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Kony Promotes Himself to General

The Monitor (Kampala)
NEWS
June 4, 2004
Posted to the web June 4, 2004

By Andrew M. Mwenda & Alex B. Atuhaire
Kampala
The leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony , has
promoted himself to the rank of General. In a communication issued on June 1,
2004, Kony also promoted his deputy Vincent Otti to the rank of Lieutenant
General.
According to highly placed sources in the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF),
Kony announced the promotions in a radio message. Military intelligence
intercepted the message.
UPDF spokesman, Maj. Shaban Bantariza said the army is not bothered by the LRA
promotions. "We don't care whether he promotes himself to general. It makes him
a general terrorist," Bantariza told The Monitor by telephone. "We are not
bothered; he can even go ahead and make himself Field Marshal," Bantariza said.
According to security sources, LRA commanders Kamuduli (whose alleged dead body
was pictured in the press) and Ceaser Acellam (LRA's chief of military
intelligence) who had earlier been announced dead are actually alive. The
latter is reportedly ill in a sickbay.
Security sources further told The Monitor that Kony also promoted one of his
commanders, Lakati to Brigadier. The LRA leader has also called all his
commanders back to the Sudan.
Security sources say that in a radio communication, Kony instructed Otti to
organise a celebration party for the promoted officers. Kony further told Otti
that in spite of many difficulties, LRA would march to Lira town to loot goods
for the party and that the celebrations should coincide with Independence Day
anniversary celebrations.
Ugandan security sources, who have listened to the intercepted LRA radio
communication, say that Kony's self-promotion and of his rebel officers is a
response to recent promotions within the UPDF. In one of the intercepted
messages, Kony claims that Uganda's Army Commander, newly promoted Lt. Gen.
Aronda Nyakairima, failed to dislodge the LRA during Operation Iron Fist.
Security sources further say that Kony reasoned that how could Aronda, whom he
(Kony) defeated in southern Sudan during Operation Iron Fist in 2002 become a
Lieutenant General while the LRA commander himself remains at the rank of Major
General.
In another development, the LRA leadership has announced it is ready for peace
talks; if government accepts its terms. Highly placed sources told The Monitor
that in another intercepted radio message between Kony and Otti, the rebel army
now has a contact through whom they want to negotiate with government.
According to the source, privy to the radio intercept, Otti reported to Kony
how he met a government peace emissary (names and code names withheld for
security reasons).
Army spokesman, Maj. Shaban Bantariza said the LRA could go ahead with the
peace talks. He warned however, that preconditions would not be accepted. "No
preconditions are permissible, especially those which make the population
vulnerable to Kony's terrorist attacks," he said on phone, last evening.
The source recounted that Otti told Kony that the peace emissary was very
scared, but was handled well by the LRA commander. He added that Otti told Kony
that he (Otti) had held a meeting with other LRA commanders - Lukwiya and
Kwoyelo - and discussed the peace proposal.
Otti further told Kony that he wrote a letter to government through the
emissary, giving two conditions for peace talks: that the UPDF withdraws from
southern Sudan and Northern Uganda. The second conditionality was that UPDF
soldiers lay down their weapons before the LRA does so.
Bantariza however said this was unacceptable. "For us, we shall implement what
the Commander in Chief tells us. We don't envisage him instructing us to
withdraw from southern Sudan or to lay down out tools. Such a thing has never
happened and we shall not be the first ones to do it," he said.
The source said that Kony was happy with Otti's report on the intercepted radio
communication but was skeptical about the peace emissary whom he seemed not to
trust.
The source said however, that Otti told Kony that the peace emissary is well
known to him (Otti) because he (the emissary) was born in Atyak and that both
have been in contact for a long time.

   

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