U.N. official, Ugandan rebel leader meetPosted By: Judy Smith
{ yzq_a('p', 'P=bBta5ELaS.b_M9u8l7p8CQNrSDRIwkVXttwABd6b&T=1agka9m89%2fX%3d1163376348%2fE%3d84929301%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d2730508099%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJTdWRhbjtjaGlsZHJlbjtDb25nbztDcmltaW5hbDthaWQ7aGVscDt2aWNlIHByZXNpZGVudDtzZWN1cml0eTtnb3Zlcm5tZW50O2l0O3RyYWRpbmc7SXQ7QWZyaWNhO2VtZXJnZW5jeTtyZWxpZWY7IiByZWZ1cmw9IiIgdG9waWNzPSIi%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dA0A949D1'); yzq_a('a', '&U=13a1r8308%2fN%3dgFMCBdFJq3E-%2fC%3d553853.9336492.10260166.2881644%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4018246'); } Jan Egeland is the highest ranking U.N. official ever to meet Joseph Kony, the Lord's Resistance Army leader who has declared himself a Christian prophet fighting to rule Uganda by the Ten Commandments. They exchanged a brief handshake before holding talks under a green U.N. tent in a makeshift camp near the border with Congo. Kony has only appeared in public a handful of times, fearing arrest and extradition to the Hague to answer war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court. During the LRA's two-decade insurgency, the group have been blamed for murder, mutilations and kidnapping children for use as soldiers and sex slaves. Almost 2 million people have been displaced by the conflict, aid organizations say. Egeland traveled by helicopter to Ri-Kwangba, a neutral zone some 500 yards north of the Congo border. "I am a humanitarian worker, I help people by relating to people who can unlock situations," Egeland told journalists late Saturday before his party officially announced the visit. He was accompanied by Riek Machar, vice president of southern Sudan and chief mediator in peace talks, a team of U.N. security officials and Ugandan government and rebel negotiators. He also met with Vincent Otti, the LRA deputy who is also wanted for war crimes as around 100 LRA fighters loitered on the outskirts of the clearing. Egeland said he was unwilling to discuss the issue of the ICC arrest warrants, which the rebels say threaten the fragile peace deal signed with the government in southern Sudan's capital, Juba. The rebels want the warrants dropped before they sign a comprehensive peace deal, while the Ugandan government says it will ask for them to be lifted only after a full agreement is reached. Uganda's government welcomed Egeland's meeting with Kony. "If he can secure the release of women and children through his meeting then that would be a very positive boost for the Juba talks," Ruhakana Rugunda, head of the government negotiating team and Uganda's minister of internal affairs, said late Saturday. Under the terms of the August truce, rebel fighters were to gather in September at two neutral points. However the deal has been undermined with both sides trading accusations of hostility. Earlier this month they agreed an extension to the truce as they try to thrash out a full deal. The Lord's Resistance Army is made up of the remnants of a rebellion that began after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986. It has set up rear bases in Sudan and Congo, and has been accused of attacking civilians and threatening stability in those countries. The conflict has spilled over into southern Sudan and Congo, causing further instability in the volatile region. If both sides reach a comprehensive deal, it will be a major breakthrough in pacifying northern Uganda, eastern Congo and southern Sudan. After his two-day visit to Juba, Egeland will fly on to the troubled Darfur region in Sudan's west. The trip will be his last to Africa as the United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. He steps down next month. The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. |
Categories TravelingCool Sites |