33 minutes before I began reading this article, the six-month old ceasefire between the Ugandan Government, and its rebellious combatant for nearly 20 years, the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), became defunct. This may come as a bit of a shock to many, including myself, who were unaware that ceasefire's had end dates when the problem is clearly ongoing. Although there were recent difficulties arising between the two parties, most notably involving the LRA's indictments from the International Criminal Court (ICC), it is beyond me why all other options have not been exhaustively persued in the days leading up to today. This raises the frightening question (although much more frightening for Ugandans) of "What happens next?". Probably, both sides are currently preparing to attack each other, or perhaps the attacks have already begun, less than an hour after the ceasefire has been ceased. While it is very clear that there had not been much recent progress in terms of negotiations, the sheer brutality and overbearing length of the civil war recently halted would seem, in my mind, to be enough to deter both sides from immediate conflict. Nevertheless, the prospects are grim, as we are likely to be forced to yet again open the book on Ugandan civil war and write in it another tragic chapter.
1 comment:
I, too, was completely astounded to learn that ceasefires could "expire." Such a concept seems to contradict the whole point of ceasefires. What good was accomplished? Both sides had time to catch their breaths? Relax, recover, and get ready for round two? "If we are attacked, we shall retaliate and then continue fighting," one man says. They clearly have not learned any lasting lessons from the ceasefire. Recognizing the expiration of the agreement is simply asking for fighting to resume.
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