Kony's LRA and Uganda troops prepare for a final show down?

Joseph Kony
As the Juba negotiation stall, a member of the LRA delegation who is currently abroad having taken a break from the talks has confided in us that the LRA is now poised for ‘Plan B’, which is the military option. This is as a result of recent heavy military movement of Uganda Government troops towards Southern Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. The source also confirmed that President Museveni’s recent arrogant statements made in Gulu indicated that he was preparing the ground for his army to attack the LRA. The decision by the ICC not to suspend the warrants of arrest and the impotency of local elected, religious and cultural leaders to intervene and directly demand this from the ICC directly has not helped the situation. Information that we here at Juba Talks blog are receiving from Northern Uganda indicate that the Ugandan army are confident that the international community will not condemn them if they were to attack the LRA and capture Kony and his fellow indicted commanders. Infact, opinion political opinion particularly in Britain and the United States is in favour of a military option. One Ugandan senior military officer who has recently visited Britain said that they were itching to deal the final military blow to Kony, after which the next stage will be to go for the so called political brains behind the LRA, particularly those allegedly in the diaspora.

ICC Warrants on Uganda Government Army Commanders
As the ICC is now adamant about the warrants and clearly says war crimes must be punished no matter what, the case for bringing those in the Uganda Government army and in leadership position who are responsible for killings in Northern and Eastern Uganda also to be brought to book. What the LRA Juba delegation lack at the moment is the capacity and leadership to co-ordinate and bring such an action about. The so called elders outside the country who the delegation appear to be relying on and frequesntly consulting seem bankrupt of ideas as they cannot even come out in the open and discuss their ideas with those who may be supportive. As the decisive stage of the talks begin, the remaining LRA delegation in Juba is instead wasting its effort demading for the removal of Rugunda and Oryem from the Government delegation because they are not elected Ministers. One may ask what moral authority the LRA delegation have demading this when they themselves do not represent an elected voice or the broad voice of those who for years have been active in the opposition to the Museveni regime in Northern Uganda. Instead of busying themselves organising the visit to the UK of Kizza Besigye, some of the LRA delegation currently in the UK should have been involving a broad section of both Ugandan and non-Ugandan supporters to strenthgthen what those in Juba present in the next round of talks.

Kony and traditional reconciliation? Local leaders must petition International Criminal Court
The Uganda Government has announced its intention to appoint a legal team to advise it on ‘Mato Oput’, the Acholi traditional method of conflict resolution and reconciliation. The alleged intention is to explore how this approach can be used in place of the International Criminal Court. This is a promising development but one would have thought that by now the Government would a clear and well informed position on this as the approach has been flouted for years. What still remains as an obstacle to reaching a comprehensive peace agreement between the LRA and the Uganda Government is the case of the ICC warrants. The Uganda Government is being unreasonable by saying that they will only ask for a review of these warrants once the a comprehensive agreement has been signed. Logically, for the agreement to be signed the key players such as Kony and Otti must be fully engaged and they can’t unless the warrants are at least suspended. Surely, for the sake of peace, can’t the Uganda Government ask for temporary suspension pending a full review after an agreement has been reached? This would be a more constructive way forward.

Leaders such as Norbert Mao, the District Chairman of Gulu, also bear some responsibility for guiding the elders and traditional leaders in the war affected areas of Northern Uganda. Recently he rightly called for the inclusion of elders from Lango and Teso in the negotiations. I would have expected Mao as a lawyer by profession to have gone further and formed a team of lawyers, representatives of the war victims, religious leaders and elders to petition the ICC for a suspension of the warrants of arrest so that the negotiations can be given a chance to progress. Blaming President Museveni about setting deadlines for talks is not sufficient. Mao and other leaders must lead by action, and that action must move to the higher gear of engaging the ICC directly not through the Uganda Government.

MAO BLASTS MUSEVENI ON DEADLINES
BY JOHN MUTO-ONO P’LAJUR
GULU
19th September 2006

GULU LCV Chairman Norbert Mao has blasted President
Yoweri Museveni saying the President was so obsessed
with issuing deadlines for peace, yet peace building
is a human project which is subjected to human
weaknesses and emotions, which require no deadlines.
“You are not going to change human nature. You must
understand to work around it. Peace building takes
time. I am surprised that Museveni is obsessed with
deadlines for peace.”
Mao made the remarks while closing a one-day
consultation meeting on the practicability of
reconciliation on September 18th, 2006 at the GUSCO
Peace Centre Conference Hall in Gulu town. Northern
Uganda Peace Initiative (NUPI) organized the meeting
in conjunction with District Reconciliation and Peace
team (DRPT).
Mao said it was wrong for President Museveni to
continue to issue deadlines in resolving the conflict
in northern Uganda yet he knows that he was dealing
with people with different understandings from his
position on issues.
“If you were a farmer, you cannot say that the seeds
you have planted today must germinate in three days.
You cannot tell your wife that on this day, you must
deliver our baby. Even doctors only estimate the day
on which a mother may deliver her baby.”
He said the conflict in Mozambique took three years of
negotiation to resolve and that the Sudanese were
almost fighting during the protracted negotiations in
Kenya.
“If I had the opportunity, I would advise President
Museveni to avoid this fast-food approach to peace
building. That is not how you build peace.”
President Museveni had issued a September 12th
deadline by which a Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) to end 20 years of war in northern Uganda would
have been signed between government and the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The Government of
Southern Sudan is mediating the talks in Juba.
That deadline was extended to September 19th, with
only one agenda out of five being disposed off.
Un-easy truce exists although both sides have issued
alarm warnings of a possible renewal of hostilities,
as talks are yet to resume in Juba.
Mao said many people from other regions, which have
been affected by the war, are now coming to express
interest in participating in the talks as observers.
He said cultural leaders from Lango, Teso, Bunyoro and
West Nile have indicated that they would send their
representatives to join Acholi paramount Chief, Rwot
David Onen-Acana at the talks.
“To avoid people rocking your boat, let them be busy
holding the oar. If you don’t let them, you will
sink.”
Mao also counseled the two sides negotiating in Juba
to be watchful of conflict entrepreneurs who are all
out to make sure the talks doesn’t succeed. He said
such entrepreneur might even donate money for the
peace process, yet they may have different agenda.
He named Mark Thatcher, the son of former British
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as such conflict
entrepreneur.
“They sit in their air-conditioned offices and decide
where the next conflict should be. If I were the
president, I would organize the commons to hang such a
man and then I would also be hanged. They can animate
politicians with ambitions and promise heavens.”
Mao said peace building is dangerous, risky and not
for the faint hearted.
“If fact peace builders are more courageous than
warriors.”
He said the current talks have helped demystify the
LRA and its leader Joseph Kony.
“In the past people were questioning if Kony the
person really exists. We have now found out that Kony
is a real human being who needs to be helped. The
people are no longer afraid of the LRA as was the case
in the past.”
Mao also warned Ugandans not to toss so much or
celebrate so much about the signing of a CPA because
the implementation stage of any agreement is the most
difficult.
“This is where most deals fail. Marriage is not the
wedding day where two individuals with different
backgrounds come to live together. Let us avoid
tossing too much at the signing of a CPA.”
The meeting noted that there was great need for
psychosocial counseling of the returnees and the
displaced going back to their homes from the camps.
The Chief of Party of NUPI, Stig Hansaen said Uganda,
with only 30 psychologists, cannot meet the tasks of
counseling in northern Uganda.
“There is a huge request for community counseling. The
30 psychologists are not enough. There is a lot of
disorder created by camp environments. It is
heartbreaking enough. Integrations has been taking
place but it has not taken roots.”
ENDS.

LRA Team consult Garamba and London
As the period for all LRA fighters to assemble at designated positions in Southern Sudan drew to a close, the LRA negotiation team split into two groups, with one headed by Martin Ojul consulting the LRA leadership in the vicinity of Garamba, and the other composed of UK based members frantically briefing key contacts in London. Reports reaching Juba Talks indicate that the last two days saw 3 participants who returned from Juba to London consulting with their supporters in London. The substance of what was discussed is not clear as the consultation was on 'a need to know basis'. There however appears to be some divided opinion between the the team that proceeded to Garamba and those that came to London as to what the next steps should be. A key contact who attended the consultation meeting yesterday in London at which a US based member of the LRA gave a briefing reported to us here at Juba Talks that the London team are experiencing some degree of marginalisation from the talks and therefore require re-enforcement. There are however divided opinions amongst them as to who they need to co-opt onto there team for the next round of talks. Prominent elders from Northern Uganda currently residing in the UK have all along shown reluctance in associating themselves with the team.

Jan Egeland Reports to Security Council


The UN Chief Jan Egeland has reported to the UN Security Council following his tour of Northern Uganda and visit to Juba. From what has been reported, there appears to be no feedback from the UN on the vital stumbling block - the warrants of arrest on Kony and his colleagues. Our view here on Juba Talks is that it is now high time for the elders and leaders from Northern and Eastern Uganda to directly petition the Security Council on behalf of the victims of the war for the warrants at least to be suspended.

Involve all stakeholders in Agenda II-Report
Calls for National Conference
Castigates ICC
BY JOHN MUTO-ONO P”LAJUR
GULU
15th September 2006

THE people of the greater northern Uganda have
recommended that not only the government and the
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel should discuss the
next agenda, which deals with Comprehensive Solutions
to the problems afflicting Uganda as a country, when
talks between them resumes in the Southern Sudanese
capital city, Juba.
“For the first time, you are showing practical signs
of unity, the kind of national unity that President
Museveni talked of while mourning former president
Milton Obote last year…. There is no way we can say
that Ugandans are not divided when some people are
referred to as “Opoko mamwa”, (a common reference to
Banyankole). It is a very high time that we go back to
the drawing table so that the Pearl of Africa regains
its lost glory.” Gulu RDC, Col. Walter Ochora-Odoch
said.
He made the remark while closing a one-day
consultation meeting meant to gather local
inputs/views to the Juba talks from councilors
elected, elders and religious leaders from Gulu,
Kitgum, Pader and Amuru districts at the Gulu District
Council hall on September 13th, 2006.
Pader LCV Chairman, Peter Odok W”Oceng, led a15-member
peace mobilization team to mobilize support and gather
opinions on the on going Juba talks from the affected
communities in Teso, Lango, Karamoja, Acholi, Bunyoro
and West Nile sub-regions. Their report is expected to
boost up the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar.
The Chairman of the new district of Abim, which was
curved out of Kotido, Norman Ocero, said the military
option have failed to bring peace for the last twenty
years. He said this is the best opportunity ever, for
Ugandans to reconcile with one another.
“Details of agenda two would be discussed by our
mothers when they are n their homes. I hear one party
to the conflict is talking of giving the other “soft
landing.” I was thinking that it is us who are giving
them a soft landing. 20 years of war have not brought
peace.”The LCV Chairman of Amuria, Julius Ocen said the
suffering in the greater north has it bearing on the
nature of the democracy we have in Uganda, which must
be addressed. He said other regions enjoy the weakness
of the greater northern Uganda because they are not
united.
“Others will enjoy our weaknesses because of the
cracks we have on the wall. God is preparing us for a
bigger cake. It is an opportunity to take to lead this
country again. We are heading for victory.” He said.
Masindi LCV Chairman, Stephen Birija proposed the
setting up an independent commission to conduct
enquiries/consultation throughout Uganda for inputs to
discuss agenda two comprehensively. He argues that the
LRA rebellion is just the symptom of a much deeper
political problem we have in Uganda.
“If the solution is arrived at by only two parties in
Juba, then another region may rise up. Rights are not
received on a silver plate but are bargained for. Let
every Ugandan be involved in agenda two, but the
procedures can be agreed on in Juba.”
Kerobino Paul Ojok (Gulu) said there are too many
items on agenda two, which needs another forum for all
Ugandans to contribute. He said such a forum might
delay the peace talks up to July 2007. His Colleague,
Alex Otim, said delegate representing all Ugandans
should discuss agenda two from a neutral country such
as Sudan or South Africa.
“Agenda number two should be discussed in Sudan or any
other country other than Uganda. When it is done in
Uganda, things will not be done in the right way.”
Otim said.
Position on ICC
Many speakers were of the view that President Museveni
did not consult widely when he decided to refer the
conflict in northern Uganda to the ICC, saying that he
would have been advised otherwise. Many of them
appealed to parliament to prevail over the stalemate
concerning the ICC.
“We should let the ICC know that when Museveni
reported the LRA o the ICC, he had not consulted us
who were butchered. We would have told Museveni that
let us try ur own traditional justice. Museveni would
not have taken the LRA to ICC.” Makmot Kitara (Gulu)
said.
“ICC is not a problem because they did not know us in
the first place. The government should write to ICC to
withdraw the case so that we deal with the problem
culturally. We know that our culture works around the
table,” says Alex Otim (Gulu).
“There was no consultations on ICC, otherwise the UPDF
also committed atrocities. For example the 14th UPDF
battalion committed atrocities in Anaka in 1990”,
Komakech F. Innocent (Amuru) said.
“Parliament should take the lead on ICC. The ICC is a
mere convention. We can even withdraw from the
Convention”, Titus Lak Kidega (Pader elder)
“Both sides committed atrocities in the conflict.
Peter Oloya alias Yumbe was killed while in prison,
who will be penalized for his death?’ Betty Kibwota
(Gulu).
“There is nothing wrong with the ICC as an
institution. Sober people made the statue in Rome. The
Acholi community was saying why is the international
community not coming to help us, now they have come
(in the form of ICC). The ICC is independent whose
warrants can only be delayed by the UN Security
Council for a maximum of 24 months,” said Ochora.
Mato Oput
The representative of the Teso sub-region to the
talks, Julius Ocen appealed to cultural leaders and
scholars to document and harmonize traditional justice
systems like the mato oput of the Acholi culture so as
to convince other cultures that ours can actually
work.
“Traditional way of justice must be reflected in
writing. Many do not understand what mato oput is all
about? We need to have it in documentary form for
others to study.” He said.
ENDS

There is a degree of safety in Northern Uganda- says UN chief, Jan Egeland

BY JOHN MUTO-ONO P’LAJUR & ONO COLOMBUS
GULU
11th September 2006.

THE UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian
Affairs And Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland
has declared that there is now a “degree of safety and
security” in Northern Uganda since he first came to
the region in 2003.
He declared that the security situation prevailing now
makes work “easier” and “hope” for the future is
brighter.
“The symbolic nature for me and my colleagues (UN
staffs), staying overnight for the first time ever, in
an internally displaced persons’ camp (IDP), with the
IDPs, shows that things have really changed since I
came here in 2003. Now we have a degree of safety and
security which makes it much easier for us to work and
also hope for the future.”
Egeland declared this during a meeting with
international, national and local media at the UN-OCHA
offices in Gulu on Sunday. He had just returned to
Gulu town from Opit IDP, 32 kilometers east of Gulu
town, where he had gone to spend a night with the
local community.
“I sat all night yesterday (Saturday), in a very
moving experience around a fire place with the
Acholis-displaced people, war victims. We discussed
the future and how to bring peace.”
A journalst who accompanied him to the camp told Daily
Monitor that Egeland sat at wang-oo (bonfire) with the
community, ate local food, drank ordinary water,
bathed in makeshift shelters and slept in one of the
huts in the camp and that the people entertained him
Acholi with Acholi folklores by the bonfire.
“It was a very good experience. No security risks.
Some UN colleagues were snoring. That was the biggest
event of the night. Only a couple of years ago, we
would have been pulled off there, we would have been
kidnapped if we stayed over in such a camp.”
Unicef Country Director, Martin Mugwanja, several UN
agencies operation in the region, national and
international media accompanied the envoy to Opit.
“I wanted to give attention to the plight of the IDPs
because they are living in “totally unacceptable
conditions-very crowded”. Water and sanitation is not
good enough, the health situation is not good enough.
We need more assistance to these people, we need to
help them return home.”
Egeland said he wanted to spend a night at an IPD camp
to tell the international community that the security
situation is “safer now than before.”
“It is safer now than before. Before, I would not be
allowed by my own security people to sleep over. Now
they allowed me to do that and therefore I wanted to
stay overnight.”
UN position on ICC
Egeland told journalists that the reason why the world
body is insisting of execution of the International
Criminal Court (ICC) indictment warrants issued
against the five top LRA commanders, including their
leader Joseph Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti, is
because of the Rwanda genocide where over 800,000
innocent civilians were killed between 1993 and 1994.
“The reason why the ICC indictment is there is
basically because of Rwanda. There is not going to be
impunity for mass violations of human rights.”
He, however, said both the UN and ICC would be
“flexible” depending on the progress and outcome of
the peace talks going on in Juba between Uganda and
the LRA. He said he has already talked to the ICC
chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and LRA’s Vincent
Otii about that.
“On the other hand, I have spoken to the prosecutor of
the ICC and he says, “of course we can be flexible in
the way you work to reach an agreement. So today
(Sunday), just as an example, I spoke, myself, on
phone for twenty minutes with Vincent Otti on aspects
of the peace process and how to promote the
humanitarian principles in the peace process and how
to ensure that the women and children in LRA camps can
come back home and be integrated into Ugandan
society.”
Otti had earlier vowed, in a telephone interview with
the Kampala based KFM radio station, that no LRA
fighter, women nor children will come out of the bush
unless the ICC arrest warrants are lifted even if
peace agreement is sealed.
Egeland said he had always been very outspoken on the
northern Uganda issues since the beginning and that
all sides of the conflict had not been happy with the
things he speaks. He said the UN is working closely
with Uganda government and the government of Southern
Sudan, which is mediating the talks, to promote the
peace process.
“I had a long talk, three hours’ talk with President
Museveni when I was here only three months ago. I will
have a meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday in
Kampala. I feel we are making progress. The government
have asked us to facilitate this process and so has
the LRA.”
UN needs invitation to political conflicts.
Egeland told journalists that the UN is trying its
best for peace and reconciliation in the Great Lakes
region, including northern Uganda, but that there are
very many things that have peen interconnected. He
said the crisis in northern Uganda has engulfed three
countries at the moments.
“We need invitations from the governments to have a
political mission like we have in Sudan for example.
The other we have in Congo. If we do not have an
invitation for that kind of operation, we are,
however, still working both in the humanitarian area,
development area and we have coordinating offices to
assist informal efforts to promote peace and
reconciliation. And that is what we are doing in
Northern Uganda.”
UN support in Northern Uganda.
THE UN envoy revealed that he was traveling to Juba,
(Monday) to acess the progress of the talks and to
step up efforts of the government of Southern Sudan in
resolving the two-decade long conflict peacefully. He
said the UN has full time people in Juba who are
helping the mediators with logistical support.
He also announced a UN budget of $267million for more
humanitarian relief and recovery now that we have the
best chance to end this war than we have ever had in
the last nineteen years.
“We in the UN will help to do as much as we can to
facilitate an end to the war, to facilitate
reconciliation and to help people return home in
safety and dignity from this over crowded IDP camps”
Egeland appealed to the media, especially American
media, to keep up advocacy for more investments in the
peace, recovery and reconciliation processes and for
the two sides in the conflict to make concessions. He
appealed to the media not to ignore the contributions
of the Acholis in the Diaspora.
‘Make the US Congress keep up their investments in
peace here so that the USA, which is our number one
donor, can give us some more money for recovery and
reconciliation. They should push the two sides to make
concessions. There are also a lot of Acholis in the
Diaspora and they are important too. I say now is not
the time to come with unrealistic demands. Now is the
time to come out and we end the debate.”
ENDS

Riek Machar prevents LRA Juba team from meeting Kony
Since the cessation of hostlities agreement was signed the LRA negotiation team in Juba have been seeking permission from the mediator, Riek Machar to travel to Kony's hide out so that they can update him on the agreement. The Uganda Government team had the opportunity to return to Uganda for a briefing while the LRA have not had similar opporunity. Part of the hold up in the LRA appointing their military representatives on the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team (CHMT) has been attributed to this. It is not clear why Riek Machar is reluctant to allow the team to travel to Kony. Some observers think that Machar feels that such a meeting would result in the hardening of the LRA position. This comes during the time when the ICC have reportedly sent some of their officials to Juba. The ICC has maintained that it will not wave the warrants of arrest for the LRA leaders. Jan Egeland the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs who who has been visiting displaced people's camps in Northern Uganda in the last two days was asked whether he will be requesting the ICC to remove the warrants since the majority view of people in Northern Uganda is asking for that. Egeland seemed quite confident that a peace agreement would be signed in Juba even with the warrants in palce. He stated categorically that the ICC indictment will not prevent a peace settlement being raeched. He will be travelling to Juba in the next few days. The whole approach of Machar, the ICC and Jan Egeland raise a lot of questions. The Juba LRA team are now being forced to rush back into the negotiations and sign an agreement without a propoer consultation with the LRA leadership. Could it be that the LRA Juba team are now being used, perhaps without their knowledge, as a cover for a more sinister action against the LRA leadership? This is an intersting question as one of the ICC officials currently in Juba was overheard enquiring about where the LRA leaders will be once the rest of the LRA soldiers have assembled in the designated points. In the meantime reports that the LRA Juba team demanded 3 million US dollars as part of the negotiation has given ammunition to those who right from the start of the talks have argued that the self selected LRA team are individuals who are looking for personal benefits. This could be a misreading of what may have transpired. The LRA team do not have any funds. It could have been that they presented a budget to enable them to effectively conduct the negoatiations and liaise with appropriate individuals and organisation that would give them the legal and technical support. Now that they remain without such a budget, they are reduced to begging from the mediator.

Vincent Otti's call for ICC warrants to be revoked is late but right
We have argued through this blog right at the beginning of the Juba tallks that a way forward is for the ICC arrest warrants against the LRA commanders to be at laest suspended if not completely revoked in order to build confidence for a paeceful settlement of the the conflict. How can the LRA leadership be expected to come out if they are not sure whether they will be arrested or not? What should be done is an offer of a two-stage process. The first is the suspension of the arrest warrants to allow participation of the key LRA leaders in the second phase of the talks. The second is the revoking of the warrants, only when a comprehensive agreement is reached. If the Uganda Government and the ICC were genuine in their offer this is what they would have offered. The cry that why is Otti raising this at this stage is because they learnt very late that the Rome Stattute actually gave provisions for suspension or revoking of the warrants. Once again this highlights the imporatnce of what we argued through this blog space - the fact that advisors in international law and conflict resolution should have been made available to the LRA leadership right at the beginning. Organisations such as Pax Christi have been throwing thousands of dollars at the LRA. This money would have been better spent hiring them expert advisors rather than trying to buy them out. What a shame!

Vincent Otti's call for ICC warrants to be revoked is late but right
We have argued through this blog right at the beginning of the Juba tallks that a way forward is for the ICC arrest warrants against the LRA commanders to be at laest suspended if not completely revoked in order to build confidence for a paeceful settlement of the the conflict. How can the LRA leadership be expected to come out if they are not sure whether they will be arrested or not? What should be done is an offer of a two-stage process. The first is the suspension of the arrest warrants to allow participation of the key LRA leaders in the second phase of the talks. The second is the revoking of the warrants, only when a comprehensive agreement is reached. If the Uganda Government and the ICC were genuine in their offer this is what they would have offered. The cry that why is Otti raising this at this stage is because they learnt very late that the Rome Stattute actually gave provisions for suspension or revoking of the warrants. Once again this highlights the imporatnce of what we argued through this blog space - the fact that advisors in international law and conflict resolution should have been made available to the LRA leadership right at the beginning. Organisations such as Pax Christi have been throwing thousands of dollars at the LRA. This money would have been better spent hiring them expert advisors rather than trying to buy them out. What a shame!

LRA Plan 'B' means more suffering
Reports in Ugandan newspapers about one of Kony’s brigadiers being captured and indications that some of his men are entering Ituri forest from Garamba come to us as no surprise. This is because even prior to the signing of cessation of hostilities information had filtered out that Kony was desperate to find a way of getting Dominic Ongwen and his fighters who were stuck in Uganda out and into Congo or Southern Sudan. There was also talk about efforts to beef up the numbers of core fighters by an additional 7,000 men. The condition of cessation of hostilities that allowed for the fighters to keep their weapons was God sent to the LRA. Moreover, the freedom given to fighters in Uganda to move and assemble in Southern Sudan and not in Uganda provided a good escape route for those who were trapped. One could argue that the LRA leadership was taking out an insurance policy in case the talks failed. We are however inclined to think that all along the leadership were keen in developing their plan ‘B’, which is the military option. Information filtering through from Juba indicate that even within the LRA delegation there is a split between those who are committed to the talks and those who are for plan ‘B’. It is therefore not surprising that the LRA have up to today not nominated their 2 representatives to oversee the cessation of hostilities. No member of the LRA delegation in Juba has dared to volunteer to be part of this as they are not sure what the position of the military leadership is. Part of the responsibility of being on the cessation of hostilities team includes inspecting and agreeing the proposed assembly sites. No one from the LRA Juba team want to be the ones to agree this in case it turns out to be a trap for the fighters. They would rather the fighters sent their own representatives. This development has clearly exposed the weakness of the LRA Juba delegation. When it comes to key decisions such as this they clearly do not have the power to act. Without this weakness being addressed, the next phase of the negotiations remain a far away dream.

What next for the LRA Juba team?

As the euphoria of the achieving cessation of hostilities dies down both the Uganda Government and LRA negotiation team are coming back to earth in Juba and comtemplating how they deal with implementing what was agreed, while at the same time preparing for the next phase of negotiations. Information that we at Juba Talks have gathered indicate that some in the LRA Juba team have come to the conclusion that perhaps they need some reinforcement to tackle the next phase. Some key member of the team have flown out of Juba with the two-fold purpose of taking a break and scouting for individuals from Europe, America and East Africa who might join the team and strengthen their ability to negotiate the complexities of the next round. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting within some in the LRA ranks over arrangments that they be transported in Uganda army vehicles. Many feel that although Uganda government says it has offered only vehicles and that the drivers will be SPLA soldiers, it is not difficult for Uganda soldiers to simply change into SPLA uniforms. Whether these are well founded fears or not, it was surprising to many to hear reports that the LRA leader, Joseph Kony had appealed to the Uganda government to provide his troops with transportation. The next few weeks are crucial in determining the next steps in Juba. Those in Euorope, America and East Africa who may be approached to help should in our view try to do so. Some sacrifice is required assist the Juba talks irrespective of the unconventional manner in which started. For Kony's fighters we just pray they will not be transported by wolves in sheep's outfit just to be slaughtered.