The presentation of a Memorandum to the Parliament and the International Donor Community by the Religious of Uganda

Province of Uganda-Kenya

With Christ the King: “Let my People go …”

More than 100 Religious gathered at Christ the King Church in the centre of Kampala. They represented the 5,000 Religious who want their voice to be heard in support of the suffering of the people in the North and East of Uganda. On the 29th of July ’04 at 11.00 a.m. Religious - mostly Sisters, but also Priests and Brothers - gathered in the Church. They prayed together for half an hour. Then at 11.30, the ten religious delegated to present the Memorandum in Parliament set off to meet the Speaker of Parliament and the MPs, while most of the others remained in the Church to pray for them. Many were fasting. Another dozen arrived at the steps of Parliament later.

At the Parliament: echoing the cry of the People

Our appointment with the speaker was for 12.00. We waited outside the Parliament building, greeting the MPs and chatting until we were summoned. We found ourselves in a room with a very long table with chairs and individual microphones. The Religious sat on one side, the MPs on the other, with the Speaker of Parliament in the middle. The other Religious who had come were allowed to sit behind and there were many reporters.

Sister Theresa Namataka read the Memorandum. She began by saying that at least 100 Sisters were at that moment praying for the success of the Memorandum – praying and fasting – and to our surprise the MPs banged the table loudly to show they appreciated that gesture.

All the MPs present were given copies of the Memorandum and followed the reading closely. Afterwards the Speaker thanked us. He said the Government was doing its best to end the trouble in the North, that they were in the process of wiping out the rebels and he knew we would pray for that. Since the Memorandum states that lasting peace cannot be achieved by violent means, we were taken aback, but there was no chance to respond to his statement. He also thanked us for what we had to say about transition to multi-parties and assured us the transition would be transparent, and also that, for the third point, the Government was working to eradicate corruption. He promised to honour our request that he take a copy of the Memorandum to the President. He also informed us the he would ensure that all the MPs would receive a copy of the Memorandum. With that the meeting was over. There was no chance for the MPs to ask questions. Our hope is in the presence of the press in large numbers and in the message of the Memorandum itself.

We went back to Christ the King Church, where the usual packed congregation was present for 1.00 p.m. Mass. At the end, Father David Ssemwanga, Benedictine prior of Tororo, gave the people a summary of the message we had brought to Parliament and we had another Mass for ourselves.

One great blessing, surely the result of prayer, was that Msgr. Matthew Odong, the Vicar General of Gulu Diocese was in Kampala and able to accompany us throughout the day and was one of the 10 delegates. At the end of our Mass he told us how much our visit of solidarity to Gulu and our efforts to influence the Government meant to the people of the North.

To the wider world

Then, shortly after 2.00 p.m., we started, most of us on foot, for the Irish Embassy. It was quite a long walk. We arrived, and the 10 of us who were delegates were ushered upstairs to meet the representatives from the various Embassies. The Sisters and Brothers who had come in such numbers to Christ the King and prayed there for 3 hours to support us, now prayed for another hour and a half, still fasting. We had thought that the meeting with the Embassy representatives would be a function all could assist at, but I think that the number of Sisters was much greater than people expected and there was no room that would hold them.

Those who came to hear and share

The Irish Ambassador, Mr.Mairtin O’ Fainin, had invited representatives from all the Embassies and the response was very gratifying. Among those present were the Ambassadors of Germany and Belgium and representatives from the Embassies of Sweden, Norway, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands. There were representatives also from the UN and the EU.

The exchange: on the issue of amnesty

This time it was Fr. David who read the Memorandum while the International Community representatives followed the text closely.

• Then the Irish Ambassador commented, saying that the concerns of our group reflected his concerns. He had just returned from a visit to the North that morning.
• The German Ambassador asked how the International Community could help us achieve our goal. Msgr. Odong was a great asset to us in this session, since he could answer questions with the authority of 18 years experience of the Kony war at close range. He said that the way they could help was to put pressure on Sudan to stop protecting and helping Kony, since it is now a certainty that without that protection and help Kony’s power to harm the Acholi would be finished.
• The German Ambassador also asked what ethical grounds we, as Religious people, could have for suggesting reconciliation with such a criminal group as the LRA. Msgr. Odong and Fr Jim explained that in Acholi culture there are rites to enable reconciliation even in terrible cases like this, where it is the price to be paid for peace, for life, for a viable future. The Acholi are ready to reconcile, even with those who have killed members of their family. The delegation was then questioned about our attitude to the role and involvement of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Msgr. Odong went on to explain that the Acholi People welcome the ICC. However he expressed the reservations of some Acholi Leaders. The timing of that intervention is delicate and it is crucial that we get the timing right.

The concern of many Acholi is that if the ICC pursues its action too quickly to bring Kony and others to trial, then Kony (LRA) and his top men may well refuse the window of opportunity that the Amnesty Act now offers. They know in their hearts that they are guilty of horrific cruelty and they will be totally unable to defend themselves against the accusations of the ICC. The Acholi unquestionably want justice to be done. But they want a justice that is more likely to secure the lives of their children, forced by Kony into fighting his battles. The immediate focus of the Acholi Leadership is to save the children first of all.

Their fear is that if the LRA see that they will face ICC justice they will most likely intensify their war effort. Their tactic has always been to force children - girls and boys from 8 years upwards - to fight in the front line. These children in fact may be unwittingly placed in this appalling predicament by the honourable efforts of the ICC approach.

Mr. Mascini, representing the Embassy of the Netherlands, pointed out the obligations on those who are signatories of the ICC convention. The delegation reminded the gathering that the LRA are a unique type of “army” and need to be dealt with in an appropriate way. Because the LRA is overwhelmingly an “army” of child-soldiers forced to fight, everything needs to be done to secure the rights of these children. The delegation pointed out that the Acholi Religious Leaders are very active and have the respect and confidence of the Acholi People. They deserve a hearing. They are on the ground and see that the Amnesty Act is producing very significant results. Many children have returned from the bush and high ranking LRA leaders have surrendered. They want the amnesty to be continued. The focus of the Acholi leadership is to save their children and get them out off the front line of the battle. After that other justice efforts will get their full attention.

Fr. Jim asked the International Representatives to measure their support for the ICC approach with a deep sensitivity for local cultural values and legitimate indigenous approaches to conflict resolution. The two approaches can complement each other. While unwittingly playing down or excluding the local cultural approach there is a danger of actually weakening the process to peace in the North and East.

The land issue

Fr. Jim asked the International Representatives to give their attention to the issue of the land which the people were force to abandon years ago when they were put in camps for internally displaced persons ( IDPs) by the Government. Those in the IDP camps fear that they will have no land when it is time to go home, that it will have been taken over by the “developers”. Land in other areas of the country may be similarly targeted. The ARU delegation strongly requested the International Representatives to use their influence to ensure the safety of the land of the IDPs. There should be absolutely no negotiation for the land of the IDPs or other vulnerable Ugandans without their full and unambiguous consent.

Promoting rights of the child

Finally the delegation raised the issue of their recommendation that the children of the disturbed areas of the North and East be given priority status to enable them to catch up with their education and other opportunities taken for granted by other children in peaceful areas of the Nation. The role and contribution of the Donors could be vital in levelling the playing field for the under-privileged youth.

Wrapping up the exchange

At the end, the Irish Ambassador said that he understood the problems of Uganda because of his experience in his own country. For peace to be deep and lasting, it has to be the fruit of dialogue and reconciliation, not of violent conquest on the one side and defeat on the other. On that note the meeting ended. We were very happy with it.

Conclusion

A special word of thanks goes to all who supported us by prayer before and during this event of 29th July – and above all to those who stayed in Christ the King to pray while we went to Parliament, and then walked to the Irish Embassy and waited prayerfully for the one and a half hours while the meeting with the International Community took place. We are grateful for the kindness shown to us by the Speaker and the MPs who received us at the Parliament. The facilitation by the Irish Ambassador for our meeting the International Representatives was a very generous gesture and is appreciated by very much by ARU.

If something comes of our efforts it will be due to the prayer and sacrifice which accompanied us and the support and commitment from those who received us and listened. Now we look forward to the follow up and the action!

Margie’s reflections:

I think what the experience meant to me was a great gratitude for the Sisters who stuck with us, praying and fasting, even though they did not enter parliament or meet the diplomats. They even had no place to sit down for about 2 hours. I really felt that they did more than any of us, together with people all over the world who were praying and fasting, to ensure that this effort bears some fruit, that the suffering of the people
in the North will be alleviated.

I felt so grateful, too, that Monsignor Odong, the vicar General of Gulu Diocese, was able to be with us and answer questions with all the background knowledge of someone who has known the situation for the 18 years it has gone on. He just happened to be in Kampala. Surely God arranged it.

I do not feel great hope of having had any impact on the government I'm afraid, but I do feel that the representatives of the international community listened keenly and perhaps through them pressure will be exerted on the government to accept a process of mediation to end the war.

The RSCJ who were present were: Margie Conroy, Mary Kajubi, Solome
Najjuka, Jo Wright, Maria del Mar Clapera (from Mexico, in Uganda for her international service before probation), Ednah Kandah (novice) and Monica Muthini (novice). Annet Nankusu and Susan Nankya, who went on the pilgrimage to Gulu with Jo Wright and Mary Kajubi, wanted to be with us but their duties prevented them.