UPDF Welcomes Kony Peace Talk
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The Monitor (Kampala)
December 29, 2002
Posted to the web December 30, 2002
Frank Nyakairu
Kampala
The UPDF has welcomed Joseph Kony's remarks about genuine peace talks.
Army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza yesterday said: "Definitely we encourage
him because at last there is convergence of outlook between us and him that
there should be peace in northern Uganda."
He said they expected Kony to stand by it.
A caller in a radio talk show on Gulu-based Mega FM Saturday claimed to be
the leader of the leader of Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony.
He said he was interested in "genuine talks," but had been frustrated by
"government, which seems to work against peace."
In July 2002 President Yoweri Museveni instituted a peace team, to start
talks with the LRA rebels but the move did not take off as planned.
The president later went on record cancelling any peaceful means of resolving
the northern conflict.
"He was reading from the fact that there was nothing coming from there, [the]
other side," said Bantariza. "You remember when the bishops started the
journey, they went to the bush, you took pictures, we stopped at the
pictures."
The government peace team comprised of the Internal Affairs minister Eriya
Kategaya, Gulu municipality MP Norbert Mao, Aswa county MP Reagan Okumu and
two religious leaders among others.
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