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INTERNATIONAL LAW AND JUSTICE | Kony Appears at Peace Talks

KONY PARTICIPATES IN PEACE TALKS

On July 31, in a rare public appearance, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), met with Riek Machar, Vice President of Southern Sudan and mediator of the Ugandan peace talks. The peace talks began on Saturday, July 29, with deputy leader of the LRA, Vincent Otti in attendance. The talks are being held on the Congo-Sudan border but the exact location is unknown. The peace negotiations have been held in private. Journalists in attendance were not allowed to observe the meetings. Kony did not make any public statements at the time of his appearance. After posing for pictures and talking with members of the delegation, Kony went into the private tent where the negotiations took place. Kony has yet to meet with the main Ugandan government delegation, led by Interior Affairs Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Kony, Otti and four other members of the LRA, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The LRA is accused of abducting thousands of children, forcing them to become soldiers, servants and sex slaves in its conflict with northern Uganda and southern Sudan. The almost two-decade old conflict has killed thousands and displaced over one million citizens. The LRA, once backed by the Sudanese government, has set up a base camp in southern Sudan and eastern Congo. Pursuant to the arrest warrants, the governments of Uganda, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are under a legal obligation to cooperate with the ICC.

In early July, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni offered to grant Kony full amnesty if he agrees to abandon terrorism and give up its weapons. The LRA, however, has demanded that its fighters be incorporated into the national army. The offer of amnesty conflicts with Museveni’s December 2003 referral of the northern Uganda conflict to the ICC. Museveni blames the U.N. for failing to arrest Kony, claiming it knew his whereabouts. The ICC has consistently stated that only the Court can revoke an arrest warrant and it expects Uganda, Sudan and DR Congo, which are involved in the conflict, and signed and ratified the treaty, to arrest the leaders who are wanted.

Updated August 1, 2006

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