Ugandan rebels said Thursday they had suspended peace talks with the government aimed at ending a 20 year brutal war in the north of the country. The Lord's Resistance Army said they had put the talks on hold, accusing the Ugandan military of attacking their troops in violation of a truce the two sides signed in August. «We are not withdrawing from the peace process,» the rebel delegation chairman Martin Ojul told the Associated Press by phone. «But until the UPDF (Ugandan People's Defense Forces) withdraw its troops and stop attacking us we cannot continue with the talks.» Under the terms of the August truce, rebel fighters were to gather in September at two neutral points. Both sides trading accusations of violations. Ugandan government officials denied the latest allegations. Ruhakana Rugunda, head of the government delegation, told reporters brief rebel walkouts were «routine and they'll come back. In my view the only way to move forward is to pursue the peace process.» Almost 2 million people have been displaced by the conflict, aid organizations say.
