Happy New Year!

Dear Editor, I hope you remember, when I broke it out to you that top UPDF officers, had been locked in a high security meeting in Kampala for weeks, planning to go to DRC? And also that a battalion, had already gone in and their arttilery pieces were to follow suit?

Well, those units were from the 105 brigade, previously based in Pabo, Adjumani and South Sudan, before the UPDF were kicked out of Southern Sudan because of their attrocities, which they were blaming on the LRA. This was around August and September 2008. Two of my brothers, one a senior officer, is in the 105 battalion! Matsanga/the LRA are not wrong on this one.

Speaking to them also paints a picture of a no military solution ever, and Kony always frustrates them, the way he moves, such that by the time he engages them, they would have thrown away everything, because of weight, or fire their weapons wildly to lighen the load.

And for Kony's men, a bullet for a man -- and on the head. Ask any soldier from Gulu barracks, and they will tell you every UPDF soldier killed by the LRA, would have died from a bullet to the head.

Another thing, those so called "Sophisticated" weapons, aren't new in the LRA'S arsenal. The only reason the UPDF (also) aquired the B-10's, is because the LRA's were wreaking havoc in battle fields and ambushes!

As for the SAMs, they have had them from at least the late 90's to early 2000. I saw them in pictures, taken in 2006 and went cold!

Dear RK,
Happy new year 2009.

Unfortunately some of my brothers and sisters in Congo are not celebrating BON ANNE with us just because some people from other countries dont wish them well. Some of them are living in fear because they dont know who is next to go on the list of those people responsible for their killings.

But what I would like to tell the world and here in Congo is that, instead of looking for Kony, they should just arrest M7 and there will be peace in Great Lakes region.

Thank you Matsanga for telling the world the truth. I am here in Congo and we have come to know that truly it is UPDF who carried the attack in the church killing people and they blamed it on Kony. I think Human life is sacred and needs to treated and given its due dignity. M7 and the rest of the world should not sit down and wait to hear from Ugandan governemnt what is going on in Congo and yet it is the same government killing our people here. Ugandan politics should not be brought into Congo.

I have always told you and the world that we who have the right sources of information are not listened to and those telling lies have always got listening ears from the world community. But remember the time will tell and those of you who claim to be world leaders will be answerable to God.

Thank you all the readers of this paper and indeed all people in Ariwara, Aba, Aru, Omgbokolo, Faradje, Watsa, Isiro and the rest of Congo. God bless us all with peace which we have never seen since independence 30th June 1960.

Benoit ( Ariwara-DRC)

Happy new year radio katwe readers. I have a comment to make regarding the endless kony song. we seem to be going round and round in circles. In 2009 we seem to be going back to square one where we begun from in 1987. If these guys can capture kony's bedsheets and a manual to his communication gadgets how come they can never get him? Please readers help me answer these questions:

IS KONY A SPIRIT? OR A HUMAN BEING?
DOES HE REALLY EXIST OR HE JUST A MYTH?
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO BRING THIS ENDLESS UNINTERESTING KONY STORY TO AN END?
IF UPDF HAS KILLED SO MANY REBELS, HOW COME NO ONE HAS SEEN THE BODIES? (AT LEAST PRINTED IN THE NEWSPAPERS)?
DONT YOU THINK IT IS CIVILIANS WHO ARE BEING KILLED AND BECAUSE THEY CANT DRESS THEM UP IN ARMY UNIFORMS THEY DONT SHOW US THE PICTURES?

SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS. THX.

Radio Katwe,

please advise some of your readers to stop asking for pictures of Kony`s dead bodies. With todays techinology, it can only take a few minutes to create such images if the that is what is needed to fool the public into believing that Muhoozi's thunder attack on Garamba was actually successful.

Up to now, everyone should have made up their minds on whether the operation was a failure or not, with or without pictues of dead bodies.

C.C

LRA Deny killing:

RK, the end of the world is nearing at a faster rate. Think of this Matsanga, who claims to be a spokesman for the LRA in the pursuit of peace for the Northern Uganda. One would imagine him to be a decent man capable of being diplomatic to be able to lead a negotiating team on behalf of Kony or in the least a spokesman of a rebel movement.

His utterance of abuse on Captain magezi as being an embecile and young boy, leaves me in dismay. Cfr below:

"Let me tell you and the international community, Captain Chris Magezi is a young imbecile, a small boy who has just come out of university who has not seen war. He's one of those few small officers who have put President Museveni under siege. They want a military option yet they will not finish it. For 20 years they have made declarations that they will finish the LRA," he said.

Having shown that Magezi is a university graduate and a captain in UPDF disqualifies this gentlaman from being an imbecile. Then that the UPDF leadership entrusted him with that big and challenging responsibility shows how capable the man is. That he is young, we know that even Jesus at 12 years of age was capable of handling issues at the supprise of scribes and Phalisees. So what is Matsanga up to to demean this intelligent Magezi?

Onw would actully see imbalance in Matsanga's growth and development as a human being. His quantitative stature is far below his qualitative growth. If anything, he needs to be in a class of Magezi for counsel. Matsanga may only be showing the International Community what type of people they are in the LRA are: Killers, canibals, rapists, uncouth and undevelopmental. There is no way such a people can claim any clean leadership in society.

The objective of UPDF is not a score in years but total peace for Ugandans, be it in generations to come. peacetalks were completed and now plan B must take the course to "help" Matsanga and his goons to see sense. Rugunda and Chisano did their honourable part and Kony dishourned the outcome. Those assisting them with weapons, may continue but innocent people, Africans will continue to suffer under them. Africans of good will can therefore emulate DRC, GOSS and Uganda to stop this meyhem of Kony.

I am reluctant to wish him a Bon anne because he is not ready for a happy new year. But only wish for him a sincere repentance and Love; which Love can only be realised if one sees fellow man as created in the Image of God.

Concerned worker at Lake Albert Oil wells.

Dear RK,
Many confusing things have been said of Kony. But I feel pity particularly for comment number 3. The writer is surely now confused. But let me try to answer some of his questions:

1- Kony is a human being with flesh and blood, just like us. He eats food and goes to toilet just like us. He is NOT a spirit. Many people now think he is a spirit cos of his bizzare military skills. Remember when M7 was in Luweero, some people used to say he can change into a pussy cat and pass Obote's roadblocks manned by the much dreaded special forces. Late Alice Lakwena too, was rumoured to have only 1 breast - - which was a lie!

2- Kony exists, he is not a myth. I personally survived one of his ambushes in 1992, between Soroti and Lira. I have forgotten the exact trading center. A bus that was just ahead of us heading to Kampala via Mbale was hit. Our bus got to the scene just abut 10 minutes after the attack. The LRA killed 2 people in that bus. They are said to have just demanded for money and food. The dead are said to have resisted and got shot. It was xmas season. Maybe they were not in the mood to kill that day. Until now, I still believe the guys just spared us. They must have been watching even as the army tried to comb the area.

3- The endless un-interesting Kony story can be brought to an end. But not on a silver plate. Govt must sacrifice some things for the sake of peace. LRA war is just about the Northern question and not Kony. Yes peace can come, but there are major factors that are still playing a role in this war. One, M7 as a person is not interested in solving that rebellion by dialogue. He still thinks a military option -- which has always failed -- can work.

The trust on both sides LRA and Govt is not there at all. M7 is one guy who will NEVER honour an agreement. Remember what he said of Besigye in 2005, that he is free to come home. Only to end up in the cooler. Even the ex-LRA who joined govt, are still under surveillence. They are just used as trap to lure Kony into his death when he joins govt. Just ask yourself why, ICC has still insisted on arresting Kony. Uganda govt is behind that move. Otherwise, Kony could have come out this time.

Secondly, M7 still wants an 'excuse' of LRA to use in invading other countries with intentions best known in White House. Just yesterday 31st, Dec. 2008, while addressing journalists in Rwakitura, M7 when pressed hard on Operation lightening thunder in Garamba, he said that their aim was not to kill Kony, but to just disorganise him! Oh yes, that is what our army is up in Garamba. NOT Capturing Kony. Does it surprise you that they are now "arresting" guitars instead?

4. On UPDF claiming to have killed many rebels and at the same time not showing us even a single photo, Your guess is as good as mine. UPDF is a drum beater you know. They hype even the smallest achievement they have made. If they can report to us how they captured kaunda suits, guitars, jerricans, how can they fail to report the big catch and even take the media to take pictures when infact that is the main reason they are there? One thing I know is that, they have only engaged the LRA in combat just once are twice ever since that 'surprise' attack. I hear they killed 13 LRA. But there is no proof for that. Of course they cannot tell us casualities suffered by UPDF.

The media has been kept in the dark possibly because bombs could have just killed Congolese civilians, NOT the rebels. The govt fears reprisals from internation community for such calamities. Also, they fear a repeat of 1999 Kisangani clashes. Monitor reported exactly that we lost 200 soldiers in a single night to the RPF. (By the way, even RPF lost very many soldiers and just dumped in them in mass graves in Bukavu. they never took them home). But because RPF was very sharp on media, their casualities were hidden from the world.

5. True, Civillians have been killed by both sides but I dont think there is any time for the army to dress the corpses in army uniform. As I said earlier, there is a high possibilty that our airforce bombed many civillians. That could be the reason the independent media has been sealed off from that area. Not even BBC or CNN or AFP can get the exact info. It is fool hardy to expect a free media report on civillian casualities and rights abuses in garamba at a time when ICC is a big issue with indictments to even sitting presidents over the same atrocities like the ones in Darfur!

ladies and gentlemen, I dont know your stand yet but to me, since M7 has openly said his aim was not to Kill but to disorganise LRA, I have a feeling that people are going back to the CAMPS very soon. This war has other agendas not known to some of us.

Wananzofu G
Indian Quarters,
Mbale

RK,

If Dr. Matsanga reads this paper, I would advise him to desist from using abusive language. As a spokesperson for the LRA, Dr. Matsanga should show restraint in how he handles the peace process. If the government of Uganda chooses to re-enter the peace process, Dr. Matsanga will be meeting Captain Chris Magezi, so how will the two spokespersons relate, considering that Dr. Matsanga calls Cap.Chris Magezi an imbecile and a mere young person?

May be Chris Magezi merely airs out what he is supposed to say. As a spokesperson, I imagine one is to give the official position of the body one represents, not to give personal opinions. For example, I suppose Dr. Matsanga gives the views of LRA high command, not either Kony's or his( Matsanga's) personal opinions; just as I expect Cap. Magezi to give the views or position of the UPDF and that of the Joint Operation Commanders etc. In that way we shall be able to separate personalities from institutions.

Dr. Matsanga, as a well meaning person to peace in Uganda, treat the young man, Capt. Magezi with respect and if he errs, it is your responsibility as an elder to advise him or give a mild caution, not to discourage the young man, after all, learning is a continous process!

Happy New Year To All!

Mo Tata.