Ugandan rebel LRA accepts Sudanese mediation initiative

Dec 11, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — The government of Southern Sudan has said that the Ugandan rebel group Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has, in principle, accepted the peace initiative being made by Sudanese First Vice-President Salva Kiir to mediate between it and the Ugandan government in a bid to resolve the political problems.

According to the SMC news service, Southern Sudan government has further announced that four major roads which connect southern Sudan to the neighbouring countries would be cleared of land mines.

Speaking to the press, the vice-president of the Southern Sudan government, Riek Machar, has called for the adoption of peace and dialogue with the LRA, since, he said, military actions would not be useful and would also cause trouble in southern Sudan.

He further called on the USA to remove the name of the LRA from the list of terrorist organizations.

Machar further said that the act of knowing Joseph Kony’s political agenda is the responsibility the South Sudan government since it was taking a mediation role between him and the Ugandan government.

He said that the Southern Sudan government has received response from the LRA through the internet after the president of the Southern Sudan government, Salva Kiir, proposed three options of dealing with it, adding that it (LRA) has, in principle, accepted Vice-President Kiir’s peace initiative.

Machar further said that his government’s reply to LRA was not enough, but rather it was making efforts to have face-to-face talks with its leaders whether in London, USA or in Nairobi – if they are afraid of the talks being held inside Sudan. Nonetheless, he said, his government was still waiting for the LRA’s response.

(ST)