Mr. Obama, the Acholi People are Masters at Fighting Joseph Kony, Listen to Them
A letter to Mr Obama from Mr Singh
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At the beginning of this week, President Obama finally signed into law the .
The Obama administration has 180 days to come up with a plan on how to attack and eliminate the threat of the Lords Resistance Army rebels to the whole central african region. The people of northern Uganda who have been tormented by the LRA for over two decades only know too well on how to fight and engage him.
It is with this background that the Acholi religious leaders and NGOs have cautioned President Obama against militarily fighting Kony but instead engage in non-violent ways like negotiations with the rebel leader. Local people have been stigmatized enough by war. They only want peace and the only way that has proved to achieve it has been through dialog.
Here is an open letter written to Mr. Obama, reproduced from the Acholi religious leaders website:
RE: Open Letter to President Obama Regarding the “Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 (S.1067/HR 2478)”Dear President Obama,
For over two decades, the people of Northern Uganda have endured horrific violence as a result of a war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU). Despite numerous attempts to bring an end to the conflict, all efforts have failed and to this day the civilian population in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Central African Republic (CAR) continues to suffer from the effects of LRA violence.
Mr. President, we are thankful for your desire for peace and justice in the world. More specifically, we are grateful to you for not ignoring the plight of the people by signing the “Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 (S.1067/HR 2478)” into law. The potential of this historic legislation to support efforts to achieve sustainable peace, reconciliation, and meeting humanitarian needs in LRA affected regions cannot be understated and communicates that we are not forgotten.
As you and your administration begin the enormous task to develop a plan to implement the legislation, we strongly urge you to enter into consultations with regional CSO’s, NGO’s as well as grassroots leaders and their communities about the best way forward to bring an end to one of the world’s longest running conflicts.
While many have lost hope in any peaceful resolution to the conflict, the reality is that the peace process which started in 2006 is responsible for the relative calm being experienced in northern Uganda. Sadly after achieving such a significant outcome and ignoring the complexity of the LRA concerns and issues, the government of Uganda lost patience in the process. In a final attempt to end the LRA once and for all, a regional military offensive dubbed “Operation Lightning Thunder” was launched in 2008 with U.S. support. Like the numerous past military offensives launched against the LRA, this one also failed to meet its objective.
Military action has time and time again not only failed to end the conflict but caused it to spread into regions once immune to LRA violence resulting in further suffering of civilians. We therefore strongly implore you to prioritize and creatively explore non-violent actions to resolving the conflict. We believe this is the only way to bring a lasting solution that will foster healing and reconciliation in a region of the world that longs for and deserves peace.
Mr. President, we look forward to continued dialogue with you and your administration. May God guide and grant you and your administration wisdom as you discern how to effectively achieve the mandate of the “Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 (S.1067/HR 2478)”.
Signed,
Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) - Gulu, Uganda
What can you help?
Get any institution or organization that you are affiliated with (university, church, NGO, etc.) to sign on before June 12th. To do so email the name of the institution and country of origin to Wade Snowdon at the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative at: pressing_forward@hotmail.com
