Kenya Won't Host Peace Talks

 
The Kenya government has declined a request from Uganda’s rebel Lord’s Resistance Army to have on-going peace talks in Juba relocated to Nairobi. The LRA’s second in command, Vincent Otti had called for the venue switch saying the current host and mediator Riek Machar, VP of Southern Sudan was partisan.

The Uganda government says any venue switch will just delay the negotiations to end Uganda’s vicious 20-year civil war. The talks started last summer in Juba, capital of Southern Sudan. The LRA has suspended its participation in talks shortly after Christmas.

''We are not ready to host the peace talks between LRA and the government of Uganda in our country,” Kenya's minister for foreign affairs, Raphael Tuju said. “While Kenya will be ready to play a positive role in the resolution of this problem, we have no reason to cast doubt on the process currently going on in Juba. We have therefore decided that we will not be offering to host these talks so that the current momentum already set in Juba may proceed unimpeded.''

East African correspondent Maganda writes for The Black Star News from Uganda

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