Rugunda, LRA meet on peace talks plan
Apr 30, 2007
CHIEF Government negotiator Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda held discussions with the LRA delegation yesterday to draw a programme for the peace talks.
By Henry Mukasa
CHIEF Government negotiator Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda held discussions with the LRA delegation yesterday to draw a programme for the peace talks.
It was the first time since the Juba talks reopened last Thursday that the members of the two delegations met face-to-face.
On Friday, talks failed to take off after the rebels accused the UPDF of attacking them at Magwi in South Sudan. But the Government denied the accusations.
“This is not a plenary session. The talks have not begun in earnest but the process has been initiated. They have met in a consultative meeting to draw a programme of action that will set the talks in progress,†the Government delegation spokesman, Capt. Barigye Bahoku told The New Vision.
The LRA delegates were led by Martin Ojul.
Meanwhile, military observers from Kenya and Tanzania also arrived in Juba yesterday. Tanzania sent Lt. Col. Pendo Kamugwere and Maj. Erias Atanas, while Kenya is represented by Lt. Col. Steven Mwangi and Maj. Ibrahim Mahalim Ali.
The military observers from Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Zambia are yet to arrive. They will be part of the team to monitor observance of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
In a related development, lawyers Owiny Dollo and Jacob Oulanyah have defended themselves against accusations that they are Government spies at the peace talks.
Press reports yesterday quoted LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo as saying that they had protested to the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar about the presence of Dollo and Oulanyah.
But Dollo said he was in Juba at the invitation of Kony while Oulanyah said he was doing legal work in Sudan when he was appointed by the chief mediator as a legal advisor.
CHIEF Government negotiator Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda held discussions with the LRA delegation yesterday to draw a programme for the peace talks.
It was the first time since the Juba talks reopened last Thursday that the members of the two delegations met face-to-face.
On Friday, talks failed to take off after the rebels accused the UPDF of attacking them at Magwi in South Sudan. But the Government denied the accusations.
“This is not a plenary session. The talks have not begun in earnest but the process has been initiated. They have met in a consultative meeting to draw a programme of action that will set the talks in progress,†the Government delegation spokesman, Capt. Barigye Bahoku told The New Vision.
The LRA delegates were led by Martin Ojul.
Meanwhile, military observers from Kenya and Tanzania also arrived in Juba yesterday. Tanzania sent Lt. Col. Pendo Kamugwere and Maj. Erias Atanas, while Kenya is represented by Lt. Col. Steven Mwangi and Maj. Ibrahim Mahalim Ali.
The military observers from Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Zambia are yet to arrive. They will be part of the team to monitor observance of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
In a related development, lawyers Owiny Dollo and Jacob Oulanyah have defended themselves against accusations that they are Government spies at the peace talks.
Press reports yesterday quoted LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo as saying that they had protested to the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar about the presence of Dollo and Oulanyah.
But Dollo said he was in Juba at the invitation of Kony while Oulanyah said he was doing legal work in Sudan when he was appointed by the chief mediator as a legal advisor.