Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army rebels have abducted at least 100 children from neighbouring countries to use as sex slaves and porters, an international human rights group said on Monday. Peace talks between Uganda and the rebels appeared to stall last month when LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to appear at a signing ceremony.
The leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels has delayed signing a peace deal in a setback to efforts to end one of Africa’s longest conflicts, officials and sources involved in talks said on Tuesday. Fugitive LRA chief Joseph Kony was due to sign a final peace accord on Thursday near his hide-out, but was reported to be sick.
Uganda on Monday accused Lord’s Resistance Army rebels of breaking a truce by attacking civilians in the Central African Republic, threatening apparent progress at talks to end one of the continent’s longest wars. Representatives of the guerrilla group denied the allegation.
The Ugandan government said it had signed a permanent ceasefire accord with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group on Saturday, a landmark step in efforts to end more than two decades of civil war. Government delegation spokesperson Captain Chris Magezi called the accord ”another major breakthrough”.
