July 12, 2007: Parliamentary representatives
and tribal leaders in the Acholi tribe (sometimes they are the same thing) have
gathered a list of "crimes and atrocities" committed by the LRA and the Ugandan
Army. The document will be presented at the Uganda-LRA peace talks in Juba,
Sudan. It appears the Acholi tribe is demanding "compensation" from the Ugandan
government for the crimes committed by both the LRA and the Ugandan Army. That
means the Ugandan government pays for the war crimes of both sides. Many
southern Ugandans will be suspicious of the claims. While the Acholi suffered
from LRA atrocities, many Acholi also fought with the LRA. That noted, the
Acholi need help. The Acholi and other northern tribes say that the "displaced
person camps" the Ugandan government created to house refugees were also part
of the Ugandan government's counter-insurgency strategy. Many tribespeople were
forced to live in the camps. Paraphrasing Mao, the Ugandan government was
trying to deny the LRA rebels the "sea" where the guerrilla "fish" swam. All of
this noted, the crimes committed against the Acholi and other northern tribes
deserve to be examined. Several Ugandan religious leaders advocate the establishment
of a "reconciliation commission" ?possibly one similar to South Africa's
reconciliation commission.
July 9, 2007: Uganda held a retirement
ceremony for 200 soldiers. The retirements are part of a military restructuring
program. Ugandan officers are allowed a maximum of 36 years service. However,
some of the men retired had been in the service since 1962.
