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Monday, August 28, 2006
Uganda and LRA Reach Ceasefire Agreement Senior Researcher GLCSS A breakthrough to a peaceful resolution of the conflict that has ravaged Northern Uganda is in sight as the peace talks in Juba finally bearing fruit. The Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) representatives on Saturday signed a truce aimed at ending the bitter 20-year conflict. This is the first formal bilateral agreement between the Government and the LRA since the rebellion started. The agreement to cease all hostile military action aimed at each other and any other action such as hostile media propaganda that may undermine the peace talks was reached in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The long awaited peace deal is expected to take effect this week on Tuesday 29 August 2006 at 6:00 am and this will lead to negotiations for a final peace deal. “The parties agree to cease all hostile military actions aimed at each other and any other actions that may undermine the peace talks,” declared South Sudan Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar, who acted as chief mediator. Under the agreement, the LRA forces shall surface and are required to assemble in South Sudan. The Parties agreed that places of worship in Uganda, designated in consultation with religious leaders, may serve as sanctuary for the LRA forces, if they so choose, from which they will proceed to Assembly Areas. The Parties agreed that all LRA forces in Uganda and Sudan will assemble at Owiny-ki-Bul in Eastern Equatoria State on the eastern side of the Nile. Those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will assemble at Ri-Kwangba in Western Equatoria State on the western side of the Nile. It further stipulates that the Government of Uganda shall order its army to guarantee safe passage to the LRA within Uganda. The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) shall monitor and protect the LRA at the assembly areas and in the event of failure of the peace talks, the LRA shall be allowed to leave the areas peacefully. The parties shall communicate to their forces and all concerned the contents of the agreement through normal military communications, media houses (both local and international), through places of worship, local councils, NGOs and faith-based organizations. The LRA shall complete their movement to the designated Assembly Areas within three weeks of the declaration of the Cessation of Hostilities. In the event the assembly process is not completed within three (3) weeks, the Parties shall review the situation. On the Supervision or Monitoring of the Implementation, the parties agreed: a) That there shall be a Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team (CHMT) that shall report to the Mediator. b) That in the implementation of its functions, the CHMT shall be in regular contact with the civil and political leaders and the Mediator. c) On the Terms of Reference of the CHMT. The agreement also included other important points: • Provision of Basic Services support by the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to the LRA at the Assembly Areas. “In the course of assembling the forces of the LRA, the GoSS may, in collaboration with the LRA and specialized humanitarian agencies, assist the LRA in its declared intention to re-locate and make separate provisions for any non-essential members of the LRA in the care of specialized humanitarian agencies,” the agreement further states. • Renewal of Terms of the Agreement. After the assembly of the LRA in the Assembly Areas, the Agreement shall be renewed bi-weekly upon review of the progress of the negotiation and compliance by the parties. • Commencement of the Agreement The Agreement shall come into force at 0600 hrs on Tuesday, 29 August 2006 upon declaration by the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Armed Forces and the Leader of the LRA/M. • Dispute Resolution And finally, any dispute arising from the implementation and / or interpretation of the Agreement raised by the CHMT shall be resolved by the Mediation Team. The talks began on 14 July in Juba and were aimed at brokering an end to the LRA’s brutal insurrection, which has killed tens of thousands, uprooted nearly two million people in northern Uganda alone and destabilized South Sudan. Despite substantial progress in the talks, the International Criminal Court (ICC) still wants the LRA's top officials - among them Joseph Kony - to face charges including murder, rape and forcibly enlisting children. The success of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on Saturday will largely depend on the compliance and / or arrival of indicted rebel leader, Kony and his three remaining deputies in the designated assembly areas. The agreement looks at the LRA in totality and hence, the indicted leaders of the LRA are expected to comply with the agreement. Against the wishes of the ICC, the Government of Uganda offered amnesty to LRA leaders in exchange for the peace talks. President Museveni has repeatedly said that once a deal is sealed, he would not turn around and hand Kony and his commanders to the Hague-based ICC. President Museveni's assurances are meant to dispel fears within the rebel ranks that the government would hand them over to the ICC once they denounced rebellion. The Great Lakes Centre for Strategic Studies is a London-based think tank. Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by GLCSS at 5:22 AM |
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