28 January 2008
Kampala — THE Lord's Resistance Army rebels have appealed to the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) not to launch operations against their positions as a government deadline for a peace deal nears.
The government has given Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony until Thursday to sign a deal or risk a return to war.
Military chiefs from Uganda and neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo began drawing up strategies against the LRA last Sunday.
The rebel appeal comes ahead of the planned resumption of peace talks on tomorrow Wednesday.
"We are appealing to President Yoweri Museveni not to attack any LRA positions because that will jeopardize the talks," LRA spokesman David Nyekorach-Matsanga told Reuters.
"We also ask (Congolese) President Joseph Kabila not to contradict his policy of supporting the peace process ... A military offensive will be a blatant violation of the cessations of hostilities agreement we signed," he said.
Kony's 20-year rebellion killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 2 million before a ceasefire last year.
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