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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
UGANDA: US gov't demands trial for rebel leaders
KAMPALA, 6 Jul 2006 (IRIN) - Uganda’s announcement of a total amnesty to indicted leaders of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) met opposition on Thursday when the United States said "those who committed atrocities should be held accountable for their deeds".
A statement issued by the US embassy in Kampala stated: "President Museveni announced that he is willing to extend amnesty to the LRA leader Joseph Kony - and potentially the rest of the LRA leadership as well. The United States respects Uganda’s decision on this matter, but we believe those who have committed atrocities in this long-standing insurgency should be held accountable for their deeds."
The embassy added that the US government recognised that the initiative of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) to broker peace talks between the LRA and the Ugandan government was based on the hope that these talks would put an end to the insurgency ongoing in northern Uganda for almost two decades.
"The impetus for the GOSS initiative is the desire to resolve a conflict that has displaced millions and killed thousands and that threatens to destabilise the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan," it noted.
Museveni on Tuesday pledged to grant Kony total amnesty, disregarding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, if the rebel group "responded positively" to the peace talks due to open in southern Sudan next week.
"The Ugandan government will grant total amnesty [to Kony] despite the ICC indictments if he responds positively to the talks with the government in Juba, southern Sudan, and abandons terrorism," Museveni’s office said in a statement.
The US embassy statement noted the ICC indictments against five top LRA leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity last October 2005. "Countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC are expected to cooperate in arresting ICC-indicted individuals; Uganda is a signatory to the Rome Statute but the United States is not," it said.
Museveni’s announcement has been praised by local leaders, including religious leaders in northern Uganda, who said the decision was needed to foster the peace process.
On Wednesday, the government said the rebels had two months from May to disarm and denounce the rebellion that has displaced almost two million people, to benefit from the amnesty.
"It was agreed with the government of southern Sudan that the defeated LRA terrorists be given the option of a soft landing. This would take the form of peace talks that would lead them to abandoning terrorism and come out of the bush. This option is open for a period of two months starting May," a statement said.
The Hague-based ICC last year issued arrest warrants for Kony and four of his top commanders for trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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[ENDS]
This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006
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