GULU– The President General of the Democratic Party [DP] Norbert Mao has urged the government and political leaders in Acholi and Madi to seriously consider a community-led mediation and reconciliation process if the two communities involved in the Apaa land dispute are to reconcile.
Mao blames local leaders from both Acholi and Madi for reigniting the conflict which has since led to loss of several lives and properties as well as affecting the provision of social services like education and health among others.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with theCooperator days ago, Mao also demanded that government rescinds the surveys and boundary opening which put Apaa in Adjumani. Mao said since pre-colonial times, Apaa was known to be part of in Kilak County the then Gulu district before Amuru was elevated to district status.
Mao who was also Gulu district Chairman and Member of Parliament for asked government to stop taking sides while handling the conflict in the region that experienced instabilities over decades.
After several attempts to reconcile the two communities through political, cultural, and religious approaches, Mao thinks the opportunity should now be given to most affected communities to handle the matter by themselves.
Other players interested in resolving the conflict, Mao said, could watch and advise from the sidelines. He gave the example of the Juba Peace Agreement where several stakeholders got involved at different levels to bring about peace in South Sudan.
“We need to create an environment where the most affected people in the conflict can have meetings to reconcile and begin to peacefully coexist after forgiveness. I think this border dispute can be overcome. We have many other tribes living in different parts of the country. For example, how many Madi’s do we have living in Elegu, Bibia Atiak in Amuru District and the Acholi’s living in Adjumani?”Mao asked.
Recently, Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative Chairperson, John Baptist Odama, the Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese called on the leaders of Amuru and Adjumani districts to unite and tell the truth, saying outsiders might not help in solving the conflict as they could have selfish interests in the contested area.
Wilson Acuma, a resident of Apaa township said, “ Whereas they are being called to forgive and reconcile, the government should stop siding with the Madi community.”
He said what the communities want is their right to access land, live in peace, and receive social services, regardless of the border demarcations.
Acuma alleged that the reason why the conflict has persisted is “because some government officials are using their counterparts from Adjumani to attack them, evict and grab their land, which is their ancestral land.”
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