The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) has expressed fear that the rifts within the LRA ranks could weaken the search for peace in northern Uganda. In a joint statement released yesterday, the Christian leaders appealed to the rebel leadership to quickly resolve the rift, if the peace process was to progress and end smoothly. The council requested Kony to clear rumours that he had killed Otti. The UJCC, however, commended the Government and the LRA for the considerable progress made at the talks. The council also asked the Government to refrain from its planned joint offensive against the negative forces in the DRC, arguing that the attack could undermine the talks. Read more at The New Vision.

A Ugandan official is reportedly traveling to the DR Congo to deliver pardons from President Museveni to two LRA commanders who are negotiating the surrender of an estimated 300 LRA rebels. The group is believed to have defected from LRA’s base camp in eastern DR Congo after an internal battle that has left the fate of LRA second-in-command Vincent Otti unknown. The two commanders, who are also negotiating with UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo, have demanded they be given presidential pardons before they allow the group to surrender. They surrendered in 2003 and received amnesty, but later rejoined the LRA. Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA team currently conducting consultations on justice and reconciliation within Uganda announced today that it will visit LRA leader Joseph Kony within two weeks to find out whether LRA commander Vincent Otti is alive or dead. Controversy over Otti’s fate, with Kony saying he is under house arrest for treason and others claiming he was killed, has partially overshadowed the LRA delegation’s historic consultations over the past several weeks. The LRA team today met with religious officials from the Uganda Joint Christian Council today in Kampala, and will finish consultations on December 5. Peace talks are scheduled to resume on December 6. Read more at The New Vision.

The Independent reports that while President Museveni is reveling in successfully hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, an end to the horrific 21-year war in northern Uganda is not guaranteed. The LRA may be "running out of steam," but war survivors in displacement camps remain very suspicious. The article reads, "Although hardly any attacks have been reported for more than a year, most [Acholi] people choose to remain, corralled in 26 vast camps packed with traditional round thatched huts as they have done for more than a decade." The article concludes that the biggest threat to achieving peace is "now not in Uganda but in Sudan." Many fear the collapse of the peace agreement in southern Sudan, which could lead Khartoum to renew its support for the LRA.

As reported last week, an estimated 300 people from within the LRA ranks have reportedly defected, including several senior-level commanders and their family members. Voice of America reports that this group is negotiating their return to Uganda with the UN peacekeeping force in Congo. UN sources said they were ready to receive the group, however two of the rebel leaders said they will not leave their from undisclosed location until they see a pardon from President Museveni.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday reiterated the court’s position that LRA commanders indicted in 2005 be arrested and put to trial. Deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said, “It is time to marginalise, isolate and arrest individuals sought by the court. The international community must not support them.” Bensouda also said that it would be a mistake to withdraw the arrest warrants because of the ongoing Juba peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. Read more at The New Vision.

However, many members of Ugandan civil society, as well as the LRA and Ugandan government, continue to argue that domestic justice and reconciliation processes can be a viable alternative to trying indicted leaders at the ICC. A LRA delegation is currently touring northern Uganda to consult with war-affected communities on how to best pursue justice and reconciliation. Earlier this week a cultural leader from the Teso region of northern Uganda told the LRA delegation that, “The most important element in the Teso traditional justice is compensation of the aggrieved parties because it acts as a binding factor and deterrent tool against such a crime.” He also said that the people of Teso were willing to forgive LRA leaders if children abducted from their communities and forced to fight for the LRA were released. Read more at The New Vision.

Recent studies have shown that peace, return to home communities, viable livelihoods and education are the overwhelming priorities of northern Ugandans, and that many fear that ICC rigidity may be hurting chances to secure a peace deal. Also, a majority of northern Ugandans view truth-telling, compensation, a written historical record of wrongdoings and accountability of all parties guilty of crimes during the conflict as the most important elements of transitional justice.

The LRA delegation to the Juba peace talks continued its consultations and confidence-building with northern Ugandans this week with a visit to Teso region. They visited a mass grave for victims of the LRA’s 2003 offensive into Teso, and apologized for crimes committed there. One local official urged the rebels to make progress at the Juba peace talks, saying, “Teso people are tired of staying in camps and are still worried about the LRA. They will only be relieved the day the rebels come out of the bush.” When asked to press for the release of children abducted by the rebels, LRA spokesman Martin Ojul advised the community that such a move could derail the peace process. Read more at The New Vision.

A member of the LRA delegation has said that the negotiators will abandon rebel leader Joseph Kony if he refuses to sign a final peace deal in February 2008. "You people should not be worried that the peace talks will delay," said James Obita during the LRA's continued consultations in northern Uganda. "We are optimistic that the final signing of a comprehensive peace agreement will be in February. You should have hope for long lasting peace." According to Obita though, Kony is asking for northerners' forgiveness and will accept punishment through traditional means for war crimes. Meanwhile, the LRA spokesman said the reports of a "mass defection" of rebels is mistaken because the group of fighters had been expelled from the movement. "We wouldn't call it an LRA surrender, because they were no longer with the movement," Godfrey Ayoo told Reuters. Ayoo has further accused the Ugandan government of "working with insiders" to destabilize the rebel group.

The Sunday Vision reports that thirty LRA rebels, including three commanders, have defected in what might be a sign that the force has fractured following internal feuds. Diplomatic sources have said the group likely includes Okema, Odong-kau, Pak-Pala and Otto, the rebel commanders who LRA chief Joseph Kony accused earlier this month of treachery. The rebels reportedly made contact with UN forces in Congo last Thursday and are expected to surrender to them. If true, this would be the first mass defection in the history of the rebel force. Since reports of fighting between LRA leaders Kony and Vincent Otti, there has been speculation of fractures within the rebel camp. The implications for rebel commitment to the negotiations remains unknown, but such volatility has spelled disaster in past peace initiatives. This combined with the Government's likely deadline of 31 January upon which it will push regional military action, threatens to undermine the historic progress made in Juba. Nevertheless, from another perspective, maybe the very purpose of the peace process is to provide space for the rebel group to disintegrate (or demobilize), while addressing deeper politico-social inequalities.

The New Vision reported over the weekend that divisions have emerged in the LRA negotiating team. The chairman, Martin Ojul, is advocating for the suspension of the country-wide consultations on the peace talks, due to lack of funds. Ojul, after the completion of consultations in Gulu, Pader, Kitgum and Amuru districts, went to Kampala to see his family and has not yet rejoined the peace team. However, legal advisor, Crispus Ayena Odongo, who is now heading the delegation, said with or without money, the team would carry on with the consultation.

Ugandan rebels said on Saturday that they had apologized to survivors of the Barlonyo massacre in which their fighters killed some 400 civilians three years ago. Santa Okot of the LRA said the rebels toured the camp in Uganda's Lira district Friday and apologized to widows and orphans of the February 2004 killings. The attack was one of the country's deadliest in years. The visit is part of ongoing consultations by the LRA with the public and leaders in northern Uganda on peace talks with the government. Read more at AFP.

The LRA delegation conducting consultations on justice and reconciliation in northern Uganda announced today that they will be visiting Lango region this weekend. On Saturday they plan on traveling to Barlonyo, where LRA rebels massacred approximately 400 civilians in February 2004. Lira MP Rebecca Atengo said "The Barlonyo attack was terrible. The remains of the dead were buried in mass graves. It's going to be hard to control the emotions of the victims and survivors. We must tell the truth as we head for reconciliation." Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA delegation conducting consultations on justice and reconciliation and the Juba peace talks on Tuesday asked communities in Uganda’s West Nile region to forgive LRA crimes committed there. A member from the delegation said, "We ask for forgiveness and I can assure you that we are ready to be punished not by the ICC but through mato-oput [Acholi traditional justice system]." West Nile leaders emphasized the importance of forgiveness but also stressed that victims be compensated. In addition to the LRA conflict, the West Nile region is also in the process of rebuilding and reconciling after a 2002 peace agreement between the Ugandan government and the West Nile rebels ended decades of fighting and displacement. Read more at The Monitor.

Three ex-LRA rebels, including former high-level commander Alfred Onen Kamdalu, have been jailed on charges of robbing a civilian in Apac district last month. Kamdalu and the two other ex-combatants have been attached to the Ugandan military since leaving the LRA. They are now awaiting further trial at Gulu Central Prison. Their case demonstrates the challenges of fully integrating ex-LRA combatants into northern Ugandan society. Read more at AllAfrica.com.

Two Ugandan bishops have called on LRA leader Joseph Kony to release his deputy Vincent Otti from captivity as a good will gesture for the Juba peace talks. Earlier this week Kony claimed that he had imprisoned Otti after he and five other LRA commanders plotted to overthrow him. Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu Archdiocese said, "I call upon Kony to reconcile with his deputy to make sure efforts of peace go ahead. Kony should give a second chance. Every human problem can be solved. Let the two talk." Otti’s ultimate fate – and the effect the leadership split will have on the peace talks – still remains an unknown. Read more at The Monitor.

The leader of the LRA delegation, Martin Ojul, has the full backing of rebel leader Joseph Kony, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dr. Stephen Kagoda, assured the public yesterday. Kagoda was reacting to fears that the LRA peace team, which is holding consultations on accountability and reconciliation in the north, did not have the blessings of Kony. "The LRA has remained in close contact with us over this matter and we believe that the people negotiating with the Government have the mandate." However, he added that the rift between Kony and his commanders posed a challenge in the peace talks. Read more at The New Vision.

Speaking to Voice of America, the LRA technical adviser David Matsanga has reiterated that the ICC arrest warrants against its top leadership are the main obstacle to finding a lasting peace to the northern Uganda conflict. The rebels also blame Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the ICC of bias and of being involved in a calculated attempt to derail the adjourned peace talks. "We want to make it very clear that the position of the Lord’s Resistance Army on the question of the ICC is that it was a flawed process. It was a flawed process in that the prosecutor only investigated one side; he did not investigate all the sides that were involved in the conflict...Ugandans are saying no, this peace process cannot be confused. We want the peace process to be concluded," Matsanga said.

The Sunday Vision reports that at least four other LRA commanders, who have been discharged from the rebel army, are missing. LRA leader Joseph Kony told Gulu District chairman Norbert Mao on Thursday by satellite phone that he had expelled five commanders, who he accused of plotting to kill him. Only one, Patrick Makasi, has since surfaced and surrendered to UN forces in Congo. The fate of the other four, identified by Kony as (Sunday) Otto, (Richard) Odong-Kau, Okema and Pak-Pala, is unknown. Meanwhile, the office of the chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar, has been asked to contact the LRA and demand to see deputy commander Vincent Otti before proceeding with the consultation.

The LRA begin their second consultation in northern Uganda today in Adjumani, the community of the Madi People in Uganda’s West Nile region. In the first round, the LRA delegation met with religious and local leaders, women’s groups, and victims from the Acholi people. Kenneth Oketta, the prime minister of the Acholi Cultural Institution, spoke on Voice of America about the candid exchanges at these meetings. "The reaction is positive and full of excitement. It went on very smoothly and frankly, and there was high participation by the people invited," Oketta said. Oketta said some of the questioning suggested the people were skeptical of the LRA but still are willing to believe their sincerity. "They are willing to forgive them because they are desperate, and they have learned that during the last one year, the success for peace is the LRA because when they stopped fighting after signing the cessation of hostilities, there has been a lot of peace and people are home without any arrangement at all either from government or from the army of Uganda." During consultations last week, the LRA delegation reportedly gave money to a man whose right hand was chopped off by the rebels in 1989.

The leader of the LRA peace delegation, Martin Ojul, failed on Wednesday to locate his father's home in Koch-Goma, Amuru district, which he visited for the first time in 22 years. Clad in a blue-jean suit, Ojul admitted he was lost and could not even point at the direction of his ancestral home. Instead, Ojul found an internally-displaced people's camp. Ojul urged the people to move out of the camps and reconstruct their homes so that in future, their children would not end up forgetting their ancestral homes. Ojul assured the community that he would not let Joseph Kony to go back to war. Read more at The New Vision.

As rumors that LRA deputy Vincent Otti has been killed continue to swirl, LRA leader Joseph Kony declared today that Otti is alive but under house arrest. Norbert Mao, Gulu district chairman, reported that LRA leader Joseph Kony informed him via satellite phone that Otti and five other LRA commanders were plotting to overthrow him, allegedly with the support of the Ugandan government. Kony also said that one of the commanders escaped while the other four were discharged. He refused to let Mao speak with Otti personally, saying that Otti remains imprisoned within the LRA camp and is awaiting trial.

Mao also said, “(Kony) said the talks should continue and he fully trusted his peace team. He would only allow his trusted officers to speak for him. The delegation’s mission, he said, was not to explain the internal affairs of the LRA but to consult on the peace process.” Read more at The New Vision.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) and South Sudan government have announced separately that they will conduct investigations into the fate of LRA deputy Vincent Otti, rumored to have been killed last month. A team for the South Sudan government is reportedly headed to the Sudan-Congo border to determine Otti’s fate. In another initiative, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced that the court will consult with regional governments and other authorities on what has become of Otti. The ICC issued arrest warrants for five LRA commanders in 2005, including Vincent Otti and LRA leader Joseph Kony. Read more at The Monitor.

The monitoring team set up to oversee the cessation of hostilities signed by the LRA and Ugandan government has confirmed that there is a small group of LRA in the area, estimated to be twelve in number and moving in two groups. The rebels are accused of killing two UPDF soldiers at the end of last month and also looting food from displaced persons. Read more at The New Vision.

It is likely that small groups of LRA that remain in pockets in northern Uganda are not coordinating their activity with the LRA command in DR Congo and Sudan, but are acting more as armed criminals. Boosting northern Uganda’s weak police force and judicial institutions, not relying on Uganda’s military, is the best long-term solution to deal with such groups and other armed criminals in northern Uganda.

Many international news sources are reporting that the likely death of LRA second-in-command has many worried that disarray within the LRA ranks could upset ongoing peace talks. Ugandan army spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi told The Associated Press today that intelligence reports and tips from the LRA's former operations commander, Opio Makasi, who defected last month, indicated that Joseph Kony had killed his deputy, Vincent Otti early last month. Magezi said Kony reportedly accused Otti "of collaborating with LRA's enemies." Ruth Nankabirwa, Uganda's deputy minister for defense, asked citizens to pray for peace. "The government does not want chaos to prevail in LRA camp because that might negatively affect the peace talks," Nankabirwa said.

A delegation of about 450 people from Uganda is expected to visit the LRA base in Garamba Park, east DR Congo. The group's visit to Garamba is part of consultations aimed at building confidence in the Juba peace process. "At the end of our consultation in Uganda early December, we shall have mobilised a group of about 450 people that will go to meet Joseph Kony," LRA's peace delegation leader, Martin Ojul said on Monday. The delegation this week began its consultations on 'accountability and reconciliation' throughout the country. Read more at The Monitor.

Rumors that LRA second-in-command Vincent Otti has been killed continue to grow stronger. “intelligence brief” obtained by The New Vision alleges that Otti was killed during a battle with forces loyal to Kony on October 8th because Kony suspected Otti of “insubordination and hiding money received from LRA contacts… [and] also feared that Otti was dealing with individuals who wanted to eliminate him and take over the leadership.” Otti’s death has not been confirmed, and members of the LRA delegation continue to maintain that he is sick with cholera. Kony has reportedly named Okot Odhiambo, also indicted by the International Criminal Court, to replace Otti as his new deputy commander. Read more at The New Vision.

The impact of Otti’s death, should it be confirmed, on the peace talks is uncertain. Otti has been the primary public face and mouthpiece of the LRA military leadership since the peace talks began in July 2006 and a key liaison with the LRA negotiation team, the Ugandan government and mediators.

Speaking in Gulu yesterday, the head of the LRA delegation to the Juba peace talks asked northern Ugandans to forgive the rebel group for crimes committed during over two decades of conflict. Martin Ojul said, "The LRA made plenty of mistakes and I ask for forgiveness for what happened to our people." Ojul also reaffirmed the LRA delegation’s intention to consult with war-affected populations about issues such as justice and reconciliation related to the ongoing peace process, saying, "We are bringing a message of peace to the people of northern Uganda from the LRA leadership and we want your views to help resolve this problem once and for all." Ojul also announced that 450 Ugandans - including MPs, members of civil society and religious leaders - will be invited to Ri-kwangba in southern Sudan in December to consult with LRA leader Joseph Kony directly. Read more at The Monitor.

Members of the delegation also participated in traditional cleansing ceremony in Gulu that Acholi cultural leader Rwot Acana II said was “the beginning of the reconciliation process.” Read more at The New Vision.

Gulu resident district commissioner, Col. Walter Ochora said today, "From our intelligence, we know that Otti (the second-of-command of LRA) is dead and Kony removed his satellite phone and gave it to his signaller...Kony should call Radio MegaFM and clear the air about the death of Otti to avoid anxiety and speculation." The New Vision reports that Ochora has played a key role in confidence-building between the Government and rebels. Meanwhile, other northern Ugandan leaders have pressed the LRA to shed more light on Otti's status. The Monitor reports that Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao said, "I have told Martin Ojul [LRA lead negotiator] that the cloud needs to be cleared. This cholera story is implausible. They should find another lie or come open and tell us what exactly happened to Otti."

The meeting Saturday night between President Museveni and the LRA negotiating team ended with the signing of a document that extends the Cessation of Hostilities truce to 31 January 2008. The Government's lead negotiator said that the meeting "obviously enhanced confidence in the whole process." Read more at The Monitor.

The New Vision reports that the LRA remains "cagey" about the fate of its second-in-command Vincent Otti, but top security sources that that "all indicators show that he is dead." The UPDF spokesperson, Major Felx Kulayigye, said, "Kony killed his first army commander Otti Lagony in similar circumstances during peace talks in 1994." Reports are rife that Otti was executed in the LRA hideout in Garamba in the DR Congo, on the orders of his boss, Joseph Kony. In an interview this weekend, the former LRA director of operations Opiyo Makasi said that Kony arrested Otti on 2 October following a disagreement on the peace process. Meanwhile, the LRA delegation has continued to assert that Otti is okay, even when President Museveni asked them to ask Kony to release Otti.

Voice of America reports that the LRA delegation visiting Kampala plans to meet with President Museveni and consult with Ugandans across the country about ongoing peace negotiations. LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo said the delegation has been warmly received in Kampala. "The reception that the Lords Resistance Movement/Army's peace delegation has received in Uganda has been wonderful. There's a lot of excitement, a lot of expectation," he said. Ayoo says the purpose of the delegation is to demonstrate that his group wants peace and to involve the Ugandan people in the peace process.