Elusive Ugandan Rebel Leader Finally Contacts Mediators

The elusive leader of Uganda’s rebel Lord’s Resistance Army has finally broken his long reclusive silence, contacting UN’s special envoy Joaquim Chissano by phone and asking for another chance for peace talks. In the phone call, Kony asked for a meeting with local leaders from Northern Uganda, and another one with President Yoweri Museveni before he signs a final peace agreement. Kony declined to sign an already negotiated peace deal in April, insisting that the International Criminal Court’s indictment against him must be quashed before he ends his 21 year insurgency. [PE]