Catholic bishops have warned government against using civilians to fight the rebel Lord's Resistant Army. The bishops have instead advised government to deploy the reserve force to fight the rebels.
"We want the army to play its full role without involving an innocent population," the chairman of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Paul Bakyenga said at the weekend.
Last year, government recruited youth in Teso and Lira into the Arrow Group and Amuka, both local militias, to fight the Joseph Kony-led rebels.
Many militia fighters have since died under rebel fire. The 29 bishops made the appeal while launching the Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on Peace, Unity and Harmony in Uganda at the Catholic Secretariat in Nsambya. The bishops said the church is increasingly concerned about the violence in the war-ravaged areas.
They called on government and rebels to observe human rights and stop harming innocent people. The bishops also urged government to look at resolving the conflict peacefully.
"Violence cannot solve violence. We urge all the fighting groups to cease fire," Bakyenga said. The bishops also urged the Movement government to be transparent as the country moves toward multi-party politics.