Rebels from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army are expected to sign a final peace agreement to end more than 20 years of conflict with the Ugandan government.

LRA leader Joseph Kony is due to attend the signing at a camp in the jungle town of Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is due to sign on Monday in the southern Sudan capital Juba.

The two sides have been in peace talks there since 2006, after a war in which tens of thousands died.

Two million people were displaced in the conflict, during which the LRA allegedly abducted thousands of Uganda rebels 'kidnapping' in CAR ...
Sudan 'finds' EU soldier's body ...
Peacekeeping head in Darfur plea ... children to serve as child soldiers.

Elaborate camp

The signing ceremony was supposed to go ahead exactly a week ago but was postponed at Mr Kony's request when he told the southern Sudanese mediators he was too sick to attend.

The BBC's Sarah Grainger in Nabanga in southern Sudan says mediators and the United Nations have transformed the bush close to the venue of the signing ceremony into an elaborate camp, complete with electricity and a hot buffet.

They have flown in dozens of journalists to report on the event and have already taken several members of Mr Kony's family to the meeting point.

There had been fears that Mr Kony, who has been in hiding since an arrest warrant was issued against him and two of his top commanders by the International Criminal Court, would not appear for the signing.

But southern Sudanese Vice-President Riek Machar said the rebel leader was at the camp and was ready to sign the deal

After Mr Museveni signs on Monday, the rebels will have 30 days to gather in southern Sudan before disarmament and demobilisation will begin.

But the LRA negotiators have already said their fighters will not disarm unless the ICC arrest warrants are removed and they can be tried on war crimes charges in Uganda instead.

(BBC)

<< Back