Friends For Peace In Africa

On December 14 2007 a joint operation against the Lords Resistance Army rebels was launched with an aerial bombing of the rebel camps in the thick forests of Garamba in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UPDF, SPLA and DRC forces launched the attack after months of planning to surprisingly attack the elusive rebels.

The rebel leader Kony was more sophisticated than his attackers because he was listening to the communication plan being hatched to attack his camps.

He had a gadget that tapped the conversation between pilots of the fighter jets that allegedly shelled empty camps in the morning of December 14, President Yoweri Museveni said.
Days after the attack, Parliament resumed and debated the trio-military expedition code-named ‘Lightning Thunder,’ mounted by the three armies that were once enemies.

Earlier that day, the Acholi parliamentary group addressed a press conference denouncing the military strike, and belittling the UPDF for shelling empty camps.

Principally, the Acholi MPs accused the Uganda government of abandoning peace talks and attack LRA on grounds that the rebels were not a threat to Uganda because they were over 1000Kms away from the border.

But as the press conference was going on, Foreign Affairs Minister, Sam Kutesa was also briefing journalists at his Ministry that the Ugandan commandos who were parachuted into Garamba days after the aerial assault were in charge.

Later on in the afternoon, when Parliament session began, Reagan Okumu (Aswa) and Okello-Okello (Chwa) resounded their positions on the floor of the House in an emotional manner.
They again condemned the UPDF for attacking LRA, a rebel group that has exported the killing of innocent people to Sudan, DRC and Central African Republic.

What ran in my mind immediately was to imagine, what other options should the UPDF have chosen after negotiations were given time but hit a dead-end.

I also to tried to imagine; what If Okello-Okello was President Yoweri Museveni and Reagan Okumu, the Chief of Defence Forces (Gen. Aronda Nyakairima), what alternatives would they have opted for, since Kony was allegedly abducting children from Congo and Central African Republic in preparation for war?

Mr Okello and Mr Okumu have exhibited high intellect and experience during the parliamentary debates but they should know that giving Kony more time to reorganise would be dangerous.

For a man who has maimed, abducted and killed innocent souls, later given chance to talk peace and he snubs the negotiations should really be blamed for all this mayhem.
However Mr Okello and Okumu argument that the aerial bombardment of the LRA camps was a wrong tactic against a rebel group that still holds many women and children forcibly recruited is correct.

As the debate went on, Security Minister Amama Mbabazi playfully accused the Opposition of disobeying the Leader of the Opposition, Prof. Ogenga Latigo who had expressed his opinion in support of the war a day before on a radio station.

This made Prof. Latigo uncomfortable. He stood up to defend himself by trying to retract his earlier position because all his subordinates had become rebellious.

It was complicated for Mr Latigo as he fidgeted on the microphone by meandering around before he said he was misquoted by the press despite the recordings.
The retraction of his earlier position showed that many Members of Parliament do not freely speak out their minds because of politics on the floor of parliament.

If you are a member of the Opposition you must oppose any government position and for the National Resistance Movement, agreeing with the Opposition is indiscipline.

This beggars the question; is there any national cause that can bring Ugandans together in the name of a common purpose other than Uganda Cranes when it’s playing a foreign team at Namboole Stadium? My answer is no.

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http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/inside_politics/Were_Acholi_MPs_right_after_all_77411.shtml