UGANDA: SANT'EGIDIO WORKING ON LRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000130 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA; DRL/IRF PKELLY; DRL/IRF MATES E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/10/2016 TAGS: PTER PHUM SOCI UG SU VT SUBJECT: UGANDA: SANT'EGIDIO WORKING ON LRA REF: A) KHARTOUM 1612 ET AL; B) VATICAN 0015 VATICAN 00000130 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, Pol/Econ Chief, Vatican, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Mario Giro of the Community of Sant'Egidio told the Ambassador that he had met recently with Joseph Kony, head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA),to discuss possible talks between the LRA and the government of Uganda. The meeting itself was inconclusive, but Giro said there was still a possibility for LRA-Uganda talks to proceed. Sant'Egidio prefers talks in Rome at its headquarters, but the group also discussed talks in the region with the South Sudanese as facilitators. Giro told the Ambassador that Kony seemed "weary" and Giro guesses that Kony might well jump at the chance to go off under some type of comfortable house arrest - if such a deal were offered. Post welcomes feedback from AF as we continue to track Sant'Egidio's efforts on this issue. End Summary. -------------- Meeting with Kony -------------- ¶2. (C) Mario Giro, Africa Expert of the Vatican-affiliated NGO Community of Sant'Egidio, told the Ambassador that he and Sant'Egidio's Fabio Riccardi had recently returned from Sudan, where they had met with Joseph Kony, head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Sant'Egidio was asked by representatives of the government of South Sudan to meet with Kony in the hopes of furthering plans for negotiations between the LRA and the government of Uganda. ¶3. (C) Giro recounted for the Ambassador traveling to Juba and then being escorted by some 40 South Sudanese military personnel to see Kony. Giro described seeing "many" child soldiers 12-15 years of age at the LRA camp, most of whom were heavily armed. He said M-16s seemed to be in large supply. ¶4. (C) The meeting itself was inconclusive, but Giro said there was still a possibility for LRA-Uganda talks to proceed. Sant'Egidio was arguing for talks in Rome at its headquarters, but talks in the region with the South Sudanese as facilitators were also being discussed. Next steps at this point are unclear. -------------- Seemed Weary -------------- ¶5. (C) Giro told the Ambassador that Kony seemed "weary" and Giro guesses that he might well jump at the chance to take some land and cattle and go off under some type of house arrest - if such a deal were offered. Of course, one formidable hurdle to any settlement with Kony is his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Giro said there were no easy answers there, though he wondered if some legal option might be available if the Ugandan government agreed to withdraw its complaint against Kony. -------------- Other Notes -------------- ¶6. (C) Other notes from Giro's meeting with the Ambassador: VATICAN 00000130 002.2 OF 002 - Giro praised A/S Frazer's statements on the LRA and attention to the issue. - Noted the folly of giving money to the LRA in the hopes of appeasing them, something he said that the South Sudanese and a Catholic aid organization (Pax Christi Netherlands) had done. - Said MONUC (the UN Mission in the Congo) was ineffective, though he noted that the difficult obstacles the mission faced were not of its own making. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) We will continue to track Sant'Egidio's efforts on this issue and note that the Holy See has also maintained a keen interest in the LRA and Uganda, particularly on the part of Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (ref b). Post welcomes feedback from AF Bureau as we work with Sant'Egidio. SANDROLINI