Ugandan peace mediator in contact with rebel leaders

Uganda's peace mediator Betty Bigombe has been in phone contacts with rebel leader Joseph Kony after a breakdown in talks between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) two days ago, state-owned newspaper The New Vision reported in Kampala Tuesday.

The report said that Bigombe and Minister of State for Security in Office of the President Betty Akech had phone conversations with Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Bigombe Monday told the newspaper that "the contacts are on, the hopes are high and I talked to them even today (Monday)."

However, Bigombe declined to give further details.

A modified draft agreement for cessation of hostilities, which the two parties failed to sign on Dec. 31, was due to be sent to Kony on Monday.

Kony reportedly complained that there was no faith on the part of the government because the president wants him to be killed.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the resumption of military operations against the LRA rebels beginning from Jan. 1.

"If the LRA rebels do not irreversibly commit themselves to coming out of the bush by Dec. 31, then the Uganda People's Defense Forces will start full-scale operations, beginning 0700 hours (0400 GMT) on Jan. 1, 2005," Museveni has said.

The LRA rebels, based in southern Sudan, have killed tens of thousands of civilians, abducted over 20,000 children as fighters, porters and sex slaves, and displaced over 1.6 million people in their 18-year rebellion in northern Uganda.

Source: Xinhua