Uganda rebels quit peace talks
2008-02-21 21:34
Kampala - Negotiators for Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebels have walked out of peace talks in south Sudan after their demands for cash and cabinet jobs were rejected, a government spokesperson said on Thursday.
"We flatly rejected LRA's demands for cabinet posts and cash rewards," spokesperson Captain Chris Magezi said. "When they saw they were not getting anything out of their tall orders, they walked out of the talks this evening."
LRA delegates could not be immediately reached. They have stormed out of talks before during the on-off peace process that began in mid-2006 to seek an end to two decades of conflict.
The latest walkout took place after the government and the rebels took a big step forward on Monday with a deal to set up special war crimes courts locally for the most serious crimes.
The demand for cabinet posts is a new twist, although requests for cash for negotiators is a long-running issue.
- Reuters