UPDF speaks out on warlord Kony’s alleged call for fresh peace talks with Museveni

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has said it has not yet received any information from government relating to recent claims that Joseph Kony, the leader of rebel group, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had reached out to government proposing peace talks.

A few days ago, it was alleged that the warlord had written to President Yoweri Museveni asking for fresh talks with the government.

In the rumoured missive sent to the President , Kony proposed the name of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah to head the move that could eventually end Kony’s three and half decade resistance against the current government.

Joseph Kony’s LRA outfit is on record for having killed hundreds of thousands of people in Uganda between 1987 and 2009. About 3 million others were forced to leave their homes into internally displaced camps.

In 2005, he was indicted by the International Criminal Court on a number of crimes against humanity over his gruesome life threatening insurgency. He has however managed to avoid arrest for fifteen years now.

The call for talks came at a time when Museveni and the United Nations stopped pursuing the outfit after concluding that it posed no significant security threat against the people of Uganda.

However, according to Lt Col Deo Akiiki, the UPDF Deputy Spokesperson the media on Monday in Kampala said they had not yet received any information from government regarding the issues.

“There have been rumors on social media about the leader of the LRA requesting for peace talks. As UPDF, it is not yet our time to talk about LRA seeking for peace or not. We can neither confirm nor deny that the LRA could have taken such an action. It’s not yet within our domain,” Akiiki said.

“And in any case, if anything of that matter comes up, we are sure government will inform you about the developments. It is our desire that there is always harmony in the community, if LRA decides to take that action. ”