Two days after the truce, the LRA rebels in northern Uganda and southern Sudan have started to move towards the designated assembling point in Owiny-Kibul in Eastern Equatoria state in Sudan. The UPDF 4th division commander confirmed reports that rebels were on the move. However, there seems to be no similar movement from rebels in northeastern Congo to the assembling point at Ri-Kwangba in Western Equatoria state in Sudan. Read more at The New Vision.

LRA leader Joseph Kony said yesterday that he will not release women and children from within the LRA's ranks until a comprehensive peace agreement is reached, contradicting earlier promises to release them sooner. "I can't release the weak, sick, wounded LRA, women and children just for the sake of releasing them. They are still under my control until the formal agreement is reached," he said. After signing a truce on Tuesday with the Ugandan government to cease hostilities, several members of the LRA delegation promised a speedy release of women and children from the LRA's control, saying "by implication, signing of the agreement (Tuesday's truce), the LRA agreed to release the women and children." Read more at The Daily Monitor.

LRA leader Joseph Kony has requested that the Ugandan military provide food and transport to sick and wounded LRA rebels as they travel to assembly points in southern Sudan. He said that without government help not all LRA rebels will be able to reach the assembly points within three weeks, the timetable set up by the cessation of hostilities truce signed between the two parties on Tuesday. Read more at The Daily Monitor.

The Ugandan government will seek to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC) not to arrest the LRA leaders if they respect the terms of the truce, Internal Affairs Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has revealed. Rugunda said, "If he (Kony) and his colleagues come home under our agreed terms in Juba, ICC will have nothing to do with him. I am sure that we shall reach an amicable solution to this problem with the ICC. What Ugandans want now is peace." Rugunda also said that the September 12th deadline set by President Museveni can be extended if necessary. Read more at The New Vision.

Ugandan military officials announced today that UPDF forces have withdrawn from field positions and opened up seven safe passageways for LRA rebels as they begin walking to assembly points in southern Sudan. As part of the cessation of hostilities truce that came into effect between the Ugandan government and LRA yesterday, all LRA rebels are required to gather at the assembly points within three weeks. However, LRA leader Joseph Kony said that the timeframe and conditions imposed on the LRA for assembling at the designated points were too strict and would prevent them from meeting the upcoming deadline. He also accused the UPDF of breaking the truce by attacking LRA forces yesterday in Pader. Read more at The Monitor.

Today, 2-3 PM EST, Voice of America's "Straight Talk Africa" program will look at the historic Ugandan peace talks. Guests are set to include chief peace negotiator Dr. Riek Machar, the deputy Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem, and peace advocate Dr. Ben Latigo. Click here to listen to the program live.

Guns fell silent and UPDF soldiers quietly returned to the barracks as a landmark truce that could spell an end to the 20-year war in the north came into effect yesterday morning. President Museveni explicitly ordered his army not to shoot at the LRA and directed the Chief of Defense to create a safe corridor for the rebels to travel to the designated points in southern Sudan. The Army spokesman, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, said military intelligence reports indicated that there are "at least 100 or slightly more" LRA fighters holed up in the districts of Kitgum, Pader and Gulu. Read more at The Monitor.

The cessation of hostilities truce between the Ugandan government and LRA came into effect this morning. Under the pact, the LRA rebels have three weeks to assemble at two camps in south Sudan while final negotiations continue. Both sides have committed to cease hostilities, and a Ugandan military intelligence chief was due to speak on radio and announce safe passage routes for the rebels. "President Yoweri Museveni, has directed us to stop search and destroy operations...We are not to shoot at the LRA except in the protection of civilians," army spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye said. "It seems to be the end of the war." Read more at Reuters.

Hundreds of women and children under rebel captivity will be freed soon as the LRA begins to respect the truce signed over the weekend. The rebels are expected to assemble at designated points in southern Sudan. There, UN and other aid workers prepared on Monday to receive the women and children. The head of the LRA peace delegation in Juba, Martin Ojul, said that arrangements were underway to free women and children. "Children and women cannot be part of the combatants as they move in these places," Ojul said. "We are currently working with the UN and the government of South Sudan to arrange for a separate camp for them in South Sudan." Read more at The Monitor.

Deputy LRA leader Vincent Otti has ordered his fighters to end all forms of hostilities. Otti ordered that the rebels should not abduct, kill, harass, loot, commit any violent act against civilians or attack the UPDF as they regroup under their field commanders. Otti gave the orders during an interview on the Gulu-based Mega FM radio on Sunday. He told the Acholi to pray tirelessly and assured them that peace would soon return to the region. Read more at The New Vision.

At a news conference last night, President Museveni announced, "If they (the indicted LRA leadership) don’t respect the (cessation of hostilities) agreement that they and us signed, we are going to hunt them down and catch them because time is not on their side." Museveni continued, "That agreement is good for Kony and his group. It gives them a soft landing especially since we have defeated them militarily." Read more at The New Vision.

Both the Ugandan government and the LRA were upbeat on Monday that an end to the 20-year war is near. "In spite of a rocky start to the talks, there is currently an unprecedented will from both sides to reach an agreement." the head of the Ugandan delegation to the talks, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda said. His LRA counterpart, Martin Ojul, agreed and said, "Hopefully, the government will [consolidate] the cessation of hostilities agreement, but the LRA is more committed to this process than ever before." In the next round of talks, the two parties will have to find a compromise, especially to LRA demands that include huge cuts in the military, northern representation in all political appointments and total autonomy of northern Uganda. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Pax Christi Netherlands, which has played a key role in the historic Juba peace talks, has called the cessation of hostilities a major breakthrough in the talks. They write, "If the LRA assembles in South Sudan as agreed, the peace process will be irreversible." "This is a point of no return. It is now a matter of working out the technical details," said Simon Simonse of Pax Christi. "There remain, however, tough issues to deal with: an agreement on the procedures of accountability in ways that will be approved by the International Criminal Court while respecting the Amnesty to the LRA leaders accorded by President Museveni; and foremost an agreement on the policies addressing the root causes of the conflict and measures that will make an end to hostile prejudices between Nilotic Northerners and the Bantu Southerners in Uganda." Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

LRA rebels are leaving their bases in the DR Congo as demanded by the truce with the Ugandan government. Villagers in DR Congo said they had seen groups of Ugandan rebels marching from a national park towards the Ugandan border. Meanwhile, rebel leader Joseph Kony and his senior commanders are gathering on Congolese territory near the border of the Central African Republic. Diplomats say the plan is to fly them to the assembly points in Sudan. Read more at the BBC News.

LRA leader Joseph Kony and the four other commanders indicted by the International Criminal Court are expected to assemble at designated points in southern Sudan, under the watchful eye of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the government has said. The chief government negotiator and Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda said, "We expect Kony and Otti to oblige to the conditions of the cessation of hostilities." The LRA have been given up to three weeks to assemble in Southern Sudan. Peace talks in Juba will resume on Thursday. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan government and LRA have signed a truce to cease hostilities. The signing, which took place today at 1 pm, is a major breakthrough in talks aimed at ending the 20-year war. Cessation of hostilities means that the UPDF and the LRA combatants will keep their positions and weapons but will not fight each other or engage in hostile propaganda. The signed deal requires all LRA forces in Uganda and Sudan to assemble at Owiny-ki-Bul in Eastern Equatoria State on the eastern side of the River Nile and those in the DRC at Ri-Kwangba in Western Equatoria State on the western side of River Nile. Both of these points are in southern Sudan. The LRA are required to reach them within three weeks of the agreement taking effect. In return, the UPDF will not attack the rebels. Once the cessation begins on Tuesday, the parties in Juba will continue talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. Read more at The Monitor.

The Sunday Monitor has published a timeline of how the Juba peace talks have progressed over recent months. This is helpful to understand how the current cessation of hostilities has arisen, and why these talks are truly the best opportunity in over a decade to end the war. Uganda-CAN urges the parties to continue engaging these talks in full, making the priority peace for the victims that have been caught in this conflict for the last 20 years. Read the timeline at The Monitor.

The Ugandan government said today it was ready to accept demands by the LRA for a ceasefire on condition the rebels agreed to assemble their forces in designated locations. "The President [Yoweri Museveni] has agreed that a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities should be given, but with conditions," the Minister of State for Defense Ruth Nankabirwa said. "The ceasefire will take effect upon assembly of the LRA in designated areas that include Owinyi Kibul at the border with Sudan for rebel fighters in northern Uganda, and Rikuangba in western Equatorial for the group in Garamba [Democratic Republic of Congo]," said a spokesman of the Ugandan delegation in Juba. He said the envisaged assembly period would be two weeks, with bi-weekly reviews of the agreement to cease hostilities. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Juba was gripped with excitement last night when word came through that the Ugandan government has finally agreed to a cessation of hostilities with the LRA rebels. Sources said the LRA delegation was pleased when the contents of an e-mail from President Museveni to Dr. Riek Machar were communicated to them last evening. "They found that the new conditions from the President were not so stringent and agreed unanimously," said a government delegate. "We therefore expect to announce a bilateral ceasefire simultaneously in Juba and Kampala tomorrow (Friday) at 10.00 am." Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA delegation at Juba talks has said they want more top Ugandan government jobs given to leaders from the north and east of the country. "We propose affirmative action for representation of qualified people from the north and eastern regions on the cabinet and in all government boards, commissions and other statutory bodies," said an LRA statement. Uganda's spokesman Captain Paddy Ankunda said, "If the political wing of the LRA is not careful they could squander an important opportunity for the fighters in the bush. The president is clear: no power-sharing deal with LRA." Read more at Reuters.

President Museveni has accepted to consider including a contingent of community leaders from northern Uganda, led by the Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao, on the team of negotiators in Juba peace talks. Museveni and Mao reportedly spoke for two hours yesterday. "We discussed frankly about the ongoing peace talks in Juba between the government and the LRA, options of including community leaders in the talks and other issues of personal interests,” Mao said. The government had previously expressed resistance against the inclusion of northern community leaders at the talks, questioning their neutrality. Read more at The Monitor.

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the leader of Uganda's delegation to the peace talks, is participating in direct talks with the deputy leader of the LRA, Vincent Otti, in an effort to speed up the peace process. Otti has refused to travel to Juba for fear of being arrested, limiting his ability to participate in the talks. The new arrangement, however, will allow Otti to participate directly in the negotiations without traveling to Juba. Read more at The New Vision.

LRA top leader Joseph Kony has formally approached the Central African Republic (CAR) government pleading for asylum. Highly placed sources said that the LRA leader made the request for sanctuary to CAR President, Gen. Francois Bozizé sometime last week. President Bozizé dispatched his Chief of Staff, over the weekend, to meet President Museveni over the matter. However, State House officials yesterday claimed ignorance about the visit and maintained it was "certainly was not on the President's official programme." It also emerged yesterday that the LRA has written to South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, asking for help to establish a truth and reconciliation commission for northern Uganda. Read more at The Monitor.

An official from the United Nations arrived Monday in Juba to offer political support for the peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. Welile Nhlapo, director of the Africa I Division at the UN Department of Political Affairs, said, "I am here to make an assessment on how we can help the process. I am here to get a sense of what is happening politically." The UN has been divided on whether to support the current peace talks or pursue the International Criminal Court indictments against top LRA leaders. Read more at The New Vision.

Members of Parliament from northern Uganda yesterday urged the LRA, Ugandan government, and South Sudan government to extend the September 12th deadline for concluding the Juba peace talks, saying more time was needed to reach a deal. President Museveni has threatened to resume intensive military operations against the LRA if a peace deal is not reached by then. Read more at The New Vision.

The LRA delegation at peace talks has said the rebels are ready to disarm and assemble at designated points if the UPDF readily declares its weapons of mass destruction, including banned military ware it has previously used. The LRA team demanded that all soldiers in the war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda, be recalled and stationed at military barracks in the towns of Arua, Madi Opei, Gulu, Lira, Soroti, Mbale, Tororo, and Jinja. The government delegation dismissed the LRA demands as utopian. "We have never owned and we do not intend to own any weapons of mass destruction," said Captain Paddy Ankunda. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA rebels in the DR Congo extended a ceasefire on Monday to include game rangers protecting endangered rhinos around their remote jungle base. After meeting conservationists at the weekend, the LRA said they were extending their truce to cover rangers protecting rare Northern White Rhinos in northeast Congo's dense Garamba forest. An estimated eight of the sub-species are thought to remain there. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The LRA called Monday again for South Africa to play an unofficial role in peace talks. After Kampala’s rebuff of the previous LRA proposal for Pretoria to co-mediate the negotiations in Juba, the LRA said they wanted members of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to participate. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

The President of South Sudan Salva Kiir yesterday handed down another pre-condition for a cessation of hostilities to rebel leader Joseph Kony. Kiir said the LRA must disclose his troop deployments in Sudan, DR Congo and Uganda to allow monitoring and management of the ceasefire. The President pledged that once a ceasefire is reached, his Sudan People's Liberation Army will act as a buffer force to ensure that UPDF doesn't attack the LRA rebels wherever they will be assembled. Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony has said he will not return to Uganda, regardless of the outcome of the Juba peace talks. "I feel more comfortable and safe staying in other countries like America, Central Africa Republic, Nairobi in Kenya, Europe, Sudan, or any other Arab country, but not in my home village of Odek in Gulu," Kony said in an exclusive interview. Kony boasted that he has many friends and sympathizers who he trusted across the world, stressing that he and his top commanders could live safely elsewhere in the world. He revealed in the interview that he has been shopping in various parts of the world, pointing at plain army-green uniforms, which he claimed to have bought from France recently. Kony also claimed that he was in Nairobi shopping three months ago. However, he did not disclose how he travelled. Read more at The Sunday Vision.

Salva Kiir, the President of Southern Sudan, is traveling to Uganda tomorrow to discuss the Juba peace talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Kiir, a driving force behind the peace efforts, will be traveling with representatives from communities in southern Sudan that have been affected by the LRA rebellion. The peace talks resumed today after a brief hiatus as the LRA mourned the death of a commander killed by the UPDF last week. Read more at The New Vision.

Talks between Ugandan officials and LRA representatives resumed in Juba today. The delegations greeted each other before meeting behind closed doors in a hotel. "Today has marked the end of mourning of our slain commander killed by the Ugandan forces in cold blood," LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny told the press. "We have come back for negotiations and we are also ready for face-to-face interaction with the Ugandan government." Read more at Reuters.

The LRA demand that South Africa send a senior official to help to co-mediate peace talks has been rejected by the Ugandan government. Minister for Internal Affairs Ruhakana Rugunda said, "The government of Uganda wishes to reiterate its support for the peace initiative being spearheaded by the government of south Sudan. We are convinced that the mediation mechanisms in place are sufficient." The talks in Juba are due to resume today after a three-day break. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti yesterday called South Africa’s High Commissioner to Uganda beseeching the South African government to intervene and “co-mediate” in the ongoing peace talks. The High Commissioner said yesterday that, "They [LRA] have called us here and we are communicating with Pretoria [South African capital] on this issue." However, the government yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with this invitation, reiterating its support for the peace initiatived mediated by South Sudan. Read more at The Monitor.

Less than a week after the LRA's third senior-most commander was killed by the Ugandan military, another LRA commander was killed yesterday during clashes with the UPDF. A UPDF spokesman said that Akena was responsible for an attack that killed an American tourist last year. The continuation of hostilities between the LRA and the UPDF has placed stress on the ongoing peace talks in Juba, southern Sudan. At least 15 LRA rebels have been killed in the past two weeks. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA rebels have asked South Africa to help mediate in talks with Uganda's government. LRA second-in-command Vincent Otti has said that the current mediator, South Sudanese vice president, Dr. Riek Machar, is not neutral. South Africa has more experience of resolving conflict in Africa, he said. Read more at the BBC News.

The LRA has released fresh terms for a bilateral ceasefire in a new position paper on the cessation of hostilities. Read the full position paper at The Monitor.

LRA leader Joseph Kony and his other indicted commanders have received two fresh guarantees for their safety - one from President Museveni and the other from the United Nations. Museveni recently told the new Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) that he will not betray the indicted rebel leaders once a comprehensive peace agreement is signed. He promised that he would not turn around and hand the five to The Hague like the Nigerian authorities did to former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.

The southern regional coordinator of Sudan' s UN Mission [UNMIS] James Ellery also said on Monday that the UN has no plans to arrest Kony and his commanders, despite a deliberate attempt by the rebel leader and Otti to stay away from the Juba peace talks for fear of abduction. "The U.N. is absolutely supportive of the ICC, however, there are no plans to make arrests in Sudan. Therefore that should not be used as an excuse for Kony and Otti not to show up," Ellery said. Ellery, who praised the South Sudan initiative in brokering the peace talks, said, "The next stage has to be between the Ugandan leadership and LRA leadership. Kony and Otti better get themselves involved, otherwise they will become irrelevant." Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan army has released a list of LRA attacks on civilian and UPDF positions since the LRA high command declared a unilateral ceasefire on August 4. Northern-based army spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi told journalists that the LRA remnants had continued to attack army and civilian positions, which violated the unilateral ceasefire they declared recently. Read more at The New Vision.

Peace talks in Juba were adjourned again on Tuesday after the LRA rebels said they were mourning their commander, Raska Lukwiya, killed by Ugandan troops. LRA representatives wore black armbands and said news of his death had shaken them, but that they would resume negotiations on Friday. Read more at Reuters.

Peace talks between Ugandan government and LRA representatives were delayed on Monday after the rebels called for time to mourn a commander killed by Ugandan troops over the weekend. The negotiations are due to resume on Tuesday. Read more at Reuters.

The Government has rejected the presence of what it regards as opposition elements at the Juba peace talks. Those rejected include Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao and Gulu Archbishop John Baptist Odama among others. "Our position is clear, we respect the mediator and know that he has got the right to invite anyone as he pleases but only if they keep away from the proceedings of the talks and only come in to advise the mediator separately," said the government spokesman. The LRA delegation said this move shows that the government does not want peace. Peace talks, which were set to resume today, failed to kick off after the LRA team said they were "disoriented" by news of the death of Raska Lukwiya, their third most senior commander. Read more at The Monitor.

The International Criminal Court has formally asked the UPDF to pass over to The Hague the body of dead LRA commander Raska Lukwiya for verification. Lukwiya was killed on Saturday. It was feared that the death of Lukwiya would throw the peace talks into uncertainty, but sources say the talks are still on course. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda told a press briefing yesterday: "We regret the loss of any life…that is why there is need for a quick resolution of this conflict…If the LRA don’t get out of this situation now, it will be much more difficult in future." Though the LRA team was said to be in a somber mood over the news, they were still keen to get back to the negotiating table when talks resume today. Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA delegation to the peace talks in Juba has reacted angrily to reports that one its top commanders, Raska Lukwiya, was gunned down by the UPDF in northern Uganda. "What are peace talks for then?" lamented the delegation chairman, Martin Ojulu. "That’s what we have been telling them all along. That you cannot talk peace while we are fighting. That’s why we declared a cessation of hostilities," Ojulu said. He said after consulting the LRA High Command, the delegation will issue a "position paper" today when talks resume after a weekend recess. Read more at The New Vision.

Several MPs from the north and northeas of Uganda were scheduled to fly to Juba in Sudan yesterday to monitor ongoing peace talks between Government of Uganda and the LRA. Team coordinator Hon. Betty Amongi yesterday said the MPs had been invited by the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar. "We got a request from the office of the mediator that there was need for representatives of the affected communities as advisors to try and persuade both sides to take the peace talks seriously and to make them understand that the stake of people in northern Uganda is more than other individual interests," Amongi said. Read more at The New Vision.

On Sunday, the Ugandan government asked for international help to monitor any ceasefire it reaches with the LRA rebels. Uganda’s Interior Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said he wants countries including the U.S., the Netherlands, Norway and South Africa to be on a monitoring team, as well as the U.N. and African Union. The request is meant to "show the whole world that we are engaged genuinely in peace talks for an agreement to end the conflict in northern Uganda, so that our brothers and sisters in that region can live peacefully." Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

The government peace delegation yesterday presented a draft Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar. According to the government’s CPA, the LRA should be dissolved within a month after the CPA in Juba. "In our opinion, the ball is in the LRA’s court. For us we are done and we are ready to sign the peace agreement," said the government spokesman. The draft CPA provides for LRA fighters to assemble at designated places and barred from moving out of those boundaries. "The LRA fighters shall be deemed demobilized after their disarmament, renunciation of rebellion and acceptance of amnesty." Read more at The New Vision.

Talks between the Ugandan government and LRA representatives were adjourned for two days on Saturday after both sides failed to agree terms for a cessation of hostilities. On Friday, LRA officials were summoned by south Sudan's President Salva Kiir to explore ways of breaking the deadlock. "The president gave us some wise counsel ... about their experiences and challenges during his government's 21-year struggle," said LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny. "We have now been given two days to consult our principals on the way forward." Read more at Reuters.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir summoned representatives of the LRA rebels on Friday in an apparent bid to break a deadlock that has paralyzed peace talks with Ugandan negotiators. Read more at Reuters.

The Ugandan government yesterday rejected the LRA's demand to declare an immediate ceasefire before the continuation of peace talks in Juba. Ugandan Internal Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem said that the Ugandan government would not sign a ceasefire agreement until it had discussed the terms of such an agreement first. In response, a member of the LRA delegation claimed that the LRA was asking for a "cessation of hostilities" instead of a ceasefire, and accused the government of deliberately confusing the two terms. Read more at The Monitor.

Members of Parliament in Rwanda and Kenya have volunteered to travel to Juba to participate in peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. The MPs are members of the AMANI Forum, an initiative of MPs in the Great Lakes region who are committed to a peaceful resolution of the region's conflicts. Ugandan MP Betty Amongin said that the participation of the AMANI Forum would broaden the range of perspectives present at the negotiating table and put additional pressure on the LRA and Ugandan government to come to an agreement. Read more at AllAfrica.com.

Mediators are trying to save the Juba peace talks, which were threatened yesterday by the LRA walkout. The LRA says it will not come back until the Ugandan government follows its example by declaring a ceasefire. Ugandan conflict analyst Barney Afako said, "A process of negotiations is always a process of testing each other because you're moving from an extreme position of distrust, and beginning to build trust in a very closed artificial environment of talks." Afako says the positions of both parties are not extreme, but they need to agree on a formula for a ceasefire. Read more at BBC News.

The LRA rejected further peace talks with the Ugandan government on Wednesday, saying they would rejoin discussions only if government declared a ceasefire first. "We are not willing to resume peace talks before the government also unilaterally declares cessation of hostilities," rebel negotiators said in a statement. The spokesman for the government delegation, Captain Paddy Ankunda said, "Our strongest belief is that we should have rules and regulation for the ceasefire and we both sign it." Read more at Reuters.

Dr. Erin Baines of the Canadian Liu Institute was one of the only Westerners to travel with the delegation that met the LRA high command last week at the Sudan-Congo border. Read Erin's account of her trip and see her photos at the OxBlog.

LRA leader Joseph Kony has said he wants Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao on his team to engage in the second round of peace talks in Juba. Government sources said yesterday the LRA had formally approached the chief negotiator Dr. Riek Machar and demanded to have Mao and other parliamentarians from the northern region as part of the LRA negotiating team. However, Mao told the press yesterday, " They [LRA] have not communicated to me formally. I have not heard from them today [yesterday]. I was in contact with Otti and he didn't tell me anything." Read more at The Monitor.

The second round of peace talks were delayed again on Tuesday as delegates waited for two members of the rebel team to reach Juba. "We understand they stayed behind for more consultations after their colleagues returned to Juba," government spokesman Robert Kabushenga said. "They are travelling by road and we expect them to arrive tomorrow...The talks should now resume on Wednesday." Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The Ugandan government has agreed in principle to accept calls for a unilateral ceasefire by LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony. The Director of the Media Centre, Robert Kabushenga, said yesterday that the government will endorse a ceasefire as long as the rebels agree to certain terms. He said the conditions include issuing a formal cessation of hostilities; stopping killings and looting; declaring the LRA positions in northern Uganda; and assembling in gazetted areas so that the rebels are given supplies. According to a source, President Museveni has 'designated' satellite telephones, which Kony can use to reach him. The telephone numbers would be released to the LRA delegation at the talks, which were set to resume today. Read more at The Monitor.

All five LRA rebel fighters have withdrawn from the main team of LRA negotiators at peace talks in Juba, citing security reasons. One of the five told the press that they got these orders from the LRA deputy leader, Vincent Otti. "We the fighters have all remained with the chairman (Kony) and left the civilians to continue with talks because we are really not sure how things will turn out in Juba," he said on satellite phone on Sunday. Read more at The Monitor.

Peace talks between the Government of Uganda and LRA rebels will resume tomorrow in Juba with discussion of a ceasefire top on the agenda. Thus, it appears that the talks are not dead as some observers had feared following a disagreement between Dr. Riek Machar and the LRA leadership. The authorities in Juba could not definitively say whether or not LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti would attend talks, thus the possibility of his presence still exists. Sources in the government say that if Otti refuses to turn up, he will strip the LRA delegation of much needed credibility. In this round of talks, South Sudan President Salva Kiir will be present and directly involved. Read more at The Monitor.

Ugandan parliamentarians will discuss adding two ancient reconciliation rituals to national law this week in a bid to help end the war in northern Uganda, Gulu chairman Norbert Mao has said. Leaders of northern Uganda are asking to the Parliament to formalize traditional reintegration and reconciliation rituals, which could then supplant ICC arrest warrants. "Amnesty only means you renounce rebellion. Mato Oput [one of the rituals] is a public ceremony to disclose your crimes and ask for forgiveness face-to-face," said Mao. "These are rites deeply rooted in our history... and they could give the (ICC) prosecutor a strong case to withdraw," Mao further said. Mao said Kony wrote to parliament last week seeking lawmakers' support in the talks, and that government delegates would soon travel to the north to record the rites in detail. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The Southern Sudan Cabinet has held a special session to discuss Joseph Kony’s rejection of Dr. Riek Machar as the mediator in the ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan government and LRA rebels. The session kicked off at the President’s Office at 10 AM on Saturday in Juba. One government official said that the meeting would discuss whether the LRA was justified to reject Machar as mediator. One Sudanese official said his Cabinet could take drastic measures against the LRA if it continues on its current path. Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA has announced a unilateral ceasefire, with immediate effect. The rebel army's deputy leader Vincent Otti told the press that he had ordered all field commanders to cease all hostilities against Uganda's army. Ugandan Interior Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said his government would wait to see what happened on the ground, in response to the announcement. The peace talks are scheduled to resume in Juba next week, however the LRA high command has suggested they may walk out of the talks. The LRA has of yet refused to send any of its senior officials to these talks. Read more at BBC News.

Ugandan negotiators said on Friday they will return to peace talks in south Sudan, despite the absence of a top LRA commander. On Thursday, the rebels' deputy chief Vincent Otti said he rejected a request by mediators to attend the negotiations, saying he feared arrest. "Government is pushing for peace, we are not going to be distracted by non-central issues," said Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. Otti said he wanted talks to continue outside Sudan, and that he was losing faith in Machar, who left rebel representatives stranded at a remote outpost on the Sudan-Congo border on Wednesday. Asked whether Uganda's government would agree to changing the venue for the talks, Rugunda said: "The government of south Sudan has our full confidence ... We think Juba is the best venue for the peace process in the circumstances." Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

LRA rebels have accused the Sudanese mediator Dr. Riek Machar of complicating the peace process after being subjected to pressures to send a leading member to talks. Obonyo Olweny, LRA spokesman, said Thursday that south Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar abandoned the rebel army’s delegation in the bush near the Sudan-Congo late Wednesday. "The vice president got upset and abandoned us here because he could not convince (LRA deputy commander) Vincent Otti to attend the talks in person," Olweny said. "The mediators’ demand is not acceptable to the top LRA command. If the continuation of the talks is pegged on that demand, then they are on hold," Olweny said. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

The New Vision is reporting that LRA leader Joseph Kony, speaking through his deputy Vincent Otti, told Radio France International (RFI) that the rebel force is pulling out of current peace talks and searching for a new venue and mediator. Otti said that the LRA had lost interest in the mediator, Dr. Riek Machar and the Government of South Sudan. He said that Machar was wrong to insist that Otti appear in Juba. "We have lost interest in the mediator and the South Sudan government. We need another mediator and another venue but not Sudan," Otti stated. The rebels demand now that the international community helps relocate the talks to another country and get another mediator if the talks are to continue. Further, Otti said the Ugandan government should first declare a ceasefire and the International Criminal Court should withdraw the indictments against its leaders. Read more at The New Vision.

Chief mediator Dr. Riek Machar has said that the government and the LRA rebels must declare a ceasefire before talks resume on Monday. Machar said yesterday, "We have told the Uganda government that they must declare unilaterally a ceasefire before they come to Juba. There must be a situation of cessation of hostilities." He further said, "We have told the LRA that they must declare a ceasefire. They must also declare areas of deployment of their troops in the north and eastern Uganda and Southern Sudan, if they still have any, so that we agree on assembly points." Machar said this on return to Juba from a nine-day trip to the DR Congo where he met LRA chief Joseph Kony. He also made it clear to the LRA that "Otti must come and head their delegation this time." Read more at The New Vision.

The LRA has said it will not send its most senior leaders to peace talks with the government. Sudanese mediator Dr. Riek Machar had asked for the top leaders to take part after earlier peace talks failed. LRA deputy leader Vincent Otti said that Juba was not safe because an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the leaders' arrest was still in force and Ugandan government forces were present in the town. Read more at the BBC News.

The enthusiasm exuded by LRA leadership in advocating a cessation of hostilities has fallen on deaf ears as the Ugandan government refuses to consider a ceasefire prior to a comprehensive settlement. "Where is the fire to cease?" the state minister for defense, Ruth Nankabirwa, asked yesterday. "The UPDF will not withdraw from the north or ceasefire because they are there to protect the population from the rebels who are killing them, ambushing vehicles and abducting people," the minister said. Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan government says it will consider the ceasefire offer by LRA leader Joseph Kony. A government spokesman called Joseph Kony's offer positive but said there must be a broad peace deal that pledges the safety of civilians in the north. Read more at the BBC News.

LRA leader Joseph Kony is reportedly nursing a very bad cough. According to Col. Walter Ochora, who led the Acholi delegation to Kony's base, the LRA commander is in poor health and coughing blood. However, the LRA leader still held landmark talks with religious, cultural and political leaders on Monday. "Now that you have come here and seen that I am not a monster with huge eyes and a tail, you must have confirmed that I am a human being. Go back and tell the people of northern Uganda that I want nothing but peace," Kony told the leaders. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA leader Joseph Kony on Tuesday asked for forgiveness for atrocities committed by his rebel group against civilians. "Generally, in a reconciliatory tone, Kony asked for forgiveness," LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny told the press. Kony spoke in the presence of Riek Machar, the vice-president of southern Sudan, as well as Ugandan government officials and Sudanese elders. "People were very happy when he asked for forgiveness for the atrocities committed and the suffering of the people of northern Uganda and southern Sudan," Betty Achan Ogwalo, a member of the southern Sudan parliament said. Read more at The New Vision.

Joseph Kony, used his first news conference on Tuesday to call for a ceasefire with the government. "We wish to categorically state that no meaningful negotiations can take place without a cessation of hostilities," Kony said in a statement read out by a rebel spokesman before Kony took questions himself. Kony denied the LRA was responsible for atrocities in northern Uganda and southern Sudan, saying that they were committed by the Ugandan army. "I am a man, I am a human being, I am a soldier, I am Joseph Kony," he said, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and white trousers. Dr. Riek Machar said talks were due to resume in Juba ,on Monday and that it was likely that one of the five indicted by the ICC would attend. "Ask me tomorrow, there is a likelihood," he said. Read more at Reuters.

Ugandan government officials met overnight with the elusive LRA leader Joseph Kony ahead of the resumption of peace talks, officials said Monday. The team of elders headed by Gulu resident district commissioner Col. Walter Ochora, met Kony in his hideout in DR Congo. A member of the delegation Archbishop Odama said, "I am so excited to be together with the LRA leadership. It is a big surprise and we must praise God. We Acholi people should pray to God to bless the government and LRA peace teams so that they reach a peace deal." Read more at The New Vision.