LRA, Governemnt of Uganda: None of you has won, conclude Juba, Now

Representatives of Uganda's rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) , are due to visit northern Uganda officially and in broad day light. They will also visit Kampala, the capital -for the first time in many years. The LRA that has waged a 20 year bloody war in northern Uganda against the government of president Yoweri Museveni is held responsible for death of several hundreds of people, displacement of millions and abduction of several hundred children.

For the last one year, the government of Uganda and the LRA have been juggling in peace talks in the southern Sudan capital of Juba under the chairmanship of southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar.

So far the peace talks have only tackled two out of the agreed five agenda. As long as the talks rumble on peace is uncertain in this region that posts the poorest statistics in every field (education, health, HIV infections, respect for human rights, poverty prevalence...all human development indicators) in Uganda, a country touted as one of the world's best turn-around cases.

Joseph Kony, the cunning LRA leader can not be held responsible in the horror, suffering and destitution in northern Uganda alone, even the government of Uganda must take its share of the blame-firstly, for failing to stop this war in spite of the millions of shillings spent by the army on this war. The government must secondly own up its piece of the blame because it failed in the past to pursue peaceful means and its demonstrated near utter negligence on this region. In the past the government was responsible for failure of peace talks attempts for its belief that it could end the war militarily and therefore be seen as the strong boy. Government now needs to put aside its chest-thumping antics because they have clearly failed.

On the other hand, it is evident that the LRA is worn out and it cannot afford its mile-trecking ways, raiding villages and maiming civilians, to hurt the government. The LRA must fold its tail now and talk seriously.

It's no longer time to shout around who is stronger than the other, both the LRA and the government of Uganda have shown they are weak because nobody has completely defeated the other. The only wise thing to do now is to do it the cock's way, when you are all worn out, look each other in the eye and make friends-and start all over. Northern Uganda needs peace, now. Conclude Juba, the people want to re-settle and re-start their lives!