1. Accueil
  2. East Africa
  3. Uganda

Army denies blocking peace negotiations

The Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) has dismissed accusations that it deliberately sabotaged efforts by the government's peace team to meet commanders from the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) last Thursday. UPDF spokesman Shaban Bantariza told IRIN the army had not yet been ordered to stop fighting the LRA. "If he [President Yoweri Museveni] tells us to stop fighting because they are now [engaged] in peace negotiations then we will follow the orders and stop fighting until the negotiations are over," he said. "[LRA leader Joseph] Kony himself broke the so-called ceasefire he is claiming, by committing nine offences which include abducting and killing innocent civilians," Bantariza added. The government team led by Salim Saleh - who is Museveni's brother - was due to meet LRA top commanders in Koyo Lalogi, Pajule sub-county, in Aruu county. Chairman of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) team and retired Kitgum bishop, Macleod Baker Ochola, said members of the UPDF had attacked the venue for the talks. "I am disappointed at the way our arrangements were disorganised by the army even after we informed them in advance that we were going to meet the rebels," he told IRIN. "Because when the rebels learned of the UPDF deployment at our meeting place, they thought we wanted to use the army to kill them." A local member of parliament, Okumu Regan, told IRIN that he was disappointed at the "negative attitude" of the army to the LRA's ceasefire declaration issued on 1 March. "It is high time the UPDF realised that they will not bring the war in the north to an end using the gun, but rather through dialogue," he said. "I do not see why some UPDF members are still interested to see the war continue in the north."

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Partager cet article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join