THE Government will not send a delegation to the southern Sudanese capital of Juba for talks with the LRA.
“It is absolutely impossible for us to sit and talk to people who have been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and wanted by Interpol for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” a senior government source said yesterday.
The source would not deny nor confirm whether the Juba talks matter was discussed in the cabinet meeting yesterday. “It will be shooting ourselves in the foot,” the source said.
The Southern Sudan government peace initiative has been in the balance because of Kampala’s silence on the issue.
While President Museveni said the Government would talk to the LRA, security minister Amama Mbabazi ruled out amnesty to Kony and five commanders wanted by ICC.
The source said reports that the LRA wants the UPDF out of southern Sudan before the talks begin “is an abuse to our integrity, considering that it is our gun power which sent them fleeing to Garamba in Congo.”
A 14-member LRA peace team on Tuesday joined five LRA external wing coordinators in Juba after being blessed by their leader Joseph Kony in Maridi district.
In another development, the UPDF brigade in Sudan’s eastern Equatoria said on June 12 it hunted and killed six Kony rebels on the Juba-Torit road, southeast of Juba city.
Acting army spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye said the UPDF, under the command of Lt. Col. Emmy Rwasande, also captured one rebel and recovered six guns.
But in a statement purported to be from “LRA High Command’, the rebels denied raiding Gumba area in Juba city last Sunday night, and instead blamed the attack on Uganda, saying it was attempting to undermine the South Sudan government peace initiative.
On June 11, in Gumba area on the east bank of the Nile, a few miles from the city centre, the BBC reported that an LRA raid left nine people wounded, including two children and five women.
Major Kulayigye said, “Whatever happened in Gumba village is the true character of LRA and is a warning to those people who think that Kony has changed his mind. People who trust Kony are courting a tiger.
“For us, it is business as usual as we hunt for remnants of the rebels who are concentrated along the eastern banks of River Nile. We shall not rest until security is guaranteed.”
In the headquarters of ICC in the Hague, Francisca Sumay, a public information officer from the chief prosecutor’s office, insisted yesterday that new efforts to engage the LRA in peace negotiations will not impede the arrest and prosecution of the indicted rebel leaders.
IRIN quoted Sumay saying, “The governments of Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are obligated to give effect to the arrest warrants, and we are confident that they will honour their joint commitment to do so.”
Sumay cited Article 86 of the Rome Statute, which states that “State parties shall ... cooperate fully with the Court in its investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.”
