The Bishop Emeritus of Northern Uganda Diocese, Nelson Onono Onweng has resigned his position as chairman of the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (ARLPI)
In his November 3rd, 2021 letter addressed to the vice-chairperson, the Most Rev. Dr. John Baptist Odama, Onweng indicates that he will step down as the Chairman ARLPI effective November 30, 2021.
Onono Onweng claims he resigns because of the continued land conflict between the Catholic and Church of Uganda, lack of organizational capacity building, the narrow base of partners, and lack of vision to develop a sustainability program.”
On November 6th, 2021, the ARLPI Governing Council convened a meeting at their offices in Koro Pida, along Gulu-Kampala highway, and elected Archbishop Dr. John Bosco Odama to steer the organization on an interim basis until May 2022 when elections will be held.
Formed in 1997, ARLPI was inaugurated in February 1998 to provide a proactive response to the two-decade-long armed rebellion in northern Uganda. It brings together clerics from the Anglican, Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox, Seventh Day Adventist, and Born-Again Faith Federation churches.
Inspired by their faith, the clerics decided to unite for a common cause of wooing their followers out of the violent conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army – LRA rebels and the Government in the region.