By Henry Mukasa
in Jjuba

PEACE talks here have hit the rocky road again. The Government has rejected the LRA’s demand to have its fighters assemble at Ri-Kwangba in Western Equatorial State of South Sudan.

The LRA tabled the demand on Monday during a plenary session reviewing the performance of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CHA).

Government team members described the rebels’ request as “fundamental” and that “the twist changes the trend of the talks.”

The review of the CHA continued yesterday after each party presented its reaction to the mediators’ draft. Each side was by late afternoon stuck to its stance.
The LRA does not want to assemble at Owiny Kibul in Eastern Equatorial State, the second designated assembly area under the peace talks agreement. It said the area is insecure because the UPDF has reportedly deployed there.

At Ri-Kwangba, the rebels reportedly want a radius of 45 square miles from the headquarters of the assembly area.
The Government delegation said it was startled by the new position. Team spokesman Capt. Paddy Ankunda said the Government had compromised on many issues but would not on this one.

“We object in the strongest
terms to the demand by the LRA that all of them assemble at Ri-Kwangba. This demand of Ri-Kwangba as one-stop centre of the LRA is unacceptable,” Ankunda said yesterday.
“This is a mere review. They want to re-write the agreement,” he added.

Ankunda said, “Their intention is naked. They simply want to go to Ri-Kwangba as a way of going to their leaders in the DRC, re-organise and resume attacks on civilians from the DRC. This will not be allowed to happen. It’s unacceptable,” he said.

LRA leader Joseph Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti and several commanders are holed up in Garamba park, a stone’s throw from Ri-Kwangba.

Ankunda said the Government position is that all LRA fighters “loitering” East of River Nile “must assemble at Owiny Kibul.”

However, LRA talks spokesman challenged the Government to be reasonable. He said the talks should not collapse because of the LRA’s remedial proposal.

“We made submissions to the mediation to weigh. Don’t you see all these skirmishes? Doesn’t government worry it lost a soldier? We are trying to minimise this,” Godfrey Ayoo said. He said the LRA was attempting “to keep the two forces (UPDF and LRA) apart” to ensure peace for the South Sudan.

“We can’t allow our people to get to Owiny Kibul where UPDF are so many. If UPDF wants the place, let them stay there,” he said.

Ayo said the SPLA would deploy heavily around Ri-Kwangba to allay claims that LRA is regrouping.
He described the Government stand as “abuse of hospitality of the hosts and utter arrogance.”

Ayoo said the Government had rejected the mediators’ request that the UPDF vacates some positions in South Sudan. “They have it that they cannot move and that they should determine where LRA stays. That’s taking it too far for parties supposed to be complementary.”

Ankunda said, “We told the doubting Thomases that the LRA ask for peace talks when they are pushed against the wall. The LRA has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.”