Matsanga: I resigned for the truth
Posted by African Press International on May 17, 2008
<Former leader of LRA peace team, Nyekorach-Matsanga
THE former head of the LRA peace delegation, David Nyekorach-Matsanga is not out of the picture following his resignation from the team over what he called Joseph Kony’s lies.
Barbara Among interviewed him on phone about his relationship with the cultic rebel leader and the aborted signing of the final peace agreement.
Q: Who is David Nyekorach-Matsanga?
A: I am a Ugandan who fled the country in 1985 when Milton Obote was overthrown. It was a Saturday morning at 10:00am and since then I have not lived in Uganda. I was born in Mbale District in 1957. I have eight grown-up children and some grandchildren. My principles are truth and nothing but the truth and that is why I resigned from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) peace talks negotiation team. I could not take Kony’s lies anymore.
Q: How did you get linked to LRA leader Joseph Kony?
A: In 1997, I was on my way to a Commonwealth meeting, which was taking place in the United Kingdom, when Dr. James Obita asked me to do public relations for the LRA. I accepted and that is how I started working for the LRA.
A: Yes, I have met Kony physically over 16 times.
Q: When you talk to Kony and his commanders, what do they tell you they are fighting for?
A: When I first met Kony and his commanders, the question of marginalisation of the north came up. And in my subsequent meetings with them, before and during the Juba peace talks, Kony pointed out that President Yoweri Museveni had mishandled the economy and democracy by not allowing other political parties to participate freely.
Q: Are you confident that Kony wants peace?
A: I am confident that Kony wants peace but it is the people around him who are confusing him. He is surrounded by selfish people, especially in the diaspora who are not focused and are not for peace. They bombard him with calls and all sorts of ideas. They never supported the talks and do not want Kony to sign the peace agreement.
Q: When Kony appointed you leader of the LRA delegation, what were your expectations?
A: I expected to deliver a peace process. Even the Government of Uganda knows I was going to deliver a peace process. Kony also knew and told me so. I am the one who convinced Kony to allow his team to return to the discussion table after the death of Vincent Otti (ex-LRA second-in-command).
I told him it was better to sign the final peace deal. With it, I informed Kony, that we would hold Museveni accountable. In response, Kony appointed me as the leader of the delegation. However, when consultations took place in Uganda, people were wrangling over money in Uganda.
Santa Okot conned very many people in Uganda and many hotels of millions of shillings in the name of consultations. This raised contention, leading to the sacking of Martin Ojul as chairman.
Q: What is your assessment of the Juba peace talks?
A: I am confident the peace talks will go on. A solution out of negotiations by signing this agreement must be found. I don’t think the international community will give money for fresh negotiations. So far this is the best agreement that has been drafted. Kony only needs a few things about the International Criminal Court (ICC) and mato oput (traditional justice) clarified. They (negotiation teams) know that these are the obstacles along the peace process.
Q: In your opinion, why did the peace talks drag on?
A: Previously, there were logistical obstacles which we overcame when I became chairman and made sure we thoroughly discussed and stuck to the programme. That is why we were able to finish the process in time. Of course there are some members of the LRA delegation who wanted money. My policy of delivering an expeditious conclusion to the peace process made them hate me.
Q: Looking at the agreements arrived at so far, do you really think the talks will deliver lasting peace?
A: Even if Kony does not sign this agreement, the Uganda Government can begin implementing it. Kony does not need to sign the agreement in order to implement it; there are signatures on those agreements that we appended in Juba. Kony authorised us to sign, so the agreements are legally binding.
Q: There have been reports of infighting within the LRA political wing (diaspora). Is this true? To what extent has this contributed to the delay of the Juba peace talks?
A: It has greatly affected the peace process. There are people in the diaspora who think that we should not have gone into talks with Museveni. They have failed this process.
The infighting and the tribal cocoons are because of people like James Obita (deputy leader to the LRA peace team) and Santo Okot are only interested in money. They want big money all the time. All these problems have come up because of money. We don’t understand why people would prefer to have money instead of peace.
Q: How much have Kony and some of his commanders’ actions hampered the success of the talks?
A: In the cessation of hostilities agreement we said nobody should lose their life at the moment, but if the reports are true that he has killed Okot Odhiambo (his deputy) and many others, then it is sad. It is hampering the talks. I know there are commanders who want peace and would do anything to achieve it. Kony’s actions also lower the morale of those involved in the process. For instance, the killing of Otti was a big setback. Otti was approachable, would analyse issues and give Kony good advice.
But Gen. Salim Saleh brought in the money element. He gave Ojul $20,000 in Mombasa which was the cause of problems because it never reached the LRA whom it was intended for.
Q: Kony did not appear to sign the final peace deal on April 10 as was expected. Did he tell you why?
A: No. He did not, because he knew he could not set me up with another lie on the final day. He feared. But he has now started approaching me through different people and I am still scrutinising the arguments he is putting forward.
A: He said I should postpone the signing ceremony from April 5 to April 10. Then he asked me to call his wife, sister and uncles to sign the agreement on his behalf. He told me he would be in Ri-Kwangba, but he wasn’t there. When I found out that he was 300km away from the venue, I resigned.
Q: It is claimed you have never met Kony and you kept him in the dark over the developments in Juba. He only got to know about the signing of the final deal on the day he was expected to sign. Is this true?
A: It is not true. Kony told me that he was on his way to Ri-Kwangba, so please, I am not a mad man. I have never been to Butabika Hospital and I could not have assembled so many people at Ri-kwangba if I knew the signing ceremony was not taking place. It was Kony who instructed me to invite the people and that is what I did.
Q: Kony has appointed a new team to the Juba talks. How will this impact on the progress made so far?
A: The new leader, Alex Oloya, is talking to me. We are looking at having a consultative meeting that could lead to the formation of a consultative committee rather than a team.
Q: But the LRA has said they will not respect any of the four agreements signed with the Government. Does the peace process need to start afresh?
A: At the moment Kony only wants two explanations on mato oput and the removal of the ICC indictment.
Q: Several legal experts and Acholi traditional leaders have explained mato oput to him. On the question of the ICC, several lawyers have visited him at his Garamba base to explain it. What is it that he does not understand?
A: You should know that Kony also wants power. From my deduction as a psychologist, he wants power and therefore he will look for all possible ways to get it.
He is also being pressured and backed by people from the diaspora to go for it. But if they had left the negotiation to take its course, we would have signed the final peace deal by now.
I had contacted South African president Thabo Mbeki through my great friend Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwean president) to table a motion before the UN Security Council for the removal of the arrest
warrant.
It would have worked, as South Africa will soon be assuming the rotational chairmanship of the UN Security Council for one month, but we have lost the chance now.
Q: Kony committed serious atrocities in the North. The ICC says he must be punished for this. What is your comment?
A: ICC justice is not the best way forward. We need justice that can heal wounds and bring lasting peace. To capture and take Kony to The Hague and leave over 10,000 troops in Garamba can result in the rise of another commander to continue with the war.
We recognise ICC as an international organisation, but what it is doing will not give Ugandans lasting peace.
A: I want to tell you frankly that I had money when I was in London. The life I lead in London is great. I have my own house with everything. I don’t need anything or money from anybody. In any case, anybody in the LRA will tell you that I have been spending much money buying clothes and essential items for Kony. I have helped him survive.I bought clothes for the women and children in his camps. Now that I have resigned, I will continue to stay in the same Intercontinental Hotel I have been staying in. I only stay in five star hotels no matter what part of the world I’m in, because I also talk with presidents on the continent.
Q: Then where is the money and UN job rumour from?
A: They are making allegations because Kony liked me very much in appreciation of what I did for him and how I treated him. Obita has never bought Kony anything, not even a needle. He only takes his stomach to the camps.
Q: Have you ever accepted or received any money from the Government of Uganda?
A: No, I have never even met with President Museveni. I only see him in pictures. It is the Obitas who have been there, and they are the ones who have seen President Museveni and received money from the Government. The President can even testify, he has never seen me. He never interfered in the process, neither did he call for a military option while I was head of the delegation. He should continue to leave us who know Kony to pressurise him to come back to the discussion table.
Q: What did you accomplish when appointed head of LRA negotiation team?
A: I have achieved everything. Let me tell you frankly; I was the one negotiating this agreement. All these people don’t know, even Obita doesn’t talk on the negotiation floor; you can ask Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Okello Oryem and Dr. Steven Kagoda. They will tell you Matsanga was the chief negotiator for the LRA.
It is with my knowledge that all these agendas were drafted. Ayena Odongo and I did very well to draft these agreements. The rest of these people are nincompoops. Obita has nothing to offer the people of Acholi. It’s a shame that he should pretend to be working.
Q: What do you think is the way forward for the stalled peace process?
A: It’s very simple. Continue to pressurise Kony to sign the agreement. We should not rush for a military solution because that will cause chaos in the country. Kony will bow to pressure very soon.
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