Ugandan president commends former LRA commanders and collaborators

ACCORDING to the below copied report, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has commended the former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commanders and their collaborators, who have since united in their association, “Acholi Solidarity Mobilization Team”, for uniting and forming an organization that works to counter and expose the lies that opposition politicians have for years used to confuse and intimidate the population in Northern Uganda in order to make them support opposition politicians and political parties.

The President said that government will, in the future, consider giving specific support to former LRA rebels to help them resettle and lead meaningful lives in their communities.

President Commends Former Rebel
Source: Office of the President / Uganda Media Centre www.mediacentre.go.ug
Date: Wednesday, 24 November 2010. Copy in full:

President Yoweri Museveni has commended the former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commanders and their collaborators, who have since united in their association, “Acholi Solidarity Mobilization Team”, for uniting and forming an organization that works to counter and expose the lies that opposition politicians have for years used to confuse and intimidate the population in Northern Uganda in order to make them support opposition politicians and political parties.

In a meeting with former rebel commanders and their collaborators at Gulu State Lodge last Sunday, led by former rebel commanders, Brigadier Sam Kolo and Brigadier Banya, the President said that whereas the Sudanese government used Kony to terrorise Northern Uganda, causing untold suffering to the people in Northern Region, he (President) was disappointed that some politicians in Northern Uganda selfishly used the war situation to tell lies about the NRM Government instead of saying the real and true cause of the war in the North.

He said that they told lies to cause hatred to the NRM in the North and went further to intimidate the population so as to earn political support in the area. He, therefore, expressed happiness that the former LRA rebels have united to counter lies by the opposition politicians in the North, especially during the current elections period.

“Statements such as when you vote NRM, Kony will come back and kill you, characterized most of the past elections’ campaigns which made people vote out of fear and that can’t be called democracy”, the President said.

“I salute you for uniting to fight the psychological slavery of the people of Northern Uganda so that they can make their political decisions free of fear”, he added.

He assured them that Kony will never come back to terrorise the people of Northern Uganda as the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), is strong enough to counter any negative force that tries to destabilize Uganda. He appealed to them to work hard and embrace government development programmes, such as the National Agricultural and Advisory Services (NAADS) and form SACCOs, so that they get themselves out of poverty and peacefully resettle in their respective communities.

The President said that government will, in the future, consider giving specific support to former LRA rebels to help them resettle and lead meaningful lives in their communities.
ENDS

Acholi clergy want LRA peace talks back

Acholi clergy want LRA peace talks back
Source: The New Vision.co.ug
Date: Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Written by Patience Aber:

THE Acholi Religious Peace Initiative has said it is still possible to bring Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) back to the peace talks table.

In a petition to the US signed by the chairman of the initiative, Bishop Johnson Gakumba, the religious leaders argued that they had spent a significant time dealing with the LRA conflict and, therefore, had a greater understanding of the implications of the conflict in the Great Lakes region.

“A negotiated end to the conflict that leads to the peaceful demobilisation of the combatants would be ideal and, therefore, should be pursued if there is a viable opportunity,” the petition read.

The leaders said it was important that they, as experienced peace builders, be given another opportunity to hold peace talks with the rebels.

“We also agree that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic, and Sudan need to be brought on board for any strategy to be successful,” the religious leaders said.

This comes after the African Union agreed to support a joint military force by Uganda, the Central African Republic, the DRC and Sudan to fight the LRA.

However the former Gulu [RDC] Col Walter Ochora described as a joke, the belief by the Acholi Religious Peace Initiative [ARLI] that Joseph Kony and the LRA rebel can return to the peace talks table.

He said giving Kony and the LRA rebels another chance to return to the peace talks table will only give them the opportunity to reorganize themselves and cause more atrocities in the great lakes region.

“To believe that the LRA will return to peace talks is peace Jokes the only way to get rid of the LRA war, is to isolate its top commanders like Joseph Kony, Dominic Ogwen and Okot Odhambo,” Ochora said.

The faith based organization has also called upon the administration of US president Barrack Obama to involve the civil society in the LRA affected regions while implementing the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009.

In May 2010 Obama signed into law the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act which renews US commitments and strengthens their capabilities to protect and assist civilians affected by the LRA war.

The Obama administration has until November 2010 to develop an implementation strategy.

Achola - 800M National Champion

Press release just in, 18.17 hrs (Ugandan time) 25 July 2009:

ACHOLA – 800M NATIONAL CHAMPION
IN PERSONAL BEST TIME + STORMING 400M RELAY LEG

800M FINAL
Despite running an 800m heat (in 2 min 12 sec) about 3 hours before, Achola Janet set a blistering pace in the Final which she won in 2 min 6.1 sec, a new personal best time.

The full results were:

1. Achola Janet (Prisons) 2 min 06.1 sec
2. Annet Nekesa (Standard High) 2 min 08.6 sec
3. Chepkwemoi Gladys (Standard High) 2 min 10.4 sec
4. Anzazi Lilian (Ndejje University) 2 min 14.8 sec
5. Esther Opio (UPDF) 2 min 16.2 sec
6. Catherine Webombesa (UPDF) 2 min 16.5 sec
7. Lubagu Margaret (Gombe SS) 2 min 19.4 sec
8. Emily Chebet (UPDF) DNF

COACHES’ COMMENT

Achola’s coaches, Kevin and Sue O’Connor, commented: “There are many ways to win an 800m. Today, Janet destroyed the field from the front by a sustained piece of front-running. While the improvement in her PB was only by one-tenth of a second, any middle distance athletics coach will realise that with a fast heat just a couple of hours before, Janet is capable of significantly improving her PB this season. And after today’s Final, she ran a superb last leg of the 4 x 400m relay, closed a gap of around 15 metres on the 2 teams ahead, to secure victory for a jubilant Prisons team.”

”Both she and ourselves realised at the beginning of this season that the 2009 World Championships 800m qualifying time (2 min 01.3 sec) was not possible for her this year. But we are now extremely confident that she will achieve these required qualifying standards for the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Games.”

”Today’s excellent National Championships follows shortly after Achola’s equally encouraging races at the recent World University Championships.”

KEVIN AND SUE O’CONNOR