Andria (PPE-DE). – (IT) Mr President, I am deputising for Mr Mauro, the author of the resolution. The escalation of the conflict in northern Uganda is reaching unprecedented levels and is causing a genuine humanitarian crisis. Approximately a million people have been displaced in Acholiland and in the Lango and Iteso regions. At the beginning of the year, the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative seemed to have achieved unmatchable results. A number of meetings were held between the religious leaders and the rebels; a presidential peace commission was even set up with many responsibilities; the LRA and the government called for a cease-fire. In May, for the first time, the Consultative Group Meeting discussed the crisis in northern Uganda as a national issue, and there were substantial contributions from civil society. Despite these small rays of hope, the conflict has been deteriorating severely over the past two months. For the first time since the start of this distressing affair, rebel activity has intensified and has carried on for over six months, breaking the traditional mould of cycles of violence which initially took the form of brief raids rather than permanent conflict.

Recently, it has become clear from the LRA’s order to attack Catholic missions that the Sudanese Government has renewed its support for the LRA, providing sophisticated heavy armaments. Joseph Kony, the leader of the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army, spoke again last Monday, telling his men to kill mercilessly anyone who comes within range, including the elderly and children, to spare only pregnant women, to kill priests and missionaries in cold blood and to beat up nuns in cold blood. The crazy orders were given over the frequency used by the network of two-way radios belonging to the Catholic missions of northern Uganda. Indeed, the rebels are able to use the same two-way radios in their internal communications as those used by missionaries for they have plundered numerous Catholic parish churches in recent months. Moreover, despite the fact that the humanitarian situation is getting worse and that rebel activity is clearly on the increase, the Ugandan Government has announced that the situation is still under control. In this regard, I must highlight the prodigious efforts of the European Commission to help these people, not least through monitoring in the field.

At this confusing time, marked by violence, terror and war, the real danger is that of resorting to weapon-power as the only way of addressing this serious situation. Moreover, there is also the risk that the international community and citizens will hide behind indifference, treating this disaster as the concern of the Acholi people alone. We have to take notice of the cries of the people and the leaders of Acholiland: sadly, their story has already proven that peace can never be achieved by forcing a people into submission.