Govt rejects LRA demand on ICC case
Feb 27, 2008
THE peace talks in Juba hit a snag yesterday when the Government delegation rejected the LRA demand to include a guarantee in the final peace agreement that the ICC indictments against rebel leader Joseph Kony and his top commanders will be lifted.
By Milton Olupot
in Juba, Sudan
THE peace talks in Juba hit a snag yesterday when the Government delegation rejected the LRA demand to include a guarantee in the final peace agreement that the ICC indictments against rebel leader Joseph Kony and his top commanders will be lifted.
Both teams spent the whole day Tuesday discussing the final agreement. They went into plenary, chaired by South Sudan vice-president Riek Machar, until 5:30am on Wednesday morning without reaching a consensus.
“We demand that a clause be included in the final peace agreement stating: The Government of Uganda shall request the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution, requesting the ICC to defer all investigations and prosecution relating to the LRA,†said David Matsanga, the LRA team leader.
“We also want President Yoweri Museveni to sign a document of comfort to assure us that the government is committed to the lifting of the indictments against the LRA commanders.â€
He said they had signed documents in which they committed themselves to the laws of Uganda, which the Government would send to the ICC. “We have signed all the documents. What are they waiting for? We shall not assemble and Kony can not come here to sign the peace agreements without a guarantee,†he added.
The government team rejected the clause, arguing that the ICC issue was covered under Item Number Three, on accountability and reconciliation.
“The government went to the ICC because it had lost jurisdiction to arrest and try the LRA leaders when they moved into the DRC,†said Capt. Chris Magezi, the Government team spokesperson.
“The situation has not changed such that we can ask the indictments to be dropped. They are still out of reach of the Uganda government. They should first assemble, disarm and demobilise so that we can try them.â€
The LRA had failed to honour previous agreements, such as those on assembling, he noted. He also said the LRA should demonstrate their seriousness by releasing women and children in their custody. The LRA team was expected to consult Kony at his base in Garamba National Park yesterday but the trip was postponed to today.
Meanwhile, the monitoring team was travelling to Western Equatoria yesterday to verify reports that the LRA killed 11 people, including seven SPLA soldiers, and abducted 27 in Source Yubu on February 19.
The deputy governor of Western Equatoria, Joseph Ngere, told The New Vision on Tuesday that a group of about 400 heavily armed LRA fighters crossed from the Central African Republic and attacked the town in the early morning hours.
“The monitoring team should be on their way there. We are waiting for their report. Those are serious allegations and they undermine the spirit of the talks. They are a reason for us to work faster so that we can sign a final peace agreement,†Magezi said.
in Juba, Sudan
THE peace talks in Juba hit a snag yesterday when the Government delegation rejected the LRA demand to include a guarantee in the final peace agreement that the ICC indictments against rebel leader Joseph Kony and his top commanders will be lifted.
Both teams spent the whole day Tuesday discussing the final agreement. They went into plenary, chaired by South Sudan vice-president Riek Machar, until 5:30am on Wednesday morning without reaching a consensus.
“We demand that a clause be included in the final peace agreement stating: The Government of Uganda shall request the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution, requesting the ICC to defer all investigations and prosecution relating to the LRA,†said David Matsanga, the LRA team leader.
“We also want President Yoweri Museveni to sign a document of comfort to assure us that the government is committed to the lifting of the indictments against the LRA commanders.â€
He said they had signed documents in which they committed themselves to the laws of Uganda, which the Government would send to the ICC. “We have signed all the documents. What are they waiting for? We shall not assemble and Kony can not come here to sign the peace agreements without a guarantee,†he added.
The government team rejected the clause, arguing that the ICC issue was covered under Item Number Three, on accountability and reconciliation.
“The government went to the ICC because it had lost jurisdiction to arrest and try the LRA leaders when they moved into the DRC,†said Capt. Chris Magezi, the Government team spokesperson.
“The situation has not changed such that we can ask the indictments to be dropped. They are still out of reach of the Uganda government. They should first assemble, disarm and demobilise so that we can try them.â€
The LRA had failed to honour previous agreements, such as those on assembling, he noted. He also said the LRA should demonstrate their seriousness by releasing women and children in their custody. The LRA team was expected to consult Kony at his base in Garamba National Park yesterday but the trip was postponed to today.
Meanwhile, the monitoring team was travelling to Western Equatoria yesterday to verify reports that the LRA killed 11 people, including seven SPLA soldiers, and abducted 27 in Source Yubu on February 19.
The deputy governor of Western Equatoria, Joseph Ngere, told The New Vision on Tuesday that a group of about 400 heavily armed LRA fighters crossed from the Central African Republic and attacked the town in the early morning hours.
“The monitoring team should be on their way there. We are waiting for their report. Those are serious allegations and they undermine the spirit of the talks. They are a reason for us to work faster so that we can sign a final peace agreement,†Magezi said.