Government, LRA agree to sign ceasefire accord

The Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have agreed to sign a general ceasefire agreement to pave the way for formal negotiations to end the 18-year conflict in the north peacefully, sources said. "We are preparing to sign it tomorrow (Friday) in Kitgum," the Ugandan internal affairs minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, who is leading the government negotiating team to talks with the rebels, told IRIN on Thursday. "We are still agreeing on the text of the agreement with the LRA." Rugunda's team and LRA negotiators, headed by its spokesmen Brig Sam Kolo, held their first ever face-to-face meeting in the northern district of Kitgum on Wednesday. "I had a positive impression [of the talks]," Rugunda said. "They [LRA] told me that they have agreed and want to resolve all the issues through dialogue, not war." Betty Bigombe, a former Ugandan minister who is mediating talks the between the two parties, told IRIN shortly after the meeting: "They discussed the ceasefire agenda and an agreement will hopefully be signed in the next two days. I am now drafting the ceasefire document to be given to them for discussion." After signing a ceasefire agreement, Bigombe added, the "real peace talks between government and the rebels will kick off" to try and end the brutal civil war, which has displaced more than 1.6 million people, forcing them to live in camps across northern Uganda. The UN has called it one of the world's most "forgotten" humanitarian crises. The Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama, told IRIN on Wednesday: "We thank the government, the LRA and the mediator for this great news." Odama was part of a team of religious and civic leaders who met LRA representatives a day before the meeting between rebels and government representatives. He is head of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, a multi-religious group that has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. "When we met the rebels on Tuesday, the leader of their delegation, Sam Kolo, told us that 'before the end of year, we shall meet with government representatives'," Odama said. "He said that 2005 will be the year of peace in Acholi. That was a fundamental statement and I am very happy to hear that it is quickly becoming true," he added. For over 18 years, the LRA has also abducted more than 20,000 children, forcing the boys to fight within its ranks and girls to become sex slaves to its commanders. Previous attempts by Bigombe to broker peace between the LRA and the government failed in 1994 after President Yoweri Museveni called on the insurgents to surrender in seven days or "face the might of the army". Since then the war has raged on, with several other false starts in the search for peace. In November, however, Museveni announced a limited ceasefire to allow the rebels to consult and decide whether to take part in proposed talks with the government. The truce is due to expire on Friday. ALSO SEE: "UGANDA: Humanitarian crisis persists in northern region"