IS KONY INTERESTED IN PEACE TALKS?
ROBERT ROBERT The New Vision
The present confusion with the LRA leadership in Garamba makes the Juba peace talks completely meaningless.

If it is true that Joseph Kony has murdered his second-in-command Vincent Otti and other other commanders, then the government of Uganda and all those seeking peace through the Juba talks should ask themselves whether they are dealing with a sane person.

Kony does not seem to be interested in the peace talks. It appears he was just using the talks to buy time to reorganise the LRA, since the government forces had cornered him, his supporters in Sudan had withdrawn their assistance and he was experiencing financial hardship.

It might be true that people like Otti were genuinely interested in the peace talks when their boss was not.

Why does Kony fear to meet high profile people like Jan Eagland, the UN under- secretary general for humanitarian affairs, and Joachim Chisano? Worse still, why doesn't he want to meet president Yoweri Museveni at a round table since he claims he is the one he has a problem with?

Kony is up to no good. This is the right time for the government and all other concerned world bodies to flush Kony out of his hideout through any available means.

Eagland once described the Kony war in the north as the worst neglected humanitarian emergency in the world.

Who has neglected it? A lot of government money has been spent in the war, yet such money could have been used for other productive economic activities.

The atrocities that Kony has caused cannot be forgiven. The only thing the LRA seems to fear is the International Criminal Court.

Kony is frustrating the peace talks and the Government should not waste much more time and should talk to him in the only language he understands.