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| Ugandan President Sets Terms for Cease-Fire with Rebel Group |
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Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has set terms for cessation of hostilities against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as peace talks are scheduled to resume in Juba, southern Sudan. Quoting anonymous sources, state-owned New Vision daily on Wednesday reported the terms, expected to be conveyed to the LRA peace team on Wednesday, include the creation of a cease-fire monitoring team that comprises the LRA, Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) and Sudanese People's Liberation Army. The latest peace attempt initiated by southern Sudan authority aimed at bring to end the 20-year conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead and over 1.4 million people homeless in northern Uganda. Under the terms, LRA fighters must agree to assemble at designated points where the UN's World Food Program will feed them. Uganda has also proposed southern Sudan authority chair the monitoring team, which will have two UPDF and two LRA officers. There will also be representatives from the international community. The LRA will have to demonstrate that all their commanders in the field have received the cease-fire message by agreeing to assemble at designated places. It shall be a breach of the cease-fire if LRA engaged in recruitment, abduction, acquisition of military hardware, abuse of civilians and hostile propaganda. However the LRA peace team said on Tuesday that it would not return to the negotiation table unless the government declared a truce. LRA team spokesman Obonyo Olweny was quoted by the media in Juba as saying "we are not going to resume face-to-face talks with the government unless it declares a unilateral cease-fire like we did." The LRA elusive leader Joseph Kony, through his deputy Vincent Otti, announced last Friday what he described as a "unilateral ceasefire." The Ugandan government however insisted that it will not declare ceasefire until a comprehensive agreement has been signed, citing the LRA's previous abuses of the ceasefire by recruiting and re-arming its fighters. (Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2006) |
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