Peace talks between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army finally broke down over the weekend when the UPDF, with the help of the armies of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, attacked LRA positions in Garamba.
The military offensive against the rebels, which came more than two years after negotiations over a peace deal, had become inevitable after LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to turn up, on November 30, and sign a deal that both sides had agreed upon.
After several instances in which the rebel leader had failed to turn up and raised new queries, the UPDF and other governments that had lent their support to the peace process ran out of patience and chose to pursue a military option against the rebels.
Whilst this newspaper holds a pacifist position on such matters and would chose a peaceful resolution of conflict over war, we appreciate the circumstances leading to the UPDF's decision to break the truce and attack the rebels.
Apart from the anxiety over the rebels' decision to sign the peace deal, reports of killings and abductions by suspected LRA rebels in DR Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic lend credence to the view that rebel leader Joseph Kony is not genuinely interested in peace.
While the regional mediators of the talks need to keep the window open to peace overtures - if not from Kony himself then from his more pragmatic lieutenants - the three armies must firmly shut the door to prevent the rebels' escape from Garamba and keep them from sneaking back into Uganda or wreaking havoc in neighbouring countries.
The UPDF has had more than two years to rearm, draw up new strategies and collect new intelligence about the rebels, their strength and how to deal with them. The top commanders in the army must ensure that this renewed offensive deals a decisive blow to the rebels and their infrastructure.
The participation of the Congolese and South Sudan armies, as well as the apparent license to cross borders in pursuit of the LRA should ensure that while the rebels can run, they should be unable to hide.
The people of northern Uganda will remain anxious over the renewed fighting and with good reason; it is them who have borne the brunt of the two-decade insurgency.
The UPDF must ensure that the insurgency is destroyed once-and-for-all and that the relative peace in the north over the last 30 months is cemented by a military defeat of the LRA, especially its leaders.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/opinions/Military_offensive_must_end_the_war_76923.shtml
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