Acholi king to work for peace? Acholi king, S. Sudan Marchar discuss LRA's eradication

Feb 17, 2006 Juba Post/ST reports Acholi king David Onek Achana has held consultations with southern Sudan vice President Riek Machar to find a resolution to the ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) crisis:

Acholi people living in a region known as Acholiland in northern Uganda and in Magwe County, Eastern Equatoria in southern Sudan.

According to Onek "The problem of the LRA will not be resolved unless the Sudanese Acholi and Ugandan Acholi tribes unite themselves and work hand in hand to eradicate the LRA from Acholi land."

The king, who is a Ugandan, continued by saying that with the government support the people can eradicate the LRA from the area: "The Sudanese and Ugandan governments will eradicate the LRA from their land".

"I met with the Ugandan president to try to resolve this problem before coming here to meet the vice president of southern Sudan", the king added.

Further reading:

April 8, 2004 Acholi history and photos at Endangered species: live on the edge by Richard M Kavuma Daily Monitor - Acholi are part of the Luo-speaking Nilotics peoples who moved into Uganda from southern Sudan between 1400 - 1800 AD. Their kin include the Alur of Nebbi district and Jopadhola of Tororo in Uganda and the Luo of Kenya. Moving in small clans, the Nilotics wandered around Uganda, trying to find pastures for their cattle and goats.

Jan 20, 2005 Weekly Observer Acholi king to work for peace - Normally you would expect a mammoth crowd to throng the coronation of a king. But only about 2,000 people attended the coronation of David Onen Achana II, the "Lawiirwot" of Acholi at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu on January 15, 2005.

Feb 18, 2006 Sudan Vision - Sudanese President al-Bashir directs the evacuation of LRA from South Sudan within one month.