Juba talks aided LRA rebels assembly, says Dr Rugunda

L-R: President Salv President Salva Kiir, then Southern Sudan Police and Security Minister a Kiir, then Southern Sudan Police and Security Minister Daniel Awet Ako (currently Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan) and Dr Ruhakana Rugunda during the 2006 Juba Peace Talks. FILE PHOTO

You played a Key role in the Juba Peace Talks of 2006. Whereas the final settlement was never signed, at least the Kony rebels haven’t returned to Ugandan soil since then. How does this make you feel?
I am happy that the conflict ended after the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) defeated Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. It’s true that during the Juba Talks, we were able to agree on a cessation of hostilities and through that process or after that agreement the elements of LRA who were hiding in different areas of Northern Uganda were able to assemble at UPDF barracks, churches, mosques, LC leaders’ residences and take advantage of the channels, routes that were agreed upon by the UPDF for them to be able to cross to South Sudan, to Owiny Ki-Bul and then Ri-kwangba next to South Sudan-DRC border.

But the two were supposed to be holding camps as the Peace Talks went on, do you feel there are some things you as the government team would have done to build more confidence and get Kony to sign the agreement?
There were two camps, Owiny Ki-Bul on the Western part of the Nile and Ri-kwangba on the southern part of the Nile. First of all, there was a lot of confidence in my view built in that group.

In fact, after the cessation of hostilities, they were able to follow the agreement to assemble at UPDF barracks. This was very significant. I remember talking to Dominic Ongwen, who is now at The Hague (standing trial), when he was camped with Brigade Commander Balikuddembe. They were together, LRA/UPDF in same place, preparing for LRA members to move to Owiny Ki-Bul.

So the fact there was confidence to gather at UPDF Barracks by LRA really demonstrates a lot and UPDF assisted them, wanaichi assisted them, gave them food so that they could be able to move to Owiny Ki-Bul in peace and security. To me, that was a big measure of confidence. It’s true, the peace talks took a bit of time but when we eventually agreed, Joseph Kony should have signed the agreement. We agreed he was going to sign. We met him a number of times.

What then happened?
We went with President Joaquim Chissano (former president of Mozambique) and vice president Riek Machar (of South Sudan) and others to witness the signing of the agreement. He never appeared in Ri-kwangba at the place where he was supposed to sign.

We were there with my Brother Henry Oryem (minister of State for Foreign Affairs) and members of our delegation. We went and waited for three days and Kony was nowhere to be seen. President Museveni flew to Juba to sign the agreement as per the agreement between ourselves as the government of Uganda, Kony and the government of South Sudan.

But President Museveni reached there and he couldn’t sign the agreement alone because he was supposed to sign it after Joseph Kony. But we did agree as government and announced that all those things agreed upon that were due to be fulfilled by the government of Uganda, we would go ahead and implement and indeed we went ahead and implemented that component of the agreement.

In your view what do you think prompted Joseph Kony not to appear?
Your guess in as good as mine. He didn’t appear; he didn’t sign. There is speculation. But my own thinking is that there were a number of pressures. I think there were some people who thought they would benefit from continued conflict or people who thought that Joseph Kony coming and signing the agreement would undermine them politically, both inside and outside the country. I think those may have put pressure on Joseph Kony not to sign. This is an opinion I have because Kony had agreed to sign.

Are there any lessons that you draw from the process of the talks that you find useful in your current assignment as Prime Minister?
Well, we are always learning. No doubt, the three years we discussed with the Kony group definitely gave me a number of lessons. There is no doubt that there a number of them.

Could you share some of these lessons?
We gained some experience. First of all, we were able to have more inside knowledge about the forces that were responsible – that supported, armed, trained, clothed and fed the LRA. We were able to gain that information. Secondly, it enabled us and the leadership of South Sudan, to understand, to appreciate the intimacy, the intricacy and commonality of our struggles and that fact that they are interlinked.

How are they interlinked?
There are a number of factors. The people in South Sudan and Uganda are basically one. Common groupings cutting across the border of Uganda and South Sudan, speaking the same language, having the same culture. So the fact is that people are one. Two, we were nearly suffering from the balkanization of our continent because South Sudan and Uganda should have been one country if I may say, because of this commonality.

But that situation has since been corrected by the Pan African forces and regional forces with the integration which saw the admission of South Sudan into the East African Community

But as we talk, there is violence in South Sudan. What can be done to ensure the country enjoys similar peace and stability?
South Sudan is undergoing the early childhood growth of nations. The youngest nation on the continent will stabilise. It is going to provide solutions for its internal problems. I also believe now that it’s a member of the East African Community, this is going to further consolidate and accelerate this stabilisation.

Fortunately, her regional neighbours – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania are stable, and Burundi has more or less stabilised though there are still scattered incidents of instability.

So the fact that her regional neighbours are stable and supportive will encourage, help, support the government and the people of South Sudan. And, indeed, that is why regional neighbours through IGAD are keen to see quick stabilisation because the stabilisation of South Sudan is important for the EAC and for Africa.

We have spent enough time in conflict and it’s now time to build our economies, transform our societies, to improve the quality of life of the African People.