UN chief talks with LRA deputy Otti
By: Chris Ocowun

Septmber 10, 2006 – (The New Vision) The United Nations humanitarian chief yesterday talked to the LRA deputy, Vincent Otti, urging him to release all the women and children as they proceed with the peace talks with the government. The UN Under Secretary General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, told journalists, “Today, I spoke with LRA’s Vincent Otti for twenty minutes on phone on the aspect of the peace talk process and how to promote humanitarian principles in this peace talk process and how to ensure that the women and children can come back home and reintegrated into the society,” Egeland, flanked by the UNICEF country director, Martin Mogwanja, was addressing a press conference at the UN-OCHA Gulu offices.

He added that this year due to the relative peace in the north, the UN had asked for more money from donors to facilitate the return of internally displaced people (IDPs) from the camps. “We have asked for $267m (about sh350b) and so far we have realised $187m and much of this money shall be for food, water and sanitation, health and education of the children. We still need to work in the areas of humanitarian and development to promote peace and reconciliation in the north,” he said.

After spending Saturday night in one of the IDP camps, Egeland, said the 19-year conflict that has condemned some two million people in northern Uganda to live in camps, could be drawing to a close. “This part of the world can and will feed itself because there are fertile lands that had to be abandoned because of the conflict,” he said. He urged the international community to start considering the recovery and rebuilding of northern Uganda.

“I am optimistic. People are coming out in record numbers from the LRA. They are moving to assembly points in southern Sudan and there is an effective ceasefire for the first time. We have to believe in peace and not do anything that may create problems for the peace process. I think we are seeing the beginning of an end to the most terrible conflict of this generation,” Egeland said. However, he said the rebel leaders wanted for war crimes must not be given immunity in exchange for ending their brutal war. “There should be no impunity for indicted people or anybody else who has committed crimes against humanity,” Egeland said.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted five top rebel leaders for crimes against humanity. Egeland was speaking at Opit IDP camp on Saturday, where he spent the night with some 24,700 IDPs. In the evening, he sat around a camp fire with elders to discuss the 19-year-long war. Southern Sudan has brokered a peace agreement between Uganda and the LRA under which the rebels had three weeks from August 29 to leave their hideouts and assemble in the designated areas in south Sudan. Opit camp was attacked 11 times between 1997 and 2003, but nonetheless, Egeland was driven there without military escort.

“I want to build the confidence in the people of northern Uganda that we are with them in this hour of need and we want to help them to return to their normal lives,” He said. Egeland explained that his night in the camp was to show how things had really changed since he last visited the north in 2004 and 2005. “We now have a degree of safety and security, which makes it much easier to spend a whole night in the camp.

We had a very moving experience around the fire place with the Acholi displaced persons and war victims and discussed the future on how to bring peace. “This shows that it’s safer now than before. Before, I would not be allowed by our security people to sleep over in the camps but now they allowed me to do. Just a couple of years ago, we would have been full of fear of being kidnapped if we stayed overnight in the camp. “I am also going to Juba to encourage the peace talks because they are the best hope for northern Uganda and a quick return to your homes,” he said.

President Yoweri Museveni has offered the five rebel leaders a blanket amnesty if they agree to a peace deal, and hinted at a possible negotiation with the ICC over the indictments. To atone for their crimes, some leaders in Uganda have suggested that traditional systems of justice and reconciliation be used instead. The cult-like LRA is notorious for massacring and mutilating civilians and abducting thousands of children to serve as fighters, porters and sex slaves. The Hague-based ICC indicted the rebel leader, Joseph Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti and top commanders Dominic Ongwen, Okot Odhiambo and Raska Lukwiya. The court has refused to lift its warrants of arrest.

Last week, Otti said his fighters would not come out of their hiding until the warrants were lifted, although some fighters are coming out of the bush and moving towards the assembly areas. “Those who have been indicted should face justice. But what is more important now is that we should concentrate on ending the war,” Egeland told IRIN. “Justice can be served in many ways. It is up to the prosecutor to decide whether we resort to traditional justice or stick to the ICC indictments,” he said.

From: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/520322