Former Ugandan rebels say LRA chief ready to talk peace

BOMBO, Uganda, July 08, 2004 (The Monitor) — The Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony, would prefer to come out of the bush under a peaceful settlement than an amnesty, the ex-fighters said yesterday.

One of the rebel defectors, Capt Hilary Lagen Daniel, 32, said at a press briefing in Bombo that Kony had said he would never surrender under the amnesty law without giving any reasons.

Lagen was one of the eight fighters brought by the Ugandan People’s Defence Force from Gulu to give their wartime testimonies on why they abandoned the bush. “What I can say that we heard while in the bush is that Kony wants only peace talks and wont use amnesty,” Lagen who claimed to have been close to Kony said. He did not elaborate.

Maj Jackson Acama, 42, an amputee, said Kony had shown strong interest in a peaceful settlement of the conflict, citing various communication from his senior commanders. He said Kony wanted to talk to Ms Betty Bigombe but the Khartoum government frustrated that move.

“We were told Kony was willing to have Bigombe negotiate and encouraged her to initiate contact with him but they had not succeeded to meet,” Acama said. He defected with 37 fighters in May.

Acama told the press that the Sudan government had ceased supporting the LRA in July last year following the protocols between Khartoum and Kampala. Other defectors who gave testimonies were Capt Ray Apire and Capt Mathiew Otto, a brother of Vincent Otii.