Ugandan govt. extends amnesty to LRA rebels

The Ugandan government has decided to extend an amnesty period of three months to the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony, The New Vision newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Amnesty Commission chairman Justice Peter Onega was quoted as saying on Tuesday that the previous period of amnesty expired on Aug. 16.

This is the 12th time the Amnesty Commission has extended the amnesty period since 2000 when the Amnesty Act establishing it came into place.

He said there have been attempts by the government to amend the Amnesty Act, so that Kony and his top commanders are excluded fromit, on grounds that they have committed too many atrocities.

"As the amnesty stands now, Kony is still a beneficiary. There is a bill in parliament but it hasn't been passed, so it doesn't affect Kony," Onega said.

In the past four years, over 10,000 rebels have denounced rebellion and have been given amnesty certifications.

Source: Xinhua