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Uganda: Govt Seeks Sh2b for Peace Talks
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New Vision (Kampala)
25 April 2008
Posted to the web 28 April 2008
John Odyek
Kampala
THE Ministry of Internal Affairs has asked Parliament to approve sh2b to cater for peace negotiations with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic Force (ADF).
Matia Kasaija told Parliament on Tuesday that the money is to enable the ministry prepare itself ahead of negotiations with the two rebel groups. Kasaija said the ADF were willing to negotiate a peace agreement with the Government.
The minister appeared before the committee on defence and internal affairs to discuss the ministry's budget proposal for 2008/09. He noted that although negotiations had broken down between the Government and the LRA, there was hope they would take off again.
"When we begun negotiations with the LRA we had no funds. We would not like to repeat that," Kasaija observed.
But MPs doubted the need to include the funds in the ministry's budget when it was not clear whether there would be any fresh peace talks.
For nearly two years, the Government has negotiated with the LRA to end the insurgency in northern Uganda. But the talks stalled earlier this month, when the fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony refused to turn up to sign the final peace deal.
On another note, the minister informed MPs that the Government was in the process of setting up a National Population Data Bank and Identification Systems. He said a budget of $56m was required for the project which would see the issuing of national identity cards within three years.
He explained that earlier efforts to issue the cards had been marred by corruption and interference by the Ministry of Finance.
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"The ministry has decided to begin the process afresh, own it and if funds are available the process can be completed even within a year."
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