I've written before about my travels in Northern Uganda, my visits to the camps of maimed and disfigured internally displaced persons, and my personal encounters with the LRA - in addition to linking to and commenting on dozens of articles about the Lord's Resistance Army of Uganda. If you don't know the background of the LRA, do a little research on this blog or another site, but the established facts are that they have: (1) displaced around 1.7 million Ugandans (up to 6% of the population of the country); (2) kidnapped and brainwashed thousands of children to serve as soldiers, terrorists, and sex slaves; and (3) murdered, raped, and mutilated their way across Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and the Eastern DRC for two decades. The actions of the LRA have been evil - as plainly as the actions of a group might ever be labeled as such.
There has been a glimmer of hope for peace in the region for the past year or so - the LRA has agreed to negotiations with the Ugandan government leading to a series of ceasefires and hopeful signs, but that glimmer has been delayed by the usual disagreements and petty arguments. Rumors are circulating that the LRA's deputy commander is dead (I blogged it yesterday), and today the Sudanese are out looking for him (or his body). Still, hope remains.
One of the main sticking points in the peace talks has been the demand that the leaders of the LRA stand trial and face justice at the International Criminal Court. They refuse to agree to a permanent peace until the charges are dropped, and Uganda refuses to pursue the dropping of charges until peace and disarmament are agreed to. Tricky.
Now some LRA leaders are on a tour of Uganda (with their safe passage guaranteed by the Ugandan government) speaking to locals in the region they have terrorized and brutally ravaged for two decades. And they are asking for forgiveness.
Maybe you didn't catch that link since your jaw just hit the floor, so I'll give it to you again: They are saying they are sorry and asking for forgiveness.
I ask for forgiveness all the time. If you're a married man, you'll understand why. I'm an idiot and I'm constantly doing stupid things that I need to apologize for. And because my wife loves me, she does forgive me. And every now and then, she needs to say that she's sorry; she does, and I forgive her too. Because I love her.
I understand that sort of forgiveness. For me, it really isn't that hard to forgive someone I love with all my heart.
I can even comprehend a little bit of those stories you hear where the spouse of someone who was killed forgives the murderer. I'm not sure I would be so gracious (I'd like to think I would be, but in reality, I'm a much less generous person in my heart), but I've known some gracious people who might make that same sort of bold gracious gesture. So I can start to understand that forgiveness. Why? Because usually that forgiveness is in conjunction with justice. The murderer is in prison, paying a great price for his action, and the victim offers grace and forgiveness while satisfied by justice.
But in this case, the LRA are seeking forgiveness without justice. They are hoping to convince the people that after twenty years of being kidnapped, raped, murdered, mutilated, and forced to live in squalid camps hundreds of miles from home, the LRA should be forgiven and allowed to return home to live among their victims and pretend it never happend. Forgive and forget. Wipe the slate clean. No court, no trial, no jail. Just grace.
The idea makes me shake with anger and righteous fury. I get physically uncomfortable when I think about it. Because I've been there. I've seen the damage. I've been with the victims. I've walked in the camps. And I hate what has happed there. And if I'm going to be honest, I probably hate the people who did it. I don't know them personally. But I hate them for what they've done to their neighbors, sisters, grandfathers, and children.
But not everyone agrees with me. Some believe there can be forgiveness and reconciliation without the sort of justice I demand (and that the ICC would likely mete out - in contrast to "local accountability"). And while some victims demand my brand of justice, others - other victims, mind you; not just observers and self-righteous do-gooders like me - disagree. Like the Archbishop of Gulu, John Odama:
"Forgiveness is healing and it has a more lasting effect then revenge, the perpetuation of hatred, the perpetuation of war," Archbishop of Gulu John Odama told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
He is one of the people who has campaigned actively for forgiveness and reconciliation and he argues that with local and national levels of accountability "we don't see a role for the ICC".
This has been a very long post by my standards, and it is doubtful that anyone is still reading. But this blows me away. It humbles me. It shames me. And I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
One time, Jesus was teaching a group of people, and he said:
"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Later on, a follower of Jesus named Paul wrote a letter to a church in Rome, and he wrote:
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good...
Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord.
Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads."
Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
As it turns out, I don't understand forgiveness or justice at all.
