US opposes amnesty for rebels
2006-07-06 22:23
Kampala - The United States said on Thursday it backed peace talks to end the brutal nearly 20-year Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda but opposed amnesty for rebels accused of atrocities.
Washington expressed concern about an offer of "total amnesty" made this week by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to elusive LRA supremo Joseph Kony, who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The US embassy in Kampala said: "The US respects Uganda's decision on this matter, but we believe those who have committed atrocities in this long-standing insurgency should be held accountable for their deeds."
Despite vehement US objections to The Hague-based ICC, the embassy said Kony and four top lieutenants also indicted by the court should face justice for their alleged crimes, although it did not specify where.
The embassy said: "Countries that are signatories to the Rome statute establishing the ICC are expected to co-operate in arresting ICC-indicted individuals."
Spirit behind peace talks
The statement also said Washington recognised the spirit behind peace talks between Kampala and the LRA, starting next week in southern Sudan under the backing of the region's semi-autonomous government.
"The impetus for the initiative is the desire to resolve a conflict that has displaced millions and killed thousands and that threatens to destabilise the comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan," it said.
Museveni's amnesty offer to Kony and potentially other top LRA leaders was followed a day later by an announcement that the peace talks would begin in southern Sudan on July 12.
The ICC, which indicted Kony and his associates last year at Uganda's request, has reminded Kampala that it is still expected to cooperate with the court.
But in his offer, Museveni railed at the tribunal and the UN system, complaining they had done nothing to help capture Kony who is believed to be hiding in either southern Sudan or the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Defending the potential amnesty
The Ugandan government media centre released on Thursday a statement defending the potential amnesty as the best way to encourage a peaceful settlement to the conflict, as Kampala had nearly no partners in the matter.
"The government is of the view that people who commit massive crimes against humanity should not enjoy a blanket pardon," it said.
"However, the issue of Joseph Kony and his group presents a unique complication for Uganda," it said.
"There are no reliable partners in the region apart from the government of Sudan."
A self-styled prophet and mystic, Kony has led the LRA since 1988 in its ostensible fight to replace Museveni's government with one based on the Biblical 10 Commandments, but has become notorious for its brutal tactics.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and almost two million displaced in the conflict, in which the LRA is accused of numerous atrocities including mass abductions of children, mutilations, rape and pillaging.