Ugandan rebels confirm Otti’s death, say ready for peace talks

By James Gatdet Dak

January 22, 2008 (JUBA) — A senior commander of the Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has confirmed the death of the Movement’s Deputy Chairman, Vincent Otti who was the driving force behind the LRA joining peace talks.

In a joint press statement on Tuesday with the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chief Mediator for the Ugandan peace talks, Riek Machar Teny, LRA’s Major General Achalam Caesar, in his confirmation of Otti’s death, assured that “the absence of a single person should not be an obstacle to peace”.

He continued to exemplify that if the Government of Southern Sudan could function despite the lost of great hero, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the LRA in a similar manner would continue to pursue peace with the Ugandan government in the absence of Vincent Otti.

The LRA Commander was responding to the demand by Dr. Machar from the LRA leadership to be transparent about Otti’s fate. “I want to know if Vincent Otti is dead and the story of his death so that I can tell to the world as Chief Mediator what had happened,” he inquired from the LRA commander delegated to him by Joseph Kony. “I want Kony to avail himself so that I talk to him face to face on these issues,” Machar continued in a disappointing tone.

Machar had in the past tried to get the truth about Otti’s fate from the LRA leadership itself. Achalam told Machar that his Chairman, Kony, was committed to some other duties and could not come to meet him face to face.

General Achalam, who was himself rumored to have died with Vincent Otti, did not explain how Otti died or how many others died with him. However, there have been speculations that Otti was first arrested in early October last year by Joseph Kony after suspecting him of plotting against his leadership and then got killed a few weeks later in a fierce fighting when his supporters tried to release him from jail by force.

Achalam, who was speaking on behalf of the LRM/A Chairman, Joseph Kony, reiterated his Movement’s commitment to peaceful resolution of the conflict and its readiness to resume the Juba peace talks as soon as possible.

When asked by Dr. Machar to tell who has now become the deputy to Joseph Kony, Achalam replied that “the position is still vacant”. He assured that Joseph Kony maintains the full control of the Movement and committed to peace.

The LRA delegation also announced that there have been changes in the membership of the delegation effected by the Chairman, Kony, with the former head of the team, Martin Ojul, replaced by Dr. David Kasanga, as the new head of the delegation.

Ojul, announced to the press in the same joint statement that the delegation was ready to resume the talks with the Ugandan government delegation next Monday, Jan. 28, in Juba.

The Ugandan peace negotiations were adjourned at the end of June last year to give both delegations time to consult with stakeholders in Uganda on modalities for implementation of the agreements already reached between the two parties.

If the talks resume next week the two delegations will work to finalize these modalities for implementation on Resolutions to the Root Causes of the Conflict as well as Accountability and Reconciliation before they move to the two last protocols on Demobilization, Disarmament and Re-integration (DDR) and the Formal Ceasefire.

(ST)