading local newspapers, gives me mixed impressions,” Fr. Tonino Pasoline, Cambonian missionary, told Agenzia Fides. Fr. Pasoline is the Director of Radio Pacis in Uganda, where the government has announced the signing of a pact with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the guerilla group that has lead attacks on the northern part of the country for over 20 years. According to the new agreements, the minor criminal activity of the guerrilla group’s members would be judged by local traditional tribunals, while the crimes of a more serious nature would be left to a special tribunal. That way, the leaders of the LRA would avoid the ruling made in the International Criminal Court, that issued arrest warrants for the four main leaders, who are charged with crimes against humanity.
“I understand that the war must end, but the victims and the great damage caused by the guerilla warfare cannot be forgotten. We especially cannot forget the need for a minimal show of justice for the victims, because if injustices are created, the seed is planted for a new war. In legal terms, I am no expert, yet I remember when Uganda went to the International Criminal Court. I ask myself, therefore, how can they ask for a withdrawal of the hearing of the LRA leaders?,” the missionary said.
“There are still millions of people in refugee camps. Some have returned to their towns, however many prefer to stay in the camps out of fear. Until peace returns, they have no confidence. In some cases, it is because their houses have been destroyed. We need to think about the reconstruction of northern Uganda,” Fr. Pasoline explained.
“The people in the north hope for peace and that is why they accept the pact. However, it is surprising to see the LRA’s negotiators, people who live in London and who have been financing the war for years, seated at the negotiation table, with no one asking them for an account of all their past actions. Surprising, as well, is the fact that the LRA refuses to reveal the secret hiding place of their leader, Joseph Kony, who continues to hide himself from the media’s eye. May we not forget, either, that the LRA’s second-in-command, Vicent Otti, was killed for a political dispute with Kony. Otti was more favorable to negotiations and his openness to reaching a compromise with the government is probably what cost him his life,” the Director of Radio Pacis explained.
Fr. Pasoline was also himself a victim of the LRA: “Eleven years ago, on March 8th, I was in a convoy that was attacked by the rebels. They lit on fire 5 buses and 9 other vehicles. A total of 180 people were killed. I was spared because I was the only white person.”
Uganda must also face the economic consequences of the crisis. Fr. Pasoline explains that “our radio, in order to function 24 hours a day, needs its own generators because external electricity is only available 4 hours. Since the crisis in Kenya began, the diesel prices have risen; the hardest time for us was when it reached double its original cost. Right now, the cost has lowered somewhat, yet it remains high. Our radio’s budget has been effected, and surely we will have problems. On a more general scale, we hear the experiences of Ugandan truckers who transport merchandise from Kenya to Uganda. They have been robbed and have also fallen victim to violence. They are common crimes, but there is also a spirit of resentment among the Luo people of Kenya, especially now that there is a rumour that the Ugandan president supports Kenyan President Kibaki.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 21/2/2008; righe 46, parole 633)
