Renewed Hopes for Peace in Uganda
New Truce between LRA and Ugandan Government Revives Talks in Juba
On April 13, elusive Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader, Joseph Kony, met with Uganda's Internal Affairs Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, in an effort to revive the stalled peace process between the rebels and government. The two met on the border of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accompanied by Mozambique's former President Joaquim Chissano, who holds the position of the United Nations' (UN) Special Envoy to Northern Uganda. Two days of informal discussions were scheduled between the two sides, who have been trying to negotiate an end to their two-decade long civil war.
Within a day, Kony and Rugunda signed on a new two-month truce and agreed to restart peace talks in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba. Under the terms of the new deal, LRA rebels have six weeks to assemble in southern Sudan. Talks are scheduled to resume on April 26.
"Dressed for peace"
The two sides have accused each other of violating former agreements and have shown severe distrust for one another. In January, peace efforts collapsed completely when LRA negotiators refused to meet deadlines for assembling at two Sudanese camps, after Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir vowed to 'get rid of' the LRA and because of threats from the Uganda army. According to Reuters, as Mr. Chissano arrived in a forest clearing to meet Joseph Kony, he observed the heavily armed young rebel fighters and joked, "I can see you are dressed for peace!"
Extra efforts
The Ugandan peace process received an added boost from Pax Christi Netherlands, a Catholic group, who met for one week with LRA and government representatives in the Kenyan town of Mombassa. The secret meeting, which took place from March 31 to April 6, had already reached "significant agreements" to extend the truce, according to Reuters. The two sides also addressed issues that have been ongoing problems during negotiations.
The two outstanding concerns on the agenda remain the points of "Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration" of LRA rebels, as well as the terms of the "Formal Cease Fire." Reconciliation methods are also an ongoing debate, with the LRA hoping to employ traditional northern Ugandan rituals to atone for decades of brutality. After the meeting in Mombassa, Pax Christi says the government will approach parliament to issue laws to recognize these "alternative justice mechanisms." They also said they would approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) to discuss the indictments for LRA leaders, who are wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The warrants for their arrest have kept Kony and his deputies hidden in DRC, unwilling to attend the formal discussions in Juba.
