For the first time since taking up arms almost 20 years ago, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has sent a peace delegation to Kampala.
But the rebels and Ugandan government remain poles apart on the key issue of International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments against top LRA leaders, writes IRINnews.
KRÆVER ANKLAGER UDSAT
During a joint press conference held with government officials shortly after the LRA delegates arrived in the Ugandan capital on 1 November, they called on the UN Security Council to issue a 12-month renewable suspension of the indictments, which target LRA leader Joseph Kony, among others.
– We don’t fear the ICC. The ICC is an encumbrance (hindring, red.) to the peace process. We hope the ICC will restrain themselves to allow us to develop alternative justice mechanisms. The ICC will die a natural death. The government that made the referral (henvendelse, red.) can ask for a review and it can be done, chief rebel negotiator Martin Ojul said.
REGERINGEN STÅR FAST
Ruhakana Rugunda, the government’s lead negotiator in peace talks, insisted:
– Uganda supports the ICC arrest warrants. The indictments stand. Impunity must be addressed.
He added that Kampala would only seek a review of the indictments if LRA signs a final agreement on accountability (påtagelse af ansvar, red.) that would be acceptable to victims of the conflict, the entire country and the international community.
EN PERSON STÅR I VEJEN
Analysts say that a successful resolution of the conflict in northern Uganda depends on how rebel leader Kony is dealt with.
– The fate of a war that displaced nearly two million people and created the highest child abduction rate in the world hinges on the fate of one man: Joseph Kony, the Enough Project to Abolish Genocide and Mass Atrocities said in a report issued late in October.
– Negotiations are addressing a wide array of issues, but until there is agreement about how to deal with Kony and his top deputies there will be no peace deal, the report added.
ENIGHED OM DEN HISTORISKE CHANCE
As a symbol of peace, rebel representative Ojul released a dove into the air during the press conference and said:
– I did not come here for any intention other than peace. It has taken 20 years to be here. This shows our commitment to the peace process. We hope that it will not be a long time before we get a final agreement.
Government negotiator, Rugunda agreed that the occasion was propitious (enestående, red).
– This is an important moment because the LRA has come home. We have been waiting for them for some time… With this, the people in northern Uganda will be able to go home and lead a normal life again, he told reporters.
Kilde: www.irinnews.org
