The Ugandan government Sunday announced a unilateral one-week cessation of the military offensive against the rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in the northern region, in a move that could help end one of Africas most brutal conflicts.
President Yoweri Museveni has ordered a seven-day suspension of UPDF (Uganda Peoples Defence Forces) operations in a limited area of Acholi to allow the leadership of LRA leader Joseph Konys group to meet and confirm that they accept his offer to come out of the bush, a press statement issued by the office of the president on Sunday, said.
What the president has announced is a breathing space for rebels to consult on his offer because they have indicated that they have not had time to consult, Onapito Ekomoloit, Musevenis press secretary later told IRIN by phone.
The truce, which Onapito said would give the insurgents more time to make a decision on starting peace talks with the government, would commence on Monday at 6:00 pm local time (15:00 GMT). Museveni, he added, had agreed to suspend operations in particular areas of the region – some of which go up to the border with Sudan – so the rebels could find a meeting point.
The Kony group has been provided with a detailed map of this area, the statement added: Any bandit that moves into this area for the purpose of those consultations will not be attacked.
However, the UPDF will continue operations against the remnants of Konys group in all the other areas of northern Uganda and southern Sudan until the government gets an irreversible commitment indicating their intention to end violence vis-a-vis the population and end, once and for all, the terror campaign, it added.
The Acholi region, comprising the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, has been ravaged by the 18-year conflict. According to relief agencies, up to 1.6 million people have been displaced from their homes and live in about 200 camps scattered across the region.
According to the statement, Ugandas former minister in charge of northern Uganda, Betty Bigombe, had received clear indications from Konys group that they want to end the conflict. It added: They are under intense pressure from the UPDF. A Kony spokesman has said that they want to talk peace.
Bigombe, who currently works for the World Bank, is preferred – mainly – by the rebel force as the leading mediator.
Bigombe has, therefore, proposed a seven-day suspension to allow the leadership to meet, the press statement added: The next step is for the LRA to prepare a statement indicating that they have accepted President Musevenis peace gesture, after which, the Ugandan government will declare a further 10-day truce in the entire region.
In 1994, Bigombe tried to mediate a peace process between the government and the LRA, but the process collapsed when Museveni gave the insurgents an ultimatum of seven days to surrender or face the might of the army.
In August 2002, Museveni offered to talk to the LRA, saying his government would, under certain conditions, halt operations against the LRA and open talks to end the conflict. Museveni also named a government negotiation team. At the time, Museveni asked the rebels to gather in specific areas both in southern Sudan and northern Uganda, but the rebels said they feared a trap was being set up.
The proposed talks collapsed. Since then, religious leaders in the region have been urging both sides to accept to talk to each other. Still, the Ugandan government had insisted it would end the conflict militarily.
Ekomoloit said this time, the areas where the rebels will gather are to be agreed upon and that a neutral force would guard the rebels.
The LRA is notorious for its brutality against the civilian population. The rebels are also notorious for abducting children – boys to serve as new recruits for the rebel ranks and girls to be sex slaves for rebel commanders. Relief agencies estimate that up to 20,000 children have been abducted so far, many of them are still missing.
Last week, sources told IRIN, the rebels had proposed that talks to end 18 years of civil war in northern Uganda be held outside the country and had asked to be provided with passports for eventual travel to such talks.
Two weeks ago they communicated, saying they preferred having talks with the government outside the country, Ayela Odongo, a lawyer based in the capital, Kampala, who was part of a team that recently tried to reach the rebels, said: They also asked the government to provide them with passports.
We have contacted a number of western countries to play host to the talks, including Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, Odongo added.
Kilde: IRIN News, FN.
