Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, has said he is positive about the prospects for peace in northern Uganda.
In a rare public address broadcast on the Gulu-based radio station Mega FM, Kony said he has concluded a three-day meeting with the members of the LRA peace team who have briefed him of the outcome of the public consultations on peace, reconciliation and justice. Speaking for the first time since his reported killing of his deputy Vincent Otti, Kony said he is eager to sign the final comprehensive peace agreement with Government.
Kony, who called into Mega FM to make his address, became evasive when asked about the fate of Vincent Otti. He said matters regarding Otti remain only the concern of the rebel group. He threw the question back to the public, asking if President Yoweri Museveni is ever queried when he disciplines his soldiers.
Kony said he wants the final peace agreement to be signed in the presence of credible local and international observers before he can leave his hideout in the Garamba Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
During the twenty minute phone address the rebel leader also denied allegations that he was involved in a fresh recruiting exercise in preparation for war. He accused government of planning to foil the peace process so as to resume military offensives against the rebel group.
Asked to guarantee the safety of the Internally Displaced Persons during the return and resettlement program, Kony said the public was free to return home if they believed the reasons that they left in the first place have been addressed.
Ending in a high note, Kony requested for the Swahili song, iSina Makosai by Les Wanyika.
