Uganda said Wednesday it is beginning a month-long series of consultations with the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to develop a system of justice and reconciliation that may secure a long-awaited peace deal, according to dpa. The peace negotiations, which have been dragging on since July 2006, got a boost last week when the warring sides signed the crucial accountability and reconciliation agreement that allows those who committed atrocities to admit the crimes and go through a confession and forgiveness process. It stopped short of offering immunity to LRA commanders - four of whom are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their roles in the brutal 20-year conflict. The month-long talks would allow each side to hash out a mechanism to be used for ensuring that those who committed the crimes confess, show remorse, ask for forgiveness and pay reparations. "We have been given one month to consult in Kampala and in the conflict areas and get the mechanism to be adopted," the head of the government peace team, Ruhakana Rugunda told reporters in Kampala. The issue of accountability and justice is seen as key to getting LRA leaders to sign a final peace deal and critics charge the ICC warrants are hindering the process. The historic peace talks aim to end the LRA's insurgency led by Joseph Kony, which saw tens of thousands killed and 1.7 million displaced, turning northern Uganda into what has been called one of the world's worst and most neglected humanitarian crises. The government and LRA agreed to cease hostilities in August, but sporadic fighting still plagues the impoverished area.
