Uganda's main rebel group has responded to a government call to state its commitment to peace talks, amidst confusion over a ceasefire. A senior commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) told the BBC that it wanted to end the 18-year conflict through peaceful means. President Yoweri Museveni urged the LRA to make such a statement when he announced a ceasefire in the north. It is not clear whether the ceasefire has been extended until next week. | Or if anyone would abide by it. |
Information Minister James Nsaba Buturo said that the truce would now last until Monday night. However, on Friday morning, the army denied that the ceasefire had been extended. Mr Buturo said that rebels had started to assemble in agreed locations but that more time was needed for other fighters to respond. Any extension should be announced by President Museveni, who is out of the country. Announcing the rebel's commitment, Brigadier Sam Kolo said he was speaking with the authority of LRA leader Joseph Kony. | So Sam, how is old Joe? We ain't heard from him in a while. |
He also appealed to the government to broaden the area of the ceasefire to cover northern Uganda and southern Sudan. Brigadier Kolo said talks with former minister Betty Bigombe, who is mediating between the two sides, have been cordial - and he stated that if that spirit is maintained, he believes the conflict can come to a peaceful end. Following a brief visit to Uganda by a mission from the United Nations Security Council, a coalition of local and international organisations has strongly criticised the mission for not focusing attention on northern Uganda.
Some civil society groups have also accused the army of trying to undermine the peace efforts by highlighting recent rebel attacks. | That last sentance tells you where those society groups stand. |
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