AFRICA/UGANDA - Cease fire in northern Uganda extended

Kampala (Fides Service)- The Ugandan government has decided to extend to 30 November the unilateral and geographically limited cease fire in northern Uganda with regard to the Lord’s Resistance Army LRA which has engaged in a fierce civil war in the northern part of the country for 18 years (see Fides 24 November 2004). Announcing the extension Information Minister Nsaba Buturo said the government intends to show its “genuine desire for peace and give the LRA more time to formulate concrete responses”.
The first cease fire, announced by President Yoweri Museveni on 14 November, was to conclude on 23 November.
But in fact it was never actually suspended although the army did engaged in combat with rebels -officially at least - outside the cease-fire area about 300 square kilometres, the zone most affected by the war. The decision to extend the cease fire appears to be because of positive signals from the LRA (particularly its leader Joseph Kony said the have had important telephone conversations) and because the United Nations asked Kampala to find concrete paths for peace in northern Uganda.
The toll of civil war in Northern Uganda is at least 100,000 dead, 25,000 children kidnapped, and about 1.6 million people, the entire population, forced to leave homes and land and take refuge in camps without even basic necessities for survival and often at the mercy of ruthless LRA incursions. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/11/2004 righe 25 parole 292)