Aggiornamenti sull'Uganda

Cari amici ecco due articoli nuovi sull'Uganda, il primo è bello e completo (BBC) mentre il secondo è un lancio della MISNA per chi vuole tenersi costantemente aggiornato. Seeking Uganda's mysterious rebels

By Jonah Fisher BBC News, Juba, southern Sudan The rebels returned to the bush where they have been for 20 years Owiny Ki-Bul is a small hamlet of mud huts flanked by a rusting British army bridge and a dirt airstrip near Sudan's border with Uganda. Last month, the village suddenly became a busy base heaving with Ugandan rebel fighters in their trademark rubber boots. Then, just as quickly, Owiny Ki-Bul emptied once more. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels melted back into the bush, saying the Ugandan army was preparing to attack them. Their brief appearance had raised hopes of an end to nearly 20 years of war, as it was part of a truce signed by the LRA and the government. Under that agreement, the rebels were supposed to gather at two assembly points in southern Sudan. One of those sites was Owiny Ki-Bul. Rebel 'moisturiser' After the rebels' arrival, a team of aid workers was despatched to assess the humanitarian needs in the area. The LRA presented them with a long and detailed list - including which brand of moisturiser they wanted. These are the most unpredictable talks I've ever been involved in Professor Hizkias Assefa, Chief mediator Food at the site was provided by the government of southern Sudan as well as a few soldiers as protection. But the LRA are not here now, the Sudanese commander told me sitting next to a huge pile of grain bags. "I last saw them on 28th September," he said. "I've no idea where they've gone to now." Local people confirmed LRA reports of a build-up in the area. But Uganda's interior minister and head of delegation at the peace talks, Ruhakana Rugunda, denied the Ugandans had besieged rebel positions. "The Ugandan government and the UPDF are solidly behind these talks," he said. There have since been reports of LRA fighters crossing the Nile from the east to the west, possibly heading back to DR Congo. The rebels also say they have been attacked by the Ugandan army. Amnesty breakthrough? At the negotiations themselves, held at one of Juba's many tented camps, mediators are hoping that the LRA fighters' disappearance is a hitch rather than a major obstacle to the process. Talks are focused on the broad topic of a comprehensive solution to Uganda's political problems. Discussions take place late in the evening to allow chief mediator and southern Sudanese Vice-President Riek Machar to work during the day. Issues such as the existence of a parallel LRA army, changes to the Ugandan parliament and compensation are all proving difficult to resolve. The Ugandan delegation has repeatedly stressed that they do not have the power to change the country's constitution to accommodate the rebels. "These are the most unpredictable talks I've ever been involved in," Professor Hizkias Assefa, head of the international mediation resource team said. "Things which you expect to go quickly can take a long time and vice versa." The issue which will make or break the Juba process is the fate of the LRA's four top commanders. After being invited by the Ugandan government, the International Criminal Court has issued warrants for the arrest of four senior leaders. Those men have refused to attend the talks in Juba and their delegates say they will not sign a final agreement until charges are dropped. But the government insists that any amnesty can only follow the signing of a peace agreement. The ICC rules stipulate that it only acts when the national judicial process is not adequate or genuine. If it was to be satisfied with a Ugandan tribal process, it could in theory drop or suspend its warrants without losing face. Atrocity But the wounds which need to be healed are deep. Last year the LRA came across a funeral taking place near Juba, Emilio Igga the commissioner of Magwe county in southern Sudan said. Joseph Kony said he should be forgiven for past atrocities They ordered the body to be chopped and cooked in big pot. "The people who were mourning were forced to eat the body," Mr Igga said. As part of the peace process, Mr Igga went to meet LRA leader Joseph Kony on the border with DR Congo. He confronted Kony about the funeral atrocity telling him it was inhuman to eat human flesh. "Kony looked sad," Mr Igga said. "Then he said he should be forgiven because he wants the peace process to be concluded and not to go back to war."

RIBELLI CHIEDONO ‘CAMPI DI RACCOLTA’ ANCHE PER L’ESERCITO
	Altro, Brief
Le forze armate ugandesi (Updf) dispiegate in Sud Sudan dovrebbero essere radunate in centri di raccolta al pari di quelli allestiti per accogliere i ribelli dell’Esercito di resistenza del signore (Lra): lo ha chiesto da Juba, dove sono in corso i colloqui tra le parti, Ayena Odongo ‘consigliere legale’ dello Lra, secondo il quale la misura garantirebbe un maggiore controllo sulle eventuali violazioni del ‘cessate-il-fuoco’ da parte dei soldati governativi e, allo stesso tempo, consentirebbe ai ribelli di potere lasciare in sicurezza il Sud Sudan in caso di fallimento del negoziato. “Devono essere costituiti appositi centri di raccolta per i militari ugandesi perché al momento è impossibile controllare il loro movimento sul terreno. Questo provvedimento inoltre rafforzerebbe l’applicazione dell’accordo per la cessazione delle ostilità firmato lo scorso 26 agosto” ha sottolineato Odongo. Ieri lo Lra aveva accusato l’esercito di avere attaccato un gruppo di combattenti diretto a Owiny-Ki-Bul, uno dei due campi di raccolta - insieme a quello di Ri-Kwangba - ferendo gravemente due combattenti. L’episodio, già smentito dai militari, è giunto dopo la conferma che sia lo Lra che le truppe governative hanno di fatto violato la tregua, come accertato da una commissione di verifica bilaterale. La stampa ugandese ha intanto annunciato oggi che il presidente Yoweri Museveni si recherà a Juba nel prossimo fine-settimana con l’obiettivo di rilanciare i colloqui.