UPC president Olara Otunnu (2ndR) addresses journalists in Gulu Town on Wednesday. Photo by Julius Ocungi
Gulu- Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) president Olara Otunnu has criticised the International Criminal Court (ICC) over what he described as trials of “soft” suspects for war crimes against humanity, leaving out “the big fish.”
Mr Otunnu, who was addressing journalists in Gulu Town on Wednesday, said ICC’s just concluded hearing of confirmation charges against former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Dominic Ongwen, depicts ICC as selective and discriminative.
“There are other perpetrators who were not in the LRA who have committed worst atrocities, but have been left free,” he said. Mr Otunnu also alleged that UPDF senior commanders committed atrocities in northern Uganda but have not been indicted.
However, Ms Maria Mabinty Kamara, the ICC outreach coordinator for Kenya and Uganda, said ICC indicted LRA commanders after carrying out thorough investigations and never singled out suspects.
“Individuals can channel information to the office of the prosecutor who looks into the claims, but this doesn’t mean that it automatically generates an investigation because it goes through the process of preliminary analysis,” said Ms Kamara.
Mr Otunnu told journalists that if the ICC cannot investigate atrocities alledegly committed by some UPDF soldiers, then the meaning of international justice would be lost.
However, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, the UPDF spokesperson said: “The UPDF together with the government of Uganda will cooperate with anyone who wants to investigate the crimes that were committed during the conflict in northern Uganda; we have no problem with that because we don’t condone impunity as a country and as a force. Let anybody come up if they want to investigate.”
The LRA fought against the government of President Museveni between 1987 and 2006 when a cessation of hostilities agreement was signed.
The National Resistance Army (NRA) soldiers, then and its successor, the UPDF, fought the rebels until they fled to South Sudan and later to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa Republic.
The ICC indicted LRA top commanders including their leader Joseph Kony in 2005. While attending the burial of the late Tiberio Okeny on October 24, 2012, President Museveni apologised for the atrocities.
“NRA /NRM has mistakes but also has the capacity to correct those mistakes, not like the UPC. The UPC party of Otunnu has had numerous (mistakes),” Mr Museveni said, blaming the acts on the ‘bad’ elements in the force despite the force also having good people.
In February 2004, President Museveni pledged to cooperate with the ICC if it investigates his army’s alleged involvement in war crimes.
“I am ready to be investigated for war crimes … and if any of our people were involved in any crimes, we will give him up to the ICC,” Mr Museveni told journalists in Okwang Sub-county in the then Lira District, where government had set up a base to direct the war against the LRA rebels.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
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