Uganda rebels to leave hideouts under truce deal

Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels agreed yesterday to leave their hideouts and assemble at two south Sudanese camps in a major breakthrough in efforts to end one of Africa's longest wars, mediators said.

Under a deal with Uganda's government that commits both sides to cease all attacks and hostile propaganda, LRA fighters now have three weeks to gather at the two locations while talks continue to end their two-decade insurgency.

"We hope that now the two principals will take action so that the guns can go silent," said the chief mediator, southern Sudan's Vice-President Riek Machar, referring to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and LRA commander Joseph Kony.

The deal is due to take effect on Tuesday. After that, LRA rebels based in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Uganda will move to the assembly points where they will be monitored by southern Sudanese forces.

Guerillas in Congo agreed to gather at Ri-Kwangba, close to Sudan's western border with DRC, while those in Uganda will travel to Owiny-ki-Bul, east of the Nile near Sudan's border with Uganda, according to a copy of the deal seen by Reuters. Once the deal takes effect, it said, Uganda's military would guarantee the LRA in Uganda safe passage across the border.

"In the event of failure of the peace talks, the LRA shall be allowed to leave the assembly areas peacefully," it added.

Uganda's government had earlier said it would only sign a truce as part of a comprehensive peace agreement, accusing the rebels of using previous deals to regroup, recruit and re-arm.

If the rebels - including Kony and his deputies - make it to the assembly points within the three-week deadline, that would go a long way to soothing those fears, observers say.