ENDING VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN UGANDA: A Manifesto for
Peace
Dear Robert Stewart,
We have been asked by our project partners Kacoke Madit(KM), who are
an Acholi diaspora organisation working on the conflict in Northern
Uganda, to distribute this 'Manifesto for Peace' to our global
contacts and colleagues. Apologies for the unsolicited nature of
this email, but we hope that you will find this a thoughtful
initiative which may have some relevance or be of some inspiration in
your own work.
Andy Carl, Co-Director
Conciliation Resources (CR)
London
//////////////////////////////***************\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Conciliation Resources (CR) was established in 1994 to provide an
international service and act as a resource in the field of
peacebuilding and conflict transformation. CR's principal objective
is to support the activities of locally-based groups working at
community or national levels in preventing violent conflict or
seeking to transform armed conflict into opportunities for social,
political and economic development based on more just relationships.
Currently CR supports initiatives in the Caucasus, Fiji, Sierra
Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda, Angola and the Balkans. CR also
publishes 'Accord - an international review of peace initiatives'
which is available free on-line (http://www.c-r.org/accord).
For a
wide range of additional information on CR and its work, please refer
to our web site at: http://www.c-r.org
CR is registered as a charity in the UK (No:1055436) and is
located
at 173 Upper St. London N1 1RG, United Kingdom
//////////////////////////////*****************\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To The Uganda Presidential Election Candidates: Presidential Elections 2001
ENDING VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
A Manifesto for Peace
We, the undersigned, deplore any form of violence used during the
election campaigns and urge candidates to publicly declare their
commitment to resolving Uganda's violent internal conflicts through
political dialogue and peaceful democratic political processes. The
on-going electoral campaigns are an opportunity for candidates to
identify with the strong national mood for peace, reconciliation and
national unity in Uganda. We will circulate and publicise this
Manifesto widely within and outside Uganda, and recommend that the
electorate support candidates who make clear their commitment to
these principles.
1. PREAMBLE
Fifteen years of violent internal conflicts in Uganda particularly in
Acholiland have devastated one third of the country, laid to waste
its agrarian economic base, depleted its livestock, and disrupted the
very fabric of our societies.
Uganda must turn a new page, with a shared national vision where
every part of the country is an equal partner in our nation's life; a
life of peaceful co-existence characterized by the management of
conflicts through dialogue, negotiations, accommodation and
compromise. It is therefore essential that we find ways to break
these cycles of destruction and warfare, and build opportunities for
serious political dialogue leading to negotiated peace with all the
armed groups.
These elections provide new opportunities to inject fresh thinking
and create new partnerships for resolving issues of great national
importance. A clear commitment to achieving peace by peaceful means
would give renewed hope to our internally displaced people, whose
intolerable suffering, abject poverty and destitution should not be
allowed to continue.
We are hopeful that you as a presidential candidate will imbue the
country with a new spirit of generosity in political accommodation
during the campaigns and in the aftermath of this election. We
believe that such a spirit can foster new opportunities for
peacemaking where none were thought to exist before. We also believe
that the opposition and organized civil society have a contribution
to make to this project and meaningful peace processes will involve
new partnerships and not be pursued solely through the prerogative of
the executive and selected confidants.
We also call upon all the armed opposition groups, the Lord's
Resistance Movement/Army (LRM/A), the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF),
Uganda National Rescue Front II (UNRF-II) and the West Nile Bank
Front (WNBF) to respond positively to a new political climate and
fresh initiatives for peace.
The time has come to declare that we have no confidence in a
definitive military solution to the conflicts in the North and West
of Uganda. As organizations that advocate a democratic and socially
just peace, we call on all eligible voters to cast their vote, We
call on the public to vote for those Presidential and Parliamentary
candidates who make public their commitment to negotiations, and
democratic political reforms that promote and protect human rights.
Peace is an essential prerequisite for political stability, economic
development, social harmony and national unity. Let us give PEACE a
chance.
2. CALL TO ACTION
2.1 Make A Peaceful Resolution of Uganda's Civil Conflicts an Urgent
Political Priority
Kacoke Madit and its co-signatories call on all candidates to make
the peaceful resolution of Uganda's internal conflicts their most
urgent priority. Violence and the violation of democratic and human
rights in any one part of the country diminish the rights of all our
citizens. There is no other issue of greater national priority and
importance than the urgent and immediate need to resolve our
long-running conflicts and make the security and welfare of our
citizens the raison d'etre of government.
2.2 Engage the Armed Opposition Groups in Dialogue
We call upon the present and future Government of Uganda to
tirelessly engage in unconditional and constructive dialogue with all
armed opposition groups.
In this regard, we call on the Presidential candidates to publicly
declare their commitment to a peaceful settlement to the armed
internal conflicts during their campaign tours and rallies around the
country and to spell out the specific steps that they will take to
engage with the LRM/A, ADF, UNRF - II and the WNBF. We ask that our
government puts the same efforts into waging the peace and has been
put into past military efforts to bring security to our nation.
2.3 Appointment of a Presidential Peace Delegation
We urge the Presidential candidates to declare their commitment, if
elected, to appoint, in consultation with civil society, a
Presidential Peace Delegation (or a similar such body) that will take
immediate steps towards establishing contacts and embarking upon
exploratory meetings with the armed groups. This 'Peace Delegation'
will help translate stated commitments into action, and will ensure
that these efforts are sustained.
2.4 Include Representatives of Civil Society in Finding a Solution
The capacities of civil society to contribute to the peace process
must be recognized and employed. There should be a continuous
inclusion of organized civil society representatives as partners in
any process. This would be to acknowledge their proven commitments to
reaching a peaceful settlement and that peace is a not a party
political issue. It is therefore essential to involve traditional
chiefs, elders, NGOs, Churches and other religious bodies, local and
national political representatives and in particular women's
representatives within the communities affected by armed conflict.
2.5 Continue To Draw On International Third-Party Support
The President should continue to draw on international support and
expertise for third-party mediation and/or facilitation during peace
negotiations as appropriate. There is a great deal of goodwill and
competence within the intergovernmental and non-governmental
international community in the field of conflict resolution which
should be drawn upon as required.
2.6 Take Steps to Create an Environment Conducive to Constructive Dialogue
We call upon all candidates to make a commitment to creating an
environment conducive to constructive dialogue. As a first step in
signalling his unequivocal commitment to peace, the elected candidate
should consider declaring a unilateral ceasefire, to help create an
environment conducive to establishing contacts with armed opposition
groups, and to signal his clear commitment to reaching a negotiated
settlement. We urge you to use your political skills to make
gestures of goodwill in order to build confidence in a peace process.
2.7 Commit Adequately Resources to the Peace, Reconciliation and
Resettlement Process
The peace, reconciliation and resettlement processes should be
adequately resourced. We urge you to commit yourself to this goal
which should also include the adequate resourcing of the necessary
infrastructures for sustaining peace. Ugandans will expect the
savings accruing from the cessation of internal conflicts (the so
called 'peace dividend') to be channeled towards the resettlement and
reintegration of ex-combatants, refugees, displaced people and other
victims, reconstruction and development projects, and rehabilitation
of education and healthcare infrastructure and towards other
development initiatives.
2.8 Protect the Human Rights of Civilians in the War Affected Areas
As a state and as a society we have failed to adequately protect the
rights of the civilians affected by war. It is time to resettle the
people living in so-called 'protected villages'. We call upon the
president to create conditions that will allow the immediate safe
return and secure resettlement of these families to their homes, and
to provide appropriate support to facilitate this. We urge the
candidates to commit themselves to stopping the use of
counter-insurgency strategies, which result in people becoming, in
effect, 'human shields'. The national armed forces (UPDF) must pursue
a people-centred approach to security, which should involve the
relocation of the army away from towns and areas of high population
density. The national obligation to recognize the special needs and
past losses of the displaced should be another national priority.
2.9 Protect the Human and Humanitarian Rights of the Combatants
Recognizing that many children and adults were forcefully recruited
into the rebel forces, it is imperative that when deployed, the
national army adopts strategies that minimize the loss of lives of
combatants on all sides. Combatants should be treated fairly and
humanely in accordance with accepted international norms and
practices under the Optional Protocols of the Geneva Convention on
armed conflict. The abducted children also have special and urgent
humanitarian (basic health and welfare) needs which must be
acknowledged and protected. The needs of these children are
immediate and cannot wait for a final settlement. Meeting this
challenge will require innovative and bold humanitarian initiatives.
2.10 Protect the Rights of All Children in the Conflict
There is an urgency not to sacrifice another childhood or child's
life in war. In addition to the children among the rebel combatants
are the children whose lives are blighted and frozen in abject
poverty and destitution in the 'protected villages'. We would like
candidates to commit themselves to adopting and implementing peace
policies, which put the protection of the lives and welfare of
children first. It is cruel and unjust to use the situation of our
abducted brothers and sisters as political footballs. Demands for
their (comprehensive) release must form part and parcel of a holistic
and comprehensive peace process and must not be politicized as an
unrealistic pre-condition for peace talks.
2.11. Amnesty
We urge the candidates to commit themselves to:
* The Amnesty Act for as long as there are unresolved internal conflicts;
* Coordinating the Amnesty Commission's work with that of the
proposed Presidential Peace Delegation;
* Recognizing the place of social amnesty (i.e. our peace and
reconciliation traditions);
* Recognizing the Amnesty as a first step in a long process (towards
peace), rather than an end in itself;
* Properly resource the Amnesty Commission.
2.12 Sustaining Peace
In addition to adopting policies to speedily end our internal
conflicts, we urge the candidates to commit themselves to measures to
sustain future peace settlements by:
* Adhering to the Constitution and international human rights and
humanitarian standards;
* Promoting educational initiatives to foster tolerance and promote a
national culture of peace and democracy;
* Demilitarize Uganda's politics by disarming civilians under arms
(outside of the regular armed forces);
* Devise a truly consultative and people-centred "Marshal Plan" to
explore the needs and costs for reconstruction in the war-affected
areas;
* Commit to strengthen democratic institutions (and capacity) in
order to eliminate the politics of exclusion, to manage social and
political relations without the need to resort to violence, and to
create space for expression of marginalized voices.
3. CONCLUSION
We believe that cessation of hostilities and the re-establishment of
peace and security in war-affected areas such as Acholiland through
dialogue and a negotiated settlement is the most urgent national
priority during this presidential campaign and election process.
We therefore urge the presidential candidates and their supporters to
give peace and non-violent means of conflict resolution a top
priority in their national vision and to draw up a peace agenda that
will take the country to an era of secure social and political
co-existence for every citizen.
We urge voters to vote for candidates whose vision gives clear
priority to peace.
4. SIGNATORY ORGANISATIONS
Kacoke Madit (KM)
Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG)
Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative
Human Rights Focus