Joyce Namutebi and Agencies
18 November 2008
Kampala — THE Government is to hold peace talks with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group that terrorised western Uganda for over a decade.
"They contacted the chairman of the Amnesty Commission. We are simply waiting for them to be serious," internal affairs state minister Matia Kasaija said over the weekend.
The ADF, which has bases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, terrorised Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole districts, he said.
The rebel group was formed by puritanical Muslim Ugandans of the Tabliq sect who merged with the remnants of another rebel group, the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda.
The International Organisation of Migration chief of mission in Uganda, Jeremy Haslam, said: "After months of dialogue between the ADF and the Government, the ADF command group has committed to enter a formal peace process."
He did not state when the talks would begin. Haslam noted that as a sign of their commitment, the rebel group had agreed to the repatriation of ADF women and children, irrespective of the progress of the peace talks.
"We have achieved an important milestone in the process. However, all parties are under no illusion that there is considerable work still to be done. This is complicated by the challenges created by the current crisis in the DRC," he said in a statement.
The army spokesperson, Maj. Paddy Ankunda, said the rebel group made the request some months back. "It is a welcome move," he added.
The UN envoy to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) affected areas, Joachim Chissano and the mediators are trying to revive talks with the LRA, another rebel group that terrorised northern Uganda.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
