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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
UGANDA: Expectations high for peace talks, but details vague
JUBA, 10 Jul 2006 (IRIN) - Finding the representatives of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who have been in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba for preparatory peace talks over the past month, is no easy task.
Eventually somebody points to a group of young men. Some read newspapers in front of dilapidated barracks; others have a drink under a mango tree.
"We are here to end the conflict once and for all. We should talk about the issues and the genesis of this conflict over the past 20 years. The grievances of the people of the north and how the current government marginalises the people of the north; that is the issue," Obonyo Olweny, a spokesman for the LRA delegation told IRIN.
Days before the Sudan-mediated talks between the Ugandan government and the rebels begin on Wednesday, observers warn against high expectations as the sense of urgency and momentum required for successful talks seemed to be lacking.
"There is a seed for constructive negotiations, but I am not sure there is a climate for it to take root," a regional observer said.
Expectations in conflict
The LRA expects to enter into wide-ranging peace talks that would address the root causes of the conflict and provide structural solutions to redress the ‘history of injustice’ in northern Uganda. "The role of the army - the military - has been used and misused by the government to kill people and commit atrocities," Olweny added. "We are going to talk about why the government ordered the people into camps. As a result, thousands have died. There is a genocide going on in northern Uganda that has been overlooked."
The Ugandan government, on the other hand, seems to have a much more pragmatic idea of what the talks could achieve; focusing on a cessation of hostilities and the reintegration of LRA rebels into society.
President Yoweri Museveni announced a total amnesty for Kony last week on condition that the rebel leader renounced terrorism and accepted peace, disregarding the ICC arrest warrant.
"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," a Ugandan government statement said.
The LRA delegation in Juba however rejected the amnesty offer. "The amnesty is redundant. It has no impact on the peace talks," Olweny said on Thursday. "It does not solve the problem of northern Uganda. It does not represent a solution to the conflict."
Undeterred, the Ugandan government went ahead on Friday and named a team led by Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda for the talks. The team includes the heads of various intelligence departments.
Then it added a new twist - the LRA delegation must be led by Kony himself or his deputy, Vincent Otti. "We want Kony or Otti to lead their teams because the talks will then take a shorter time instead of being protracted if we speak to a delegation that cannot make decisions," the junior foreign minister, Oryem Okello, who is part of the government delegation told reporters on Saturday. "We want a resolute peace agreement."
An analyst in Kampala said the Ugandan government seems to have reached this decision following a miscommunication within the LRA ranks. Over the weekend, Otti contradicted his delegation in Juba, saying the top leadership of the rebels had accepted the talks.
"Those delegates should stop making comments without consulting the high command," Otti told Radio France Internationale. "I am speaking to you on behalf of Kony. We have accepted the amnesty with both hands."
Without saying who will lead the LRA delegation, Olweny insisted his side would be ready to talk to the government team on Wednesday. "The information about the conflict has always come from the Ugandan government. We are here to give a more balanced view of the conflict," he added.
No framework yet
The south Sudanese government has not yet put forward a framework for the talks, the observer said. "There is a huge discrepancy between the expectations of both negotiating parties," he added. "The talks are pushed and the parties are not prepared - the LRA does not have a consolidated negotiating position."
An additional problem was that the LRA had very little leverage in these negotiations. "Militarily they are severely weakened, they have little popular support in northern Uganda and the ICC [International Criminal Court] has issued indictments for its leaders," he said.
The Hague-based ICC last year issued arrest warrants for LRA leader Joseph Kony and four of his top commanders for trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC insists the indicted rebel leader must face trial. "We collected evidence showing how the LRA systematically attacked civilians, abducted children to use them as soldiers or as sex slaves. We even have evidence that Joseph Kony [LRA leader] himself has been raping girls. We will show all this during the trial," the ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said on Thursday.
Worried about the ICC's stance, the LRA is now demanding a slowdown on the legal front. "I would advise the ICC to go slow, for the sake of peace," Olweny said. "Let's leave that legal matter on one side and focus on the peace talks."
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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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