Bid to restart peace talks

A United Nations envoy, government ministers, religious and local community leaders are meeting the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in an effort to resurrect the stalled peace talks between the rebels and the Ugandan authorities.

"They went to meet Joseph Kony [LRA leader] as a continuous effort of dialogue and the discussion will last according to the issues being debated," said the Ugandan Minister for Defence, Ruth Nankabirwa. The government team, she added, was headed by chief negotiator Ruhakana Rugunda, also Internal Affairs Minister.

The group held a first meeting on Sunday with the LRA leaders in Ri-Kwangba near the Sudanese border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Further meetings are expected over three days. "The topic [of discussion] was the resumption of peace talks in Juba," the minister said, without giving details.

The UN special envoy for northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, convened the meeting, which was attended by Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti. Others included political and religious leaders led by Acholi cultural head, paramount chief Rwot David Achana II.
 
A northern Uganda Gulu-based radio station reported on Monday that Rugunda met Otti and Kony face-to-face. "He was warmly welcomed by Kony," John Lacambel, who was at the venue of the meeting, told the Gulu-based Mega FM radio.
 
The rebels and the Ugandan government started talks in July, mediated by the southern Sudanese government. In August, they signed a truce, raising hopes of ending the two decades-long war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced two million more.
 
The agreement expired in February, after the rebels walked out of the Juba talks. They said they feared for their safety after Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and the leader of southern Sudan Salva Kiir said they were not welcome in the region.
 
The rebels responded by accusing the mediators of bias and demanded a new venue and new mediators. The Ugandan government, however, maintained that Juba should remain the venue, with south Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar as the mediator.

Northern Uganda has remained calm, though many people expressed apprehension that unrest could resume. Aid agencies estimate that 230,000 internally displaced people returned to their villages in 2006, thanks to improved security because of the talks. However, up to 1.2 million more remain in camps, some of whom have moved to satellite camps nearer their villages to farm.
 
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