LRA Asks for More Time to Sign Peace Deal

Uganda’s rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has asked the Ugandan government to put off its planned military solution in order to allow its elusive leader sign a peace deal. The LRA’s chief negotiator James Obita reportedly met Ugandan cabinet minister Ruhakana Rugunda and asked Kampala to suspend its plan to mobilize a regional military offensive against the rebel group. LRA leader Joseph Kony has insisted that he will only sign the peace deal if the International Criminal Court drops all charges preferred against him for crimes against humanity. According to Obita, the Ugandan government has expressed a willingness to give Kony another chance to sign the peace deal. [PE]