Ugandan top rebel enters assembly zone as truce deadline near

The elusive leader of Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony has entered the assembly zone in southern Sudan as the truce deadline between the Ugandan government and the rebel group draws close.

Martin Ojul, the head of the LRA delegation negotiating a peace deal with government in Juba, southern Sudan, was quoted by Daily Monitor on Monday as saying Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti left Garamba National Park, the rebel's hideout in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and have assembled in Ri-Kwangba as required by the truce agreement set to expire on December 1.

According to the agreement signed on August 26 and renewed on November 1, all the LRA fighters are supposed to assemble at Ri- Kwangba and Owiny-Ki-Bul in southern Sudan.

"Our leadership is back in Ri-Kwangba after provision of water in the area," Ojul said after UN has drilled more boreholes in the area to facilitate the ongoing peace process.

The rebels who had assembled at Ri-Kwangba at the Sudan-DRC borders were sharing one borehole in a village of more that one thousand people. The rebel leaders had left the Ri-Kwangba assembly point due to lack of water and relocated back to the bush in Garamba.

Ojul could not confirm whether the second LRA group in Eastern Equatoria had returned to the second assembly point of Owiny-Ki- bul following the withdrawal of Uganda People's Defense Force ( UPDF) troops from Tibika, Magwi and Palutaka bases in southern Sudan.

The rebels had declined to assemble at Owiny-Ki-Bul, citing UPDF 's siege.

The Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team is reportedly scheduled to fly to Tibika, Magwi and Palutaka bases on Monday to confirm the UPDF withdrawal.

Meanwhile, the LRA has ruled out a third country asylum as a solution to the stalemate over peace talks to end the 20-year northern conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead and over 1.4 million people homeless.

"Life in the bush after spending 20 years is definitely not good. I want to go home but I cannot accept asylum," Otti said.

The talks which started on July 14 under the mediation of southern Sudan authority are seen as the best chance to end the conflict, one of Africa's longest.

Source: Xinhua