Uganda Government's acceptance of cessation of hostilities welcome
Yesterday in Juba there was great excitement amongst the Juba Talk delegates and observers while they prepared for the official ceremony announcing the Uganda Government's acceptance of cessation of hostilities. The LRA delegation saw this as a major victory for them, having held ground on this demand. What was however not clear were the conditions attached this, particularly that requiring the LRA to assemble their fighters in areas designated by the Uganda Government. The view within the LRA delegation is that this can only be feasible if it is overseen by a neutral internatiol body otherwise it would be tantamount to surrendering in the hands of the Ugandan army. It was also not yet clear what the response from Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti was. The visit to Juba the previous day by the UN envoy appears to have given the process of negotiation some international credibility. However, the opporunity appears to have been lost as the LRA delegation seem not to have pushed the envoy hard enough regarding a request for the suspension of the International Criminal Court warrants of arrest on Kony and his commanders. This would have encouraged the LRA fighters to gain more confidence in the whole process. As the talks enter a very critical stage, concern remains about the apparently disruptive role that the deputy leader of the LRA delegation Josephine Apira is allegedly playing. She has reportedly fallen out of favour with the mediator, Dr Riek Machar as well as the key person behind the talks, the US based Olal Jongomoi. Apira appears suspicious of Olal's motive and fears he might be part of a scheme to entice the LRA leadership into a trap that will see them handed over to the ICC. Pressure to remove Apira from the delegation is however being resisted by the mediator. It is thought this would be disruptive a divert attention from the substance of the talks, considering that Apira's London based colleagues who she invited over to Juba are likely to back her against the Nairobi based LRA delegates. Our advice is that this is no time for division. Whatever the issues are need to be resolved. Resolving the 20 year suffering of the people of Norrthern Uganda and Southern Sudan must transcend any personality clashes or personal ambitions. The mediator is right in not bending to pressure to remove Apira but must be vigilant and reprimand individuals seen to be stepping out of line.