The rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has agreed to release 'non-combatants', including women and children they are holding captive, a top United Nations officials said.
"I was pleased that the LRA have promised to release non-combatants and other abductees - women and children," Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said in the southern Sudanese town of Juba on Monday. "The United Nations will help the released captives to rejoin their families in south Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda."
According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), aid agencies in Uganda are making arrangements to receive up to 1,500 children and women believed to be held in rebel captivity. Chulho Hyun, UNICEF spokesperson in Kampala, said arrangements were being made to ensure the returnees’ evacuation from reception points in southern Sudan.
Egeland urged both parties to the conflict in northern Uganda to agree a peace deal as soon as possible to end the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in both Sudan and Uganda.
The UN official, who met, among others, Salva Kiir, President of south Sudan and First Vice-President of Sudan, and Riek Machar, Vice-President of south Sudan and chief mediator at the talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA, however, warned that those who have committed crimes against humanity should be held accountable.
Speaking separately, LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny called for the lifting of an indictment against the rebel leaders. "The ICC [International Criminal Court] warrant of arrest against the LRA leaders should be dropped, so that a peaceful conclusion to the talks can be reached," he said.
The Hague-based ICC has indicted the LRA leader, Joseph Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti, and fellow commanders Dominic Ongwen, Okot Odhiambo and Raska Lukwiya on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Otti, in a call to a Gulu-based radio station on Sunday, said: "Kony and I cannot attend the peace talks although they wanted one of the top leaders of the LRA to attend. We are afraid of the ICC indictment on us. If you can convince the [Ugandan] government to withdraw the case at the ICC, we are ready to come out of the bush freely."
Uganda has offered the five rebel leaders a blanket amnesty if they agree to a peace deal, and hinted at a possible negotiation with the ICC over the indictments. To atone for their crimes, some in Uganda have suggested that traditional systems of justice and reconciliation be used instead.
Despite the fears of indictment, the rebels have started assembling in designated places in southern Sudan. On Monday, Machar told reporters that at least 400 rebels, including Otti, had gathered as required by the cessation of hostilities agreement.
"They have shown up in the western assembly point in Ri-Kwangba [western Equatoria]," Machar said. "They have also shown up in Owiny-ki-Bul [eastern Equatoria]. Otti is in Ri-Kwangba and Kony is just behind him, may be a kilometre.”
The Juba talks, which started two months ago, were due to conclude by 12 September, but the Ugandan government has said it will review this deadline. On Monday, the LRA delegation said it would take a break to brief Otti on the talks. The Ugandan delegation also said it would discuss the talks with President Yoweri Museveni.
"The talks have made great progress," a member of the mediation team told IRIN. "The two parties are breaking to consult. If all goes well, they may finalise the talks in the next round," he added without indicating when the talks were likely to resume.
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"I was pleased that the LRA have promised to release non-combatants and other abductees - women and children," Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said in the southern Sudanese town of Juba on Monday. "The United Nations will help the released captives to rejoin their families in south Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda."
According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), aid agencies in Uganda are making arrangements to receive up to 1,500 children and women believed to be held in rebel captivity. Chulho Hyun, UNICEF spokesperson in Kampala, said arrangements were being made to ensure the returnees’ evacuation from reception points in southern Sudan.
Egeland urged both parties to the conflict in northern Uganda to agree a peace deal as soon as possible to end the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in both Sudan and Uganda.
The UN official, who met, among others, Salva Kiir, President of south Sudan and First Vice-President of Sudan, and Riek Machar, Vice-President of south Sudan and chief mediator at the talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA, however, warned that those who have committed crimes against humanity should be held accountable.
Speaking separately, LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny called for the lifting of an indictment against the rebel leaders. "The ICC [International Criminal Court] warrant of arrest against the LRA leaders should be dropped, so that a peaceful conclusion to the talks can be reached," he said.
The Hague-based ICC has indicted the LRA leader, Joseph Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti, and fellow commanders Dominic Ongwen, Okot Odhiambo and Raska Lukwiya on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Otti, in a call to a Gulu-based radio station on Sunday, said: "Kony and I cannot attend the peace talks although they wanted one of the top leaders of the LRA to attend. We are afraid of the ICC indictment on us. If you can convince the [Ugandan] government to withdraw the case at the ICC, we are ready to come out of the bush freely."
Uganda has offered the five rebel leaders a blanket amnesty if they agree to a peace deal, and hinted at a possible negotiation with the ICC over the indictments. To atone for their crimes, some in Uganda have suggested that traditional systems of justice and reconciliation be used instead.
Despite the fears of indictment, the rebels have started assembling in designated places in southern Sudan. On Monday, Machar told reporters that at least 400 rebels, including Otti, had gathered as required by the cessation of hostilities agreement.
"They have shown up in the western assembly point in Ri-Kwangba [western Equatoria]," Machar said. "They have also shown up in Owiny-ki-Bul [eastern Equatoria]. Otti is in Ri-Kwangba and Kony is just behind him, may be a kilometre.”
The Juba talks, which started two months ago, were due to conclude by 12 September, but the Ugandan government has said it will review this deadline. On Monday, the LRA delegation said it would take a break to brief Otti on the talks. The Ugandan delegation also said it would discuss the talks with President Yoweri Museveni.
"The talks have made great progress," a member of the mediation team told IRIN. "The two parties are breaking to consult. If all goes well, they may finalise the talks in the next round," he added without indicating when the talks were likely to resume.
See related stories here
kt/mw
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
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