Govt, LRA talks 'may end war'
2007-11-03 09:31
New York - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that the first visit to Uganda's capital by delegates from the Lord's Resistance Army will create momentum to settle the brutal conflict between the government and the rebel group.
UN spokesperson Michele Montas said: "He commends the government of Uganda and the LRA leadership for their continued commitment to the peace process."
Ban also called on international and regional actors who had been assisting the peace process "to continue their crucial support until an acceptable solution is found for this longlasting conflict".
The LRA was made up of the remnants of a rebellion that began after President Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986. The rebels were notorious for cutting off the tongues and lips of civilians and abducting thousands of children, turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into fighters.
The International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants for the top five leaders of the LRA for war crimes, but the government had promised not to turn them over if they sign a peace deal.
None of those named in the warrant came to Kampala on Thursday. They were believed to be hiding out in a forest in Eastern Congo.
- AP