Northern peace mediators call for patience

Northern Uganda’s Acholi religious leaders – the sole mediators between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels – have urged both sides to give peace talks more time to work. Referring to both Presidential Peace Team members and senior rebel commanders, representatives of the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI) have warned each side against being impatient with the dialogue, saying it could take months of hard work before a lasting ceasefire is agreed upon. “The process of healing needs a lot of time,” David Achana, Acholiland’s senior cultural leader based in Gulu, told IRIN. “Things will have to go slowly, step-by-step. People get excited when they see us bringing letters between the government and the LRA. They see these and want to move quickly to a resolution. But we need patience”. The leaders also said that the bitter exchanges between the government and the LRA should be taken as a positive sign that both sides are letting off steam. “If anything, the recriminations give us encouragement to work harder,” said Achana. “This shows a lot more has to be done. There is deep mistrust which must be defused. Confidence builds over time.” Father Carlos Rodriguez, a Catholic priest and chief ARLPI negotiator, agreed, saying dialogue of any kind was better than none. “I’m not worried by the fact that they are hurling insults at each other. That’s still talking. Before there was no talking at all,” he said. Catholic Archbishop Odama of Gulu Municpality, also a key go-between, added that "for the first time, the LRA are out in the open". "Not completely, but partly. They are phoning people and talking. This is progress," he said. Meanwhile, fighting in Kitgum and Pader – Uganda’s two most war-ravished districts – is getting worse. “The LRA are attacking again," Father Joseph of Kitgum parish council said. "People are fleeing in desperation. Mothers are coming to me screaming and begging me to take their children so the rebels cannot snatch them. Children are terrified, sleeping in the rain.” Likewise, the Ugandan army is continuing its offensives. On Wednesday, it launched a raid on rebel positions in Lapul, Pader district, killing six.