Alfred Wasike
24 March 2008
Kampala — THE Lord's Resistance Army has vowed not to sign the final peace agreement slated for Friday unless indictments against its leader Joseph Kony and his commanders were dropped.
"We have told the Uganda government that they must drop the warrants. They must ask the ICC (International Criminal Court) to drop the warrants. We want to make it categorically clear that the obstacle is the warrants," David Matsanga, the head of the LRA negotiating team, told Voice of America in Juba.
The ICC issued the warrants in 2005 against the top five LRA leaders for crimes against humanity in one of Africa's longest conflicts.
The head of the government negotiating team, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, said: "It is only after we have dealt with impunity and accountability for those indicted that the Government will engage the ICC to review the indictments."
Speaking yesterday on phone from Juba in South Sudan, Rugunda said his team and that of the LRA were to meet the mediator, Riek Machar, to set the date for the final peace pact.
"Both sides are meeting the mediator on Monday (today) to decide on the date. But in any case, it should not go beyond March 28 (Friday)."
The US State Department on Friday urged the Government and the LRA to sign the final peace deal. "We urge the parties to sign the Final Peace Agreement on or before March 28 to demonstrate their commitment to peace," said its spokesman Sean McCormack.
"We will continue collaboration with the government of Uganda to provide development support for northern Uganda and demobilisation, disarmament, and resettlement assistance for former combatants."
Meanwhile, a Central African Republic (CAR) defence minister has said armed rebels, identified by Uganda as the LRA, had mounted cross-border raids against its citizens.
"About 200 armed men entered the Obo district and began raiding locals' possessions," junior secretary Jean-Francis Bozize told AFP.
"More than 100 men were taken hostage by the group to transport their spoils. According to our information, they were freed as they returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo."
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