Britain has funded the ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in Juba, southern Sudan and will continue to support the talks, a statement from the British High Commission in Kampala said on Wednesday.

"We will continue to help the vulnerable, forced from their homes and now living in camps. Both sides must seek a lasting end to the conflict and that's why we are supporting the UN's appeal for the peace talks in Juba," the statement quoted the International Development Secretary Hillary Benn as saying.

The UN has appealed for 2.5 million pounds (4.6 million U.S. dollars) for funding the mediation secretariat in overseeing the talks and Britain has contributed 250,000 pounds (465,000 U.S. dollars) to helping pay for costs of the mediation process.

The British fund will also support the team that was created to monitor the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed by the Ugandan government and the LRA on Aug. 26.

The LRA have been fighting the Ugandan government for the last 20 years in a brutal rebellion that has left tens of thousands of people dead and over 1.4 million people displaced.

The talks that started on July 14 are seen another chance to end the conflict, one of continent's longest, after a dozen of such attempt failed in the last few years.

Source: Xinhua