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| The Bigombe Initiative An excerpt from Pawns of Politics, 2nd edition(62 page PDF, 8MB), page 46 Toward the latter half of 2004, former Ugandan parliamentarian Betty Bigombe was successful in making contact with the LRA leadership and reinitiating peace talks. Although the LRA has continued its brutal attacks against civilians and abduction of children, Kony has expressed interest in dialoguing with Bigombe. Initially, Bigombe spoke through LRA senior commanders Sam Kolo (who defected in February 2005) and Vincent Otti, the LRA second-in-command. Since late March 2005, Kony himself has communicated directly with Bigombe. In April, Kony asked to be allowed to contact family members with whom he had lost touch, including some of his wives, his sister, and his brother. He has discussed with them his personal security, the seriousness of the government in any peace process, and how he can get all his children into school. In April, Kony had the most comprehensive set of discussions with Bigombe that have occurred since the war began 19 years ago. While these did not yet advance very far into the details of the main substantive issues, they touched on cease-fire modalities, issues that need to be addressed in a peace deal and other concerns that the LRA and the government have about potential obstacles to progress. Kony communicated with Bigombe directly rather than through interlocutors, and on April 17, Kony expressed readiness to meet with Bigome for the first time in a decade. On 21 May, Kony reconnected with Bigombe, claiming the interruption was due to damage to his satellite phone. On June 15, President Museveni agreed to a 24-hour limited cease-fire so that Bigombe could deliver a new satellite phone to the LRA and then a subsequent four-or- five-day limited cease-fire to facilitate discussions on a comprehensive cessation. Bigombe is still awaiting confirmation on mutually agreeable dates. At the time of writing, no meeting with Bigombe has yet occurred but the conditions remain mildly promising. More concrete action by all combatants as well as concerned members within the international community is urgently needed. It would be a mistake by all not to explore this possibility of further negotiations in the belief that Kony is too unstable a personality for serious negotiation. The significant efforts made by Bigombe and other civil society actors provide important groundwork for a full-scale, multilateral, coordinated peace initiative, which has never been attempted in northern Uganda. With the changing circumstances in Sudan and the urgency of the situation in northern Uganda, now is the time to substantively increase and coordinate all efforts for peaceful resolution of this conflict.   For more about Betty Bigombe, read Africa's peace seekers: Betty Bigombe, in the Christian Science Monitor. |  |
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