South Sudan, Uganda urge International pressure on rebel LRA
Feb 9, 2007 (KAMPALA) — Governments of Uganda and southern Sudan have called for international pressure on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels to return to the negotiating table.
The appeal was made by foreign minister Sam Kutesa and South Sudan regional cooperation minister Dr. Barnabas Marial Benjamin yesterday, after the two signed a historical trade pact, the New Vision reported.
“We urge the international community to exert more pressure on the LRA,” Kutesa said. “They acted in bad faith. They wanted (to move the talks to) Kenya and South Africa. Both countries have categorically stated that they will not host the talks.”
The LRA delegates pulled out of the talks last month, claiming they were no longer safe in Juba and that the mediator was biased. But Kutesa dismissed these claims, warning this was the LRA’s last chance for peace.
The Ugandan rebels who have been fighting for 20 years in a bloody insurgency known for widespread atrocities.
“It is not a timeless exercise. It is not a business. It is a joint effort to end the suffering of our people in northern Uganda and South Sudan. We have confidence in the Government of South Sudan, the mediator and the special envoy Joaquim Chissano,” he said.
Benjamin added that after 39 years of war, the people of South Sudan wanted peace. “Our commitment is total. It is strategic that the LRA comes back to the talks. The talks must continue and Juba shall remain open. In spite of the insecurity caused by the LRA in Eastern Equatoria, we are asking the LRA to assemble so that we can end this thing once and for all”, the minister of South Sudan said.
The remarks were made at the end of a two-day closed meeting where the ministers worked out a cooperation agreement.
The deal, the first of its kind, provides a framework for cooperation on infrastructure development, trade, education, health, justice, law and order, defence and security, agriculture and animal husbandry, environment, energy, mines, gender, culture, youth and sports.
“Trade between our people has been going on without our initiative and all we are doing, as smart governments, is to provide a framework within which they can operate,” Kutesa concluded.
Trade between Uganda and South Sudan has increased dramatically in the past years, particularly since the signing of the peace agreement for South Sudan in January 2005. Ugandan exports went up more than five-fold; from $9m in 2001 to $50m in 2005.
(New Vision)