The visiting head of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF Ann Veneman urged Saturday Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to find ways to end the 19-year civil war in the country's northern region that has left thousands of children dead or abducted by the rebels, dpa reported. Veneman, who ended her visit to Uganda Saturday after spending two days in the north, met President Museveni in the regional town of Gulu. "As I wrap up my two day visit to northern Uganda, it is not only the children who have suffered in captivity but also the children who live in fear of being abducted," the UNICEF chief told a news briefing at Gulu airport, 360 kilometres north of Kampala. "One thing I have heard from everyone is that the war should end. I had a good meeting with the president and I told him that we must end this war for the sake of the children." "The president said that he is optimistic that the war will end. He said that the number of children being abducted is going down," she added. Lords Resistance Army (LRA) guerillas have displaced 1.5 million people during the conflict and abducted thousands of children whom they force to fight or become sex slaves. Peace talks in December last year failed as the rebels refused to sign a draft peace treaty. -- SP 2327 Local Time 2027 GMT
