Government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which has waged a
brutal rebellion in the country's north for two decades, the Security
Council on Thursday expressed hope that peace talks could soon resume.
The 15-member panel issued a presidential statement that also called
for the extension of last year's cessation of hostilities agreement
after being briefed on the latest developments by Joaquim Chissano,
the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the LRA-affected areas.Mr.
Chissano chaired a meeting in Ri-Kwangba, southern Sudan, on March 11
between the Government, the LRA – including its leader, Joseph Kony –
and community representatives.
Noting the progress made at that meeting towards a resumption of
formal peace talks, the Council stressed the need for a negotiated
settlement to be concluded quickly and for those responsible for
serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law
to be brought to justice.
Thousands of civilians have been killed or abducted since the LRA
began its rebellion in 1986, and more than 1.5 million people have
become refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs).During the
conflict the rebel group became notorious for abducting children and
then using them as soldiers or porters, while subjecting some to
torture and allocating many girls to senior officers in a form of
institutional rape.Humanitarian operations in southern Sudan, which
the LRA has often used as a base, have also been severely disrupted by
the fighting.
In Thursday's statement read out by Ambassador Dumisani S. Kumalo of
South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency this month, Council
members urged the LRA to release all women, children and other
non-combatants to the conflict.They noted the recently improved
security and humanitarian situation in northern Uganda, but expressed
hope that civilians living in the area will see further advances, and
called on the international community and the Ugandan Government to do
more to achieve that aim.
The statement also thanked Mr. Chissano and some States in the region
for their efforts to reach a solution.A former president of
Mozambique, Mr. Chissano was named last December as the
Secretary-General's envoy to help with efforts to speed up
negotiations towards a durable peace deal.He will also liaise with the
International Criminal Court (ICC), which has indicted Mr. Kony and
four other senior LRA figures for war crimes.
23 March 07
