This article originally appeared as a blog post on February 6th, 2009 during AFJN's trip to Burundi and Uganda. Reposted here April 14th, 2009.
While in Kampala, we met with political officers at both the Dutch
Embassy and the U.S. Embassy. We had heard that the Dutch are
particularly supportive of restorative justice in Africa and so we
thought we might obtain a few advocacy points for our work with the
U.S. government. In fact, both meetings were equally valuable in terms
of shaping our approach to restorative justice and affirmed the
importance of our work.
I came to Uganda under the impression
that the U.S. still needed a lot of education on transitional justice
before we would see any real progress, support, or programs from the
U.S. government. Instead, our discussions with the Political Officer in
Kampala and the USAID Conflict Specialist in Gulu seem to indicate that
the U.S. is very supportive of restorative justice and believes that it
"should be recognized as legitimate."
Comboni Sisters Appeal for Clarity Around Uganda Attacks
Commentary
Thursday, 05 March 2009
Posted March 4th, 2009
This message was originally sent to Africa Faith and Justice Network - Europe:
January 28th, 2009 - Nzara, Sudan
I am Sr. Giovanna Calabria, a Comboni Sister, working in Nzara, 15 miles from Yambio, in Western Equatoria State. Since September 2008 the people at the border of South Sudan and D.R. Congo have been affected by frequent attacks from the LRA with the consequences we all know: looting, abducting, raping, and killing in the most savage way. Last December 2008 aircrafts, gunships, and Ugandan soldiers arrived in Nzara airstrip. We all felt relieved when we were told that the three countries Uganda, D.R. Congo, and South Sudan were joining hands to stop LRA activities. For weeks, planes and helicopters were moving up and down the border, we could hear the bombing from afar, even on Christmas festivities.
Unfortunately nothing has changed, LRA have become more violent and cruel. The number of refugees from Congo and internally displaced is increasing, almost every day people are coming to our area looking for security.
I am perplexed,
Why LRA have not been defeated?
Why their leader Kony is not arrested?
Why their barbaric activities are not stopped?
Who is protecting them, allowing them to carry on?
I make an appeal to the international community to let them know what is happening and to intervene, putting an end to these atrocities perpetrated by the LRA. Grateful for your kind consideration!
Ugandan Rebels Retaliate Against Government Attack
News
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Written January 16, 2009
Two weeks after the Ugandan government initiated a botched military operation against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in DR Congo, the angered rebels initiated a string of attacks against the Congolese civilian population. According to reports from Caritas International and other news agencies, over 400 have been killed, nearly 200 abducted, and scores raped. To make matters worse, the Ugandan government is no closer to catching Joseph Kony, the LRA’s notorious leader, than they were before the military offensive. The rationale behind the Ugandan government’s action may have been legitimate, but its poor execution left civilians vulnerable to a vengeful rebel army.
