Johannesburg

Sunday

Showers late. Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.

13°C
28°C

7 day forecasts

Uganda sets up tribunal for LRA

2008-05-27 09:49

Kampala - Uganda has set up a special tribunal to try Lord's Resistance Army rebel commanders accused of war crimes during a two-decade insurgency in the north, said an official on Monday.

Acting Foreign Minister Daniel Omara Atubo said the tribunal was formed last week under the terms of a peace accord with the LRA, which rebel supremo Joseph Kony nevertheless refused to sign in April because of outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants.

Ugandan's Principal Judge James Ogoola had assigned judges to preside over the tribunal.

"It is an indication that the government is still committed to the peace process despite the LRA's unseriousness," Atubo said.

"(The new) court will be working alongsides the traditional courts, which will be dealing with lower crimes. The special court will actually save LRA top commanders from the ICC that they have resisted," he added.

"Once that (trials) is done, the government will go to the ICC and ask it to withdraw the warrants of the commanders," he added.

Tens of thousands killed

In July 2005, The Hague-based ICC issued warrants accusing commanders, including Kony, of responsibility for the rape and mutilation of civilians, forcibly recruiting child soldiers and the massacre of thousands of people.

In April, Kony refused to show up and sign a peace agreement with his movement, insisting that ICC warrants be lifted first. The rebel leader had indicated his willingness faced a traditional Ugandan tribunal.

Last week, ICC registrar Silvana Arbia met officials from Uganda's foreign affairs, justice and internal affairs ministries and urged them to arrest and hand over the rebels.

Kony, a semi-literate former altar boy, took charge in 1988 of a regional rebellion among northern Uganda's ethnic Acholi minority.

The original rebellion was mounted in 1986 by Holy Spirit Movement commander Alice Lakwena, who told her fighters she could rely on magic potions to turn enemy bullets into stones.

The war had killed tens of thousands dead and displaced two million people, mainly in northern Uganda, spurring what humanitarian workers had described as one of the most neglected conflicts.

- SAPA

inside news24

Cpt: 13-20°C Mostly sunny. Mild. Pta: 16-30°C Isolated tstorms. Afternoon clouds. Warm.
Jhb: 13-28°C Showers late. Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 8-27°C High level clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 17-20°C Scattered showers. More clouds than sun. Cool. PE: 13-18°C A few showers. Decreasing cloudiness. Mild.
7 day forecasts...
Western Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu Natal Gauteng

Sunninghill - 08:18:25 AM Lane closures for roadworks between the Buccleuch Interchange and the Rivonia Road exit - expect delays More traffic reports...

Here are the winning Lotto numbers from the Saturday, November 14 draw.

3, 11, 19, 29, 35, 36  Bonus 27

Lotto plus: 1, 18, 23, 28, 30, 33 Bonus 43

SMS the word Lotto to 31222 to get lotto numbers sent directly to your phone.
More lotto numbers...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Assistant Accountant

Gauteng - Johannesburg
Network Recruitment CA- Centurion
R150,000-240,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Financial Manager

Gauteng - Johannesburg
Network Recruitment CA- Centurion
R450,000-550,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Senior Electrical Engineer

Gauteng
Master Career Consulting

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2008 A4 1.8T Multitronics from R 269 000

OPEL

Corsa Lite 1.4 3-dr MY06
2007
R 55,872.00

OPEL

Corsa Lite 1.4i + AC 3-dr
2005
R 54,995.00

OPEL

Corsa 1.4 Utility MY04
2005
R 62,995.00

Property - Find a new home

BLOUBERGSTRAND

Single Residential R4,995,000

WATERKLOOF HEIGHTS

Single Residential R4,350,000

WATERKLOOF RIDGE

Single Residential R5,500,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!