African lawmakers call for speedy resolution of northern Uganda conflict

African lawmakers on Wednesday called for speedy resolution of the northern Uganda conflict and urged regional governments to intervene to help prevent peace talks between the Lord's Resistant Army (LRA) rebels and the Ugandan government from failing.

Speaking in Nairobi, the legislators mainly from the Great Lakes region particularly called on neighboring states -- Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania -- to break their silence and apply pressure to ensure the cease-fire is respected by both parties to rescue talks which are seen as the best chance in ending the 20-year-old conflict.

"We appeal to regional governments to support the peace talks being negotiated by southern Sudan. Instead of fast-tracking East Africa unity, they should first ensure that there is peace in northern Uganda," Robert Mao, a lawmaker from Uganda told journalists in Nairobi.

"For us people who live in northern Uganda, we see these talks as the best chance to end the longest conflict. There is no alternative to peace talks. If the peace talks fail, everybody in the region including Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya would suffer very much," he said.

He was speaking in Nairobi during the launch of the report by the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace on the observer mission to the northern Uganda peace talks taking place in Juba

the capital of South Sudan.

The report covers the findings and observation of the lawmakers following the observation mission that was undertaken to the Juba talks in September.

"International pressure must be applied to ensure the LRA and Ugandan government adhere to the cease-fire and continue negotiating. No proper attention is being given to this tragedy in northern Uganda," said Prof. Anyang Nyong'o, a Kenyan lawmaker.

The 20-year war in northern Uganda has forced two million people from their homes, and led to the deaths of 200,000. The LRA has abducted more than 30,000 children using them as child soldiers and sexual slaves.

The Vice President of southern Sudan, Riek Machar, is heading a mediation team trying to broker a peace deal between Ugandan authorities and the LRA.

The 12-page report called on the Ugandan government to continue being committed to the peace process and to provide more resources to facilitate the talks.

"This is because the government of southern Sudan has limited resources, and also faces the challenge of reconstructing South Sudan ," said Shumina Mwitila, regional chairman of the forum.

Mwitila, a Zambian lawmaker called on negotiating teams to be tolerant, respectful of each others' views and apply confidence building mechanisms if the long awaited peace would be restored in northern Uganda.

"The parties should implement the cessation of hostilities agreement by putting in place monitoring teams to ensure effective implementation. The team should be adequately facilitated," the report recommended.

The cessation of hostilities agreement signed by both sides at the peace talks had recently been extended after a monitoring group had found that both the LRA and the Ugandan government had so far failed to honor its terms. The LRA had been given more time to assemble at two points in southern Sudan in return for amnesty from the Ugandan government.

Source: Xinhua