Members of Parliament are concerned over the conflicting statements issued by different government agencies on the looming war between Sudan and South Sudan.
The two countries, who until July 2011 were one, have been clashing over the control of the oil-rich territories across their common border. On Monday this week, they each sent a delegation to Kampala to convince the Ugandan parliament to support peace efforts even though war rhetoric between the two has continued.
On Tuesday, Oyam South MP Betty Amongi rose on a point of national importance asking government to come up with a clear position on the Sudan-South Sudan crisis and whether Khartoum still supports Joseph Kony, the reclusive Lord’s Resistance Army rebel leader.
Ugandan army officers have accused Sudan of once again arming the LRA in the wake of a UN and African Union-backed operation to capture Kony in Central African Republic. General Aronda Nyakairima, the chief of defence forces at one point openly said UPDF would not hesitate to help South Sudan if the war broke out.
While other MPs cited the effect of the crisis on trade, Chrispus Ayena, Oyam North MP urged legislators to be more concerned about life that is likely to be wasted. He too demanded to have an official position of government on the return of Kony into Uganda. The LRA leader spearheaded a campaign of killing, maiming, torturing, raping and abductions in his two-decade insurgency in Northern Uganda. At the peak of the war in 2005, over a million people were said to have been killed by the LRA while close to two million others were living in internally displaced peoples’ camps. More than 10,000 children were abducted the rebels.
But Simon Aleper, Moroto Municipality MP cautioned the legislators not to sound war drums in the name of seeking a clarification from government. He instead advised his colleagues to preach peace and not war.
Abdu Katuntu, the Bugweri legislator also asked the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah to give more information on the matter because a delegation of South Sudan was in the country to see him. He observed that this was not just a Northern Uganda issue but a matter of national concern. Any form of war, he observed, will require resources both human and financial, urging MPs not to talk about war since Ugandans are not dogs of war.
Nyabushozi County MP Col. Fred Mwesigye agreed with other legislators calling for peace noting that any conflict is expensive. He urged politicians to mind their language in order to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by the two Sudans in 2005.
Speaking on behalf of government, Daudi Migereko requested for more time to consult with the Leader of Government Business, Amama Mbabazi, before making a formal statement in parliament. Government has up to Thursday this week to make its position known.
