Alfred Wasike
11 February 2008
Kampala — THE leader of the Uganda government team to the peace talks, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, has protested the recent killings of civilians in South Sudan by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
"The Government of Uganda condemns the killing of mainly innocent people by the LRA", Rugunda told The New Vision last night.
"It is a gross violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement. The culprits shall be brought to account for these atrocities."
More attacks on civilians in South Sudan have been reported in the past days. Two separate incidents occured on Sunday, according to SPLA sources.
A Hino truck was ambushed on the Juba-Yei Road, between Mile 55 and Mile 58, in which the driver got killed and two people were injured.
On Sunday night, a Ugandan Gateway bus was entirely looted four kilometer from Yei, on the road to the Ugandan border, but nobody was reported killed.
Earlier, around February 4, an unspecified number of people were killed in an attack in Kansuk near Kajo-Keji. The death toll varies between 136 according to the French press agency AFP, 36 according to Ugandan intelligence sources, and four according to the SPLA. Some sources suspect the SPLA of covering up atrocities by the LRA.
The ceasefire monitoring team was supposed to investigate the Kansuk incident but by last night it had still not left for the scene.
The team is composed of representatives of the Ugandan army, the LRA and the SPLA but since it was set up, it has failed to carry out its mandate.
The Juba talks were suspended last week, shortly after they had resumed, because the LRA asked for a break to attend a workshop in Nairobi.
Earlier, both sides had disagreed on power-sharing. The LRA had demanded 35% of cabinet positions for people from northern and north-eastern Uganda.
"That proposal for power sharing was rejected by the Government before. The issue of power sharing does not arise at all," Rugunda reiterated yesterday.
On the LRA demand for 35% of jobs in government departments, Rugunda said: "Uganda is governed in accordance with the Constitution. Whoever wants a job should compete like other Ugandans. Then let the public service chose the best."
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