Gulu (Fides Service)-“The purpose was to launch a Christmas message of hope and reconciliation” Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu (Northern Uganda), told Fides with regard to a visit of solidarity made by religious leaders to Pagak refugee camp about 18 km from Gulu. The delegation included Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, Archbishop of Kampala, representatives of the local Anglican community, the Orthodox Church and the Muslim community. “The visit of solidarity was intended not only for the Acholi people but as an act to reaffirm the unity of the Ugandan people” Archbishop Odama told Fides. The Acholi is the largest ethnic group in Uganda where the (LRA) Lord Resistance Army rebels have harassed the population for years. After all these years the Acholi feel they have been abandoned by the rest of the people also because the LRA violence appears to be never ending.
“The delegation also met children forced by night raids to sleep in the open around Gulu” Archbishop Odama told Fides. “To everyone the same message was addressed: trust in God, pray constantly for peace which comes only from God”.
“The Ugandan religious leaders also appealed to the government and the rebels to take the path of dialogue to put an end to the war which causes so much suffering to civilians. They asked for the Amnesty Law to be extended to all LRA leaders” the Archbishop told Fides “This law was for all LRA warriors who lay down their arms but not for the LRA leaders. With this request the religious leaders wanted to say that since God’s forgiveness is infinite there should be no limits to human forgiveness. This is a moral call which could offer useful indications for putting an end to the war”.
“It should be recalled that since it was introduced in January 2000, according to the government’s Amnesty Commission, more than 10,000 rebels have handed in their weapons” Archbishop Odama said. “This shows that it is an important means for restoring peace to our land”.
The LRA ideology is based on religious syncretism mixing elements of Christianity, Islam and Traditional African religions. This is why all the different religious leaders are actively trying to negotiate reconciliation and peace.
The conflict has also an ethnic component. Composed mainly of Acholi warriors, the LRA has been fighting since 1989 President Yoweri Museveni who took power in 1986 overthrowing a military junta made up mostly of Acholi officers. Groups of former soldiers of this ethnic group took refuge in Sudan and gave rise to various guerrilla movements including the Lord’s Resistance Army.. (L.M.) (Fides Service18/12/2003 lines 43 words 538)