News24 reports that Betty Bigombe, the Ugandan government's chief mediator with the LRA, has urged the international community to renew its efforts to work towards a peaceful resolution to the 19-year conflict. Earlier this month Bigombe commented that recent International Criminal Court arrest warrants for LRA leader Joseph Kony and four other LRA commanders had destroyed hopes they would surrender. However, she said that other LRA commanders and child soldiers can still take advantage of amnesty offers.

Bigombe, speaking at the launch of Act for Stolen Children's campaign to end the war, said that the two essential elements of any peace deal would be "programme(s) to reintegrate LRA members and kidnapped children back into society, including psychological counselling, and a reconciliation programme because people are deeply divided over the war, even within families."

The New Vision reports that Betty Bigombe, the chief mediator between government and rebels, has said that the issuing of international arrest warrants for elusive Ugandan guerrilla leaders has ended any chance of negotiating an end to 19 years of civil war.

“There is now no hope of getting them to surrender. I have told the court that they have rushed too much,” she said. Bigombe said she had been trying to persuade Kony to end his revolt under an amnesty from the Kampala government. “The last one month, the whole situation, has been very depressing for me,” Bigombe added. “I am really not sure what I will do next.”

Bigombe said International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo had told her he was confident Vincent Otti, deputy commander of the LRA, could be arrested soon in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, UN peacekeepers reported on Friday that DRC army officials said Otti’s group had fled back to Sudan.

At this critical moment, Uganda-CAN urges the Government of Uganda to maintain its commitment to the Amnesty Act of 2000, seeking opportunities for a peace process to end this war. We urge the international community, particularly the U.S. government, to bring sustained engagement to mediation, disarmament and reconciliation efforts in northern Uganda to achieve a lasting peace.

Reuters Altertnet reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to release arrest warrants for LRA head Joseph Kony and several other LRA commanders soon, perhaps within the next week. The arrests warrants, accusing the LRA leaders of human rights atrocities, have been delayed for over a year in order to give the Ugandan government's mediator Betty Bigombe time to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the LRA. However, recent peace talks have reportedly failed, prompting the ICC to move forward with its plans to issue the warrants.

Betty Bigombe, many Acholi religious leaders, and a large number of humanitarian NGOs oppose the arrest warrants, fearing that they may prolong the war by eliminating any incentive for the LRA commanders to lay down their arms peacefully.