Rebel's killing hinders talks

2008-01-24 15:16

Kampala - The killing of the deputy leader of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels will complicate and delay talks to end 20 years of war that are due to resume next week, says the Ugandan government.

Vincent Otti, the LRA second-in-command, was reportedly executed in October after his boss Joseph Kony accused him of spying for Kampala. On Wednesday, a top South Sudanese mediator between the two sides confirmed that Otti was dead.

Uganda's International Affairs Minister Okello Oryem said negotiators had built up a rapport with Otti, who was seen as the brains of the group, as opposed to the volatile Kony.

Oryem said: "Now that he is dead it leaves a huge gap on the LRA's side. The killing erodes trust in Kony and will definitely choke the talks when we resume next week."

Oryem was the deputy leader of the Ugandan government team at peace talks that began last year in Juba, South Sudan. The leader of the government delegation, Interior Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, said Otti's death was "unfortunate".

He said: "But we shall have to deal with the bigger issue, which is the peace talks and look at others later." The LRA's two-decade rebellion killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted two million before a ceasefire last year.

Otti and Kony were wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Ugandan government had given Kony until January 31 to sign a deal or risk a returning to war.

- Reuters