• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=12/1/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=UGANDA / AMNESTY (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256716
BYLINE=JENNIFER WIENS
DATELINE=NAIROBI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  Uganda is considering a limited amnesty to 
anti-government rebels in hopes of stopping the 
nation's long and bloody civil war.  Jennifer Wiens in 
Nairobi reports the amnesty would be a major policy 
reversal for Uganda's president, who until now was 
intent on defeating the rebels militarily.
TEXT:  The Ugandan parliament is expected to approve 
the bill giving rebel fighters an amnesty if they will 
surrender and give up their weapons within six months.
The amnesty represents a new approach to ending a 12-
year rebellion against the Ugandan government.  Until 
now, President Yoweri Museveni has used Uganda's 
military to battle the two main rebel groups, the 
Lord's Resistance Army (L-R-A) and the Allied 
Democratic Forces (A-D-F).
Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting, 
and an estimated 400-thousand people have been left 
homeless.
Thousands of children also have been victims of the 
civil war - abducted by both the L-R-A and the A-D-F 
to serve as fighters or porters.  And, Uganda's 
economy also suffered, with billions of dollars of the 
government's budget going to the military.
The instability from the civil war, and growing 
domestic and international pressure to find a way to 
stop the fighting, apparently prompted President 
Museveni to back away from the military option and 
look for a political solution.
He first offered the idea of an amnesty in June, 
saying L-R-A leader Joseph Kony would be forgiven if 
he came out of hiding.
The new amnesty offer is open to both L-R-A and A-D-F 
members who are based mainly in the north of Uganda 
and are supported by Sudan. 
Critics of the amnesty say the rebel fighters have 
committed too many atrocities to be forgiven by their 
victims or reintegrated into society. (Signed)
NEB/JW/JWH/ENE/JP
01-Dec-1999 12:48 PM EDT (01-Dec-1999 1748 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.