ICC arrest threats may endanger peace process - Church

Threats of arrest made by the UN's International Criminal Court (ICC) to the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) may jeopardise an already shaky peace process, the Catholic Church said. "Their officials seem to lack some serious grasp of the situation, particularly the fact that to start war crimes investigations for the sake of justice at a time when the war is not yet over risks having, in the end, neither justice nor peace delivered," the Gulu Catholic Archdiocese's Justice and Peace Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. "Every now and then, announcements by the ICC that they will issue arrest warrants for some top LRA officers have sent signals that yet another factor - an external one - may jeopardise the current peace discussions," the statement cautioned. The ICC recently announced plans to issue arrest warrants for LRA commander-in-chief, Joseph Kony, and several other LRA officials. The warrants will be the first issued for war crimes by the Netherlands-based court. The church, giving a situational report on the peace process, said that the trust between the government and the LRA had been eroded by the expiry of the first government ceasefire on 31 December. It added that January had been the most difficult time for the peace process and accused the army, the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) of attacking some of the rebel officers who had earlier met a government delegation for talks. The statement lauded Betty Bigombe (the government's chief negotiator) and her team, for showing extraordinary commitment, patience and endurance in dealing with delicate situations. It added that although the past month had seen less visibility of peace negotiations, two meetings with rebel officers led by the LRA's spokesman, Sam Kolo, took place on 10 and 17 January, and several behind-the-scenes phone calls were made in an effort to try and "patiently rebuild the eroded trust". Hopes for a negotiated conclusion to the protracted conflict in the north were kindled at the end of 2004 when the LRA sent word to Uganda's government that they were ready for peace talks. However, the LRA failed to sign the government's proposed agreement and Museveni declared a resumption of the war. On 3 February, the government and the LRA declared a partial, 18-day truce. The ICC could eventually also prosecute some members of the UPDF for war crimes committed during the protracted war with the LRA that has claimed thousands of lives, seen up to 20,000 youths abducted by rebels as fighters and sex slaves and driven 1.6 million people from their homes. The LRA has been fighting to overthrow the government of Yoweri Museveni since he took over power in 1986. The group is notorious for its brutal attacks on civilian targets and has been widely condemned for its indiscriminate killings and kidnappings of children.