by Scott A Morgan
The neighbors of Uganda were warned. Last month at the African Union summit in Egypt there was a warning delivered by a US diplomat. The gist of the message was chilling. One of the most feared rebel movements in Africa the Lord's Resistance Army was rearming. And over the weekend they struck.
The timing of the clashes is unique. After all it was earlier this summer that an apparent peace deal was on the verge of being signed. So when the date approached for the signing the Ugandan goverment representatives showed up to sign. But the militia that has been responsible for what is currently the longest insurgency that is ongoing in Africa didn't. The main reason that they did not show up is that Joseph Kony the leader of the LRA has been indicted by the ICC (International Criminal Court).
The reports first came from Southern Sudan. There were apparently two separate clashes reported along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The clashes were with forces of the government of Southern Sudan. (GOSS) This is a reason for concern due to the fact that GOSS has been the main facilitator or the peace talks between the government of Uganda and the LRA. There were also reports of attacks in the Central African Republic and in the DRC itself. At this time there has been no clear figures of casualties during the conflict.
Why would the LRA take such drastic action? On the surface it appears that this could be an attempt by the LRA to negotiate better terms for peace. One thing that the group has been adamant over is the quashing of the ICC indictment of their senior leadership. The LRA has shown a willingness to disarm if these indictments are quashed. So does this mean that the situations in northern Uganda, The northeastern DRC, southern Sudan and parts of the Central African Republic will slide back into a state of civil war?
The failure of the talks was a motivating factor for the Ugandan government to receive support from both the DRC and Sudan. These three countries have threatened to take some form of Military action against the LRA. It has been revealed that Washington has been assisting Governments in the African Great Lakes Region to coordinate actions against the militias that permeate the region. It is widely believed that militia forces actively control the Kivu Provinces of the Congo.
Whatever happens there is one thing that is crystal clear. Unless Kony is cornered or even apprehended these incidents will occur for the forseeable future. This means that Kony can intimidate people and influence governments and aid workers by being loose in the region. This is a situation that needs to be resolved soon.
The author publishes Confused Eagle on the internet. It can be found at morganrights.tripod.com
