THE Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are re-organising from their hideout in the dense Garamba forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, defence minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga has said.
The minister pointed out that the LRA, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU) were negative forces in the DR Congo that threaten national security.
“The LRA is reorganising and making several political overtures in a bid to reflect itself in good light. The ADF, according to information obtained, are more posed to infiltrate the country as they previously did. The two rebel groups are indeed a threat to peace and security of our country,” he added.
Kiyonga said this in a speech read by the internal affairs minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, at the opening of the fourth meeting of the “Tripartite Plus-Chief of Defence Forces at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe yesterday.
Tripartite-Plus meetings bring together Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC.
The Government and the LRA have been engaged in peace talks in Juba since July 2006.
In an exclusive interview yesterday, Rugunda said the Government was still committed to the peace talks, which are resuming in Juba on Wednesday.
UN envoy Joachim Chissano and the government delegation on Saturday night met President Yoweri Museveni.
Rugunda said the parties would review the implementation of accountability and reconciliation protocol and move to the ceasefire item on the agenda.
The head of the LRA delegation, Nyekorach Matsanga, predicted a faster peace process, saying three items had been agreed upon and only two technical items remained.
“Peace talks will not collapse because I am an unrepentant critic of president Museveni. I don’t repent to Museveni. I repent to God,” he explained.
“It will be a faster process. I was appointed to put speed to the process and not to beg money from Museveni.”
The Entebbe meeting is being attended by delegations led by top military chiefs who included Gen. Aronda Nyakairima from Uganda, Maj. Gen. Niyombare from Burundi and Brig. Gen. Jack Musemakweri from Rwanda.
Others were Lt. Gen. Dieudone Kayembe from Congo and MONUC force commander, Lt. Gen. Gaye Babacas.
Kiyonga noted that recommendations pending implementation included meetings of local commanders, deploying verification and monitoring officers in border towns and operationalising the joint planning cell.
“In 2008, we really need practical agendas of what we must do and achieve, because failure is not an option in our current campaigns in the search for regional stability and peace,” Kiyonga urged.
He lauded the peace deal reached by dissident Gen. Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army. “It’s our hope and desire that the peace concluded will hold,” Kiyonga commented.
On his part, Rugunda expressed concern over the violence in Kenya following the disputed presidential elections of December 27 last year.
Over 700 people have been killed since the violence erupted there.
“We have full confidence in the leadership and people of Kenya to solve this problem in a fair and sustainable way so that peace and stability are restored,” Rugunda stated.
He said too much of Africa and the region’s resources have been wasted on conflicts and time had come to put an end to it.
