Uganda accuses Sudan govt. of blocking efforts to get rebel leader

KAMPALA, Dec 21, 2003 (Xinhua) — The Sudanese government has blocked efforts by the Uganda Amnesty Commission to get in contact with the Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony, the commissioner in charge of West Nile region, Haji Burhan Ganyana Miiro has said.

Miiro said that the Sudanese authorities had denied the commissioners permits to reach Juba with an intention of speaking to Kony and other rebel leaders.

“The commission has twice attempted to get in touch with the rebels in Juba but officials in Khartoum have denied us permits to Juba. This has made it very difficult to contact Kony and other rebel leaders,” Miiro was quoted by government weekly Sunday Vision as saying.

“Juba would have been a good target since most rebels are based there. We did not succeed to secure the permit from the authorities in Khartoum,” Miiro said.

Miiro was launching the first Amnesty Commission Report 2000- 2003 on behalf of the Commission’s chairman, Justice Peter Onega at the commission’ s office in Kampala.

He said that Justice Onega and himself had both been to Khartoum on two different occasions last year but had been denied the permit to Juba.

“I was told that I needed a special permit to go to Juba. I waited in Khartoum for a week but I still did not get it. I returned very frustrated. Even the chairman went with a delegation but it was the same story. Because of that experience, we have not been able to make any efforts this year,” he added.

The Amnesty Act, which became law in January, 2000 and expires on January 15, next year. The Ugandan parliament has a plan to extend the law with another two years.