Withdraw UPDF from Sudan, rebels insist
Dec 17, 2006
JUBA, Friday Ugandan rebels yesterday appealed to African leaders attending a summit in Kenya to press President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw his troops from south Sudan to pave way for peace talks.
JUBA, Friday Ugandan rebels yesterday appealed to African leaders attending a summit in Kenya to press President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw his troops from south Sudan to pave way for peace talks.
The Lord’s Resistance Army rebel spokesman, Obonyo Olweny, said insurgents feared gathering at assembly points in line with a truce because of the presence of government forces in the region.
“We need the (African) presidents to press museveni to pull out his troops so that our forces can gather,†Olweny told AFP.
“That is the only way talks can progress and we reach a peace agreement,†he added.
“The presidents should also support the peace process in general because this is the most genuine attempt to restore peace in northern Uganda,†olweny added.
Ugandan troops are deployed in southern Sudan under a 2002 agreement with Khartoum that allows Kampala to pursue the insurgents at specific locations in the region.
Last month, the sudanese national parliament called for an end to the protocol in a bid to boost the foundering talks.
Six African presidents and two prime ministers are currently participating in the second International Conference on the Great Lakes Region aimed at bolstering peace in the continent’s volatile belt.
They are due to adopt a pact to promote stability, security and development in the region, which has been ravaged by conflicts for several decades.
The rebels, who suspended talks in late November after the government army allegedly killed three fighters, agreed to resume dialogue after mediators acknowledged there were violations.
Both sides were due to meet yesterday to mull renewing a truce that expired on December 1 to avoid fresh flare-ups in fighting as talks remained stalled.
The Juba talks are seen as the best chance to end the deadly conflict.
The Lord’s Resistance Army rebel spokesman, Obonyo Olweny, said insurgents feared gathering at assembly points in line with a truce because of the presence of government forces in the region.
“We need the (African) presidents to press museveni to pull out his troops so that our forces can gather,†Olweny told AFP.
“That is the only way talks can progress and we reach a peace agreement,†he added.
“The presidents should also support the peace process in general because this is the most genuine attempt to restore peace in northern Uganda,†olweny added.
Ugandan troops are deployed in southern Sudan under a 2002 agreement with Khartoum that allows Kampala to pursue the insurgents at specific locations in the region.
Last month, the sudanese national parliament called for an end to the protocol in a bid to boost the foundering talks.
Six African presidents and two prime ministers are currently participating in the second International Conference on the Great Lakes Region aimed at bolstering peace in the continent’s volatile belt.
They are due to adopt a pact to promote stability, security and development in the region, which has been ravaged by conflicts for several decades.
The rebels, who suspended talks in late November after the government army allegedly killed three fighters, agreed to resume dialogue after mediators acknowledged there were violations.
Both sides were due to meet yesterday to mull renewing a truce that expired on December 1 to avoid fresh flare-ups in fighting as talks remained stalled.
The Juba talks are seen as the best chance to end the deadly conflict.