2006–2008 Juba talks

The Juba talks were a series of negotiations between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group over the terms of a ceasefire and possible peace agreement.

[4][5] Several organizations, including the ICC[6] and the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute[7] insisted that LRA leaders must be arrested in accordance with the Rome Statute.

[8] Regardless, in late June 2006, the Government of Southern Sudan formally invited Uganda to attend peace talks.

[9] On 14 July 2006 talks began in Juba between delegations from the LRA and Uganda, with the Vice-president of Southern Sudan Riek Machar as the chief mediator.

The leader of the Ugandan delegation, Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda stated that his priority was to obtain a quick ceasefire.

[13] On 2 August, Kony held his first-ever press conference in which he demanded a ceasefire before LRA-government negotiations resumed on the 7th and denied ever abducting children.

Some media sources noted that, of the approximately 80 LRA fighters surrounding the press venue, several appeared to be in their early teens.

The request by the Ugandan Government for ICC to suspend war crimes indictments against leaders of the LRA, condemned by international human rights groups but largely supported by leaders and civilians within northern Uganda, led some political analysts to see Ugandan Government's request as a ploy to gain local support.

[17] ICC indictee Raska Lukwiya was killed in battle on 12 August 2006; the LRA asked for three days of mourning though a spokesman said that talks would continue.

[22] On 20 October 2006, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni traveled to Juba to meet the LRA negotiators face-to-face for the first time in an attempt to revive the talks, described as "stalled" by BBC News and "faltering" by The Monitor newspaper.

A pall had been thrown over the talks by the murder of several dozen civilians, including the shooting of women and children in the head, near Juba during the two previous days.

Also, outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique, to be the UN envoy to the conflict.

[28] On 12 January 2007 Ojul stated that recent comments made by al-Bashir and Kiir clearly signified that the LRA was not welcome any longer in Sudan, and that further talks should occur in Kenya instead.

The talks were again mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan, but with the support of the United Nations and logistic facilitation from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), under the leadership of her local head Eliane Duthoit.

The LRA and government agreed that both formal justice procedures and the traditional Mato Oput ceremony of reconciliation would play a role.

[35] In November 2007, an LRA delegation led by Martin Ojul journeyed to Kampala to restate their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

However, reports surfaced that LRA deputy commander Otti had been executed on or around 8 October 2007 over an internal power struggle with Kony.

[36] On 20 December 2007 the government set an ultimatum for the peace talks to conclude by 31 January 2008, threatening that a new military offensive otherwise.

[50] The ICC prosecutor-general Luis Moreno-Ocampo on 5 March 2008 rejected demands by the rebels for a meeting, stating that "arrest warrants issued by the court... remain in effect and have to be executed".

[52] On 12 March 2008, as final talks were set to continue, the ICC inquired as to the precise definition of the powers of the proposed intra-Ugandan war crimes court section, in a move seen as softening the indictments on the LRA rebels.

[57] Kony delayed the signing of the final treaty further on 10 April 2008, reportedly asking for more information about what kind of punishments he could face.

[58] He later clarified that he wanted to know further details about how mato-oput, the Acholi traditional justice, would be used, and how exactly the special division of the High Court would work;[59] he then suspended the peace talks and appointed a new negotiating team, claiming to "have been misled".

[60] Specifically, Kony fired chief LRA negotiator David Nyakorach Matsanga and replaced him with James Obita.