Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has set terms for cessation of
hostilities against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as peace
talks are scheduled to resume in Juba, southern Sudan.
Quoting anonymous sources, state-owned New Vision daily on
Wednesday reported the terms, expected to be conveyed to the LRA
peace team on Wednesday, include the creation of a cease-fire
monitoring team that comprises the LRA, Uganda People's Defense
Force (UPDF) and Sudanese People's Liberation Army.
The latest peace attempt initiated by southern Sudan authority
aimed at bring to end the 20-year conflict that has left tens of
thousands of people dead and over 1.4 million people homeless in
northern Uganda.
Under the terms, LRA fighters must agree to assemble at
designated points where the UN's World Food Program will feed
them.
Uganda has also proposed southern Sudan authority chair the
monitoring team, which will have two UPDF and two LRA officers.
There will also be representatives from the international
community.
The LRA will have to demonstrate that all their commanders in
the field have received the cease-fire message by agreeing to
assemble at designated places.
It shall be a breach of the cease-fire if LRA engaged in
recruitment, abduction, acquisition of military hardware, abuse of
civilians and hostile propaganda.
However the LRA peace team said on Tuesday that it would not
return to the negotiation table unless the government declared a
truce.
LRA team spokesman Obonyo Olweny was quoted by the media in Juba
as saying "we are not going to resume face-to-face talks with the
government unless it declares a unilateral cease-fire like we
did."
The LRA elusive leader Joseph Kony, through his deputy Vincent
Otti, announced last Friday what he described as a "unilateral
ceasefire."
The Ugandan government however insisted that it will not declare
ceasefire until a comprehensive agreement has been signed, citing
the LRA's previous abuses of the ceasefire by recruiting and
re-arming its fighters.
(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2006)
