afrol News, 12 June - The Ugandan government has been urged to revive talks with the Lord Resistance Army to end rebellion which has reportedly been extended to neigbouring Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo, European Union Council top official has said.

The official said it is critical for the Ugandan government to revive talks with rebels while the provisions of the Juba peace agreement are being implemented by both sides.

The official further said there should be use of both political and military solutions, stating that military pressure is also essential to bring the LRA rebels to sign the peace agreement.

The government of Uganda and the Joseph Kony led LRA, with donor financing, dialogued for two years in southern Sudan’s city of Juba from 2006 reach an agreement, but summersaulted in April 2008 from signing the agreement when he demanded the International Criminal Court to scrap the warrants against him and three of his top commanders.

The UPDF in December mounted a joint operation with DR Congo and South Sudanese forces to flush out the LRA, which has been based in northern DR Congo’s Garamba National Park for two years. However, the operation ended prematurely after three months amid opposition by Congolese activists saying the operation was putting civilians in danger.

Although some cornered top LRA commanders eventually surrendered to UPDF, Mr Kony was reported to have escaped the initial assault by just five minutes and was never captured or killed as planned, creating fear he could re-organise his forces for more deadly raids.

Ugandan authorities have shrugged off such ominous possibility, but the EU official in Brussels put Kampala on notice that donors were aware that both President Museveni and KMr ony were not committed to the peace process in the first place.

The Ugandan government has recently accused the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels of abducting children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Uganda and recruiting them in their camps.

However, the government had said a peace deal would be a better option to a lasting solution that would bring to an end nearly two decades of war in northern Uganda which has killed thousands of people and left 2 million homeless.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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