I want peace - rebel boss
2006-05-24 20:13
Nairobi - One of the world's most wanted
rebel chiefs, Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army, has
called for an end to his 20-year war with the Ugandan government
in the first images of him seen for years.
And in an act bound to spark controversy around Africa, the
video obtained by Reuters on Wednesday also showed the elusive
Kony taking $20 000 in cash from the No 2 of the ex-rebel
Southern People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
"Most people do not know me ... I am not a terrorist... I am
a human being, I want peace also," the elusive Kony said in the
lengthy clips of talks between the LRA leadership and the
vice-president of southern Sudan about three weeks ago.
Led by the former altar boy and self-proclaimed mystic who
believes he is possessed by the Holy Spirit, the LRA has spread
terror in north Uganda and southern Sudan, often targeting
civilians and mutilating survivors by slicing off lips and ears.
Fighting for peace
Wednesday's footage, verified by sources in Uganda, showed
about an hour of the meeting between the delegations of Kony and
SPLM vice-president Riek Machar in the bush of southern Sudan.
The pair pledged to end fighting. And Machar said he was
ready to mediate between the LRA and President Yoweri Museveni.
"I want you to know that we, the LRA, want peace," Kony,
replied, looking less relaxed than his deputy Vincent Otti.
"That is why I was in the bush ... I am fighting for peace."
After the Kony-Machar meeting, news of which emerged about a
week ago, Museveni issued a statement saying he would guarantee
the safety of Kony if he ends war.
He had previously written off
any further negotiations with his long-time foe.
In the only previous known footage of Kony, he was not heard
speaking.
Ten Commandments
But the images of his meeting with Machar showed his
greetings and a lengthy address to the gathering, where both the
LRA and SPLM delegations are flanked by soldiers.
"I am General Kony ... I thank Allah very much," Kony said at the start, surprising words for a man who has said he wants to rule Uganda by the Biblical Ten Commandments.
Kony said he wanted to talk with the Museveni government,
but was distrustful of his intentions.
Notorious for massacring villagers and kidnapping thousands
of children, the shadowy LRA guerrilla group has few clear
political goals beyond rabid opposition to Museveni.