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Uganda: Kony Peace Deal Signing Delayed

Henry Mukasa and Milton Olupot

30 November 2008

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A MEETING between the LRA leader, his team and elders from northern Uganda at Ri-kwangba dragged on yesterday and delayed the anticipated signing of the final peace agreement.

Joseph Kony had last week promised to sign the peace agreement with the government to end the two–decade insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced two million people. The ceremony was scheduled to take place yesterday at Ri-Kwanagba.

Dejected members of the Government delegation, led by chief negotiator Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, who had been joined by defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa, flew back to Juba in the evening aboard a UN helicopter. They travelled with the UN envoy to LRA-affected areas, former Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano.

"We are back (in Juba)," a source who travelled with the team said.

"We reached Ri-kwangba and they were not ready. They were still discussing, but we are going back tomorrow (today)," the source added.

The source said LRA leadership was meeting their delegation to the Juba peace talks, elders and religious leaders from northern Uganda, on the text in the peace deal. The elders were led by the Acholi Paramount Chief, Rwot David Achana and religious leaders led by Archbishop John Baptist Odama.

Another source said Kony had set three new conditions:

•  That he will append his signature when the sticky issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against LRA commanders is resolved.

•  A guarantee that all his fighters will retain their ranks.

• The fighters must all be absorbed in the national army.

Chief mediator and South Sudan vice-president Riek Machar told reporters on Wednesday that Kony had said he would sign the agreement on Saturday (yesterday).

Rugunda, Nankabirwa and the delegation spokesperson could not be reached as their Juba phones were off. On April 14, Kony failed to show up for the scheduled signing of the agreement at Ri-kwangba.

His aides said he wanted clarifications on the operations of the special division of the High Court being set up to try his culpable fighters, the traditional justice that will be used to atone for lesser crimes and the ICC indictments.

Mediators and the world now watch whether Kony will blow what appears like the last chance for him to end the rebellion peacefully and halt two years of protracted peace talks in Juba.

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