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Ugandan rebel 'peacemaker' Kony hold first-ever press briefing
Nabanga, Sudan-Dr Congo Border, Aug 1, 2006 Swapping his usual jungle fatigues for white regalia, elusive Ugandan rebel chief and internationally wanted criminal Joseph Kony on Tuesday gave his first-ever press conference and flatly denied having committed any atrocities. Donning a white shirt, white trousers and black shoes, Kony, who describes himself as a prophet, ventured from the jungle and blamed a lack "of good communication to the world" for the bad reputation his movement has had over the years. The Ugandan government and humanitarian groups have accused the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of kidnapping children -- forcibly conscripting boys and marrying girls to his fighters. "I cannot fight with children. There is not any children in position. There is not any abduction in the LRA," Kony told reporters in poor english. According to UN children's agency (UNICEF), at least 25,000 children have been abducted. Sudanese mediators lured Kony, who along four of his commanders are indicted by the International Criminal Court, to negotiate an end to a brutal rebellion in northern Uganda that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced around two million people. In a meeting with southern Sudanese vice president Riak Machar, Ugandan officials and Sudanese elders, Kony begged for forgiveness for atrocities committed by his insurgents on the people of northern Uganda and southern Sudan. After the meeting, Kony and his heavily-armed fighters returned to the bush before another round of meetings scheduled for Wednesday in a tent somewhere near or exactly on the Sudan-Democratic Republic of Congo frontier. "We are back in the jungle, we shall continue with the meeting tommorrow," said LRA spokeman Obonyo Olweny. Few outsiders, government officials or journalists, have ever met Kony, whose reputation for pseudo-mystical brutality was enhanced a couple of years ago when he reportedly issued and mercilessly enforced a "divinely-inspired" edict: thou shalt not ride a bicycle or eat pork. Offenders were beaten and even killed but not often given a clear reason for the new commandments. The Juba talks, mediated by Machar, are seen as the best chance to restore peace and stability in Uganda. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Nuclear Space Technology at Space-Travel.com
US-Cuban relations more tense than neighborly
Washington, Aug 1, 2006 Relations between the United States and Cuba long have been more strained than neighborly, ranging from US occupations to Cold War enmity to, at one point, the brink of nuclear war. Here are some of the key events: |
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