May 1, 2007: Peace talks officially resumed on
April 26 between the LRA and the Ugandan government. However, on April 28 the
LRA accused the Ugandan military of attacking an LRA group in southern Sudan.
Uganda denied the accusation but the LRA withdrew its negotiation team from the
peace talks in Juba, Sudan. However, UN
officials begun a round of "short shuttle" diplomacy, moving between the LRA
and the Ugandan negotiators. Sudan's
government was included in the talks. The UN, along with Kenya, South Africa,
and Mozambique, argues that the talks have already allowed almost 1.5 million Ugandan
refugees to return to their homes. The UN does not want Uganda's "northern war"
to start again. The peace talks began in July 2006 and led to a ceasefire in
August 2006.
April 22, 2007: The Congo's army and UN
peacekeepers in the Congo (serving with MONUC)
will help "monitor" LRA rebel groups moving from the Congo to assembly
areas in south Sudan. Uganda has sought the Congo's help in keeping tabs on LRA
rebels which use base areas inside the Congo. Uganda also got another
concession from the Congo. The Congolese government agreed that it deploy a
brigade near the Ugandan border to help control rebels belonging to the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF). Uganda has reported its forces have killed over 65 ADF
rebels since beginning a "counter-ADF" offensive in late March. The ADF rebels
infiltrate from bases in the Congo.
April 21, 2007: The International Criminal Court
(ICC) believes that LRA rebels are "re-arming and regrouping." The ICC arrest
warrants for four senior LRA leaders remain in force. Those warrants are a
point of contention in peace process between the LRA and Uganda. For example,
LRA Joseph Kony face 33 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Kony
wants those charges dropped as part of a peace deal.
