Thursday, September 07, 2006

LRA demand ICC charges be dropped in Ugandan Peace Talks

Hey everyone. I know its tough in the hustle and bustle of law school to keep abreast on event around the world, but heres an important one. This is a fascinating article about the LRA -Ugandan cease fire, and the LRA's current tactic of attempting to avoid international liability by threatening the end of the cease fire:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5320254.stm

Enjoy and feel free to post similar human rights articles you find interesting.

Kevin

3 comments:

brettbarley said...

I think this article is interesting on a few different levels.

(1) This article really points out the difficulty the ICC is having in determining its identity. Is it going to be a permanent institution that aids in the reconciliation process of countries suffering from civil war, or will it be an institution that disrupts peace negotiations in the name of trial justice?

(2) The leaders of the LRA are clearly utilizing the ICC's demands as a scapegoat for possibly wiggling out of a peace negotiation with the government of Uganda. Vincent Otti and Joseph Kony of the LRA are hardly poster-children of leaders that show a preponderance to peaceful settlements.

I really think the end result of these negotiations, perhaps in spite of the ICC requests, will really define the future of the Ugandan conflict along with the future of the ICC...and maybe the future of human rights prosecutions.

brettbarley said...

You raise some very good points, although it appears to me the LRA leaders are trying to end the conflict without any consequences to themselves by demanding the ICC charges be dropped.

This creates a serious dillema for the ICC: Do they continue with their charges, or meet the demands and drop them. This depends whether they believe prosectuing the LRA will set a precedent to prevent future human rights violations to the point that it would outweigh the prospect of human rights violations that would continue if there is no peaceful resolution in Uganda.

Im personally torn between what the ICC should do in response, but I suppose we will find out in the weeks and months to come.

Kevin

brettbarley said...

I agree with you that the ICC is torn between what they should do with the LRA, however I don't think the scope of the ICC goes far enough.

If the ICC is only going to prosecute LRA leadership, and leave the Ugandan government for the crimes they have committed against the northern Ugandan people (sending troops infected with aids to villages to spread the disease), I don't think there will be any reconciliation following the potential prosecutions of people like Vincent Otti and Joseph Kony.

In the end, I think peace in the region will only really come about from a concession of demands on both sides, an inclusion of the LRA into the political process and the adequate, local prosecution of both LRA officials and government officials who are responsible for human rights abuses.

Peter