Kony will not be delivered to the ICC if he signs peace –Uganda’s Museveni
December 8, 2008 (KAMPALA) — The Ugandan President has sent strong commitment to the elusive rebel leader Joseph Kony that he would not be handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he signs a deal peace negotiated with his government.
Yoweri Musveni met on Monday with the Vice-President of Southern Sudan and the top negotiator of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) David Nyekorach-Matsanga who transmitted a number of demands made by the rebel chief Kony .
The Ugandan president renewed to Matsanga his commitment to not deliver Kony, who is indicted of war crimes and killing around ten thousands of people in northern Uganda, to the ICC. He further said ready to talk about the issue directly with the rebel leader by telephone.
The Ugandan government refuses to appeal to the UN Security Council for the deferral of the charges against Kony before the signing of peace agreement.
Under a protocol signed last February between Kampala and the rebel group in Juba on accountability and reconciliation, Kony and two other rebel officials would be tried after the signing of the peace deal by a local court.
The peace agreement provides for the establishment of a special division of the High Court of Uganda to try individuals who are alleged to have committed serious crimes during the conflict. Traditional justice is also recognized in the agreement to form a central part of the alternative justice and reconciliation framework.
The ICC has repeatedly refused to withdraw the charges against Kony and his commanders in what is seen as a test case for the fledgling human rights court.
The Ugandan rebel leader failed to show up three times to sign a final peace deal sealed with his delegation after two years of peace negotiations sponsored by the southern Sudan government.
Matsanga said that Kony wants lawyers to explain him the principle of complementarity or the relation between the Ugandan legal system and the ICC.
The two parties also discussed the need to supply the LRA troops with food. Musveni told the rebel envoy that they could receive food as long as they assemble in Ri-Kwangba as it is agreed in the agreement.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the 21-year war. Also around two millions people displaced from their home in northern Uganda before the group transfers his war to the southern Sudan and RDC.
(ST)