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Uganda Wants Top LRA Rebel Extradited

The Monitor (Kampala)

NEWS
22 October 2007
Posted to the web 22 October 2007

By Frank Nyakairu

UGANDA wants a top LRA commander, who surrendered to the UN forces in the
Democratic Republic of Congo to be extradited to Uganda. Opio Makasi was LRA
director of operations for three years.
"DR Congo is mandated to extradite this commander under the Arusha Agreement
with President Museveni and his Congo counterpart Mr Kabila, and also under the
Tripartite Plus arrangement," said Regional Cooperation Minister Isaac Musumba
in an interview with Daily Monitor in Juba.
"A process should be engaged to ensure that Makasi is handed over to Ugandan
authorities." Mr Museveni and Mr Kabila signed an agreement in which Kinshasa
committed itself to dislodge the LRA from its territory. Makasi, 36, handed
himself to UN troops near Garamba National Park last week and was flown to the
Congolese capital Kinshasa.
He was with his wife and a child. Though reports say Makasi fled a violent rift
between the two top most LRA leaders, Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti, the rebel
outfit denied yesterday.
"What has been reported in your newspapers is utterly false. Otti is very fine
and is still the deputy leader of the LRA and the entire high command is intact
with no division," said LRA chief negotiator Martin Ojur in a telephone
interview from Ri-Kwangba at the Sudan-Congo border.
Ojur had led his delegation to Ri-Kwagba to meet the LRA leadership ahead of
another meeting with the UN Secretary General's representative for northern
Uganda, Joachim Chissano. The envoy was expected in Juba yesterday from where
he also expected to fly to Kony's base today.
What Martin could not explain is Makasi's presence in Kinshasa. State Minister
for Defence Ruth Nankabirwa said yesterday Makasi qualified for amnesty.
"Makasi is a senior commander but he is not among those indicted so he
automatically qualifies for amnesty," said Ms Nankabirwa.
She is part of a six-minister delegation in South Sudan following the outcry
over mistreatment of Ugandan business community. The UPDF blamed most of the
attacks in Pader and Gulu districts in 2004 on Makasi who succeeded Onen
Kamudulu then LRA head of military operations who surrendered to the government
the same year.
Kamudulu was granted amnesty and resumed civilian life in Gulu. Reports also
said he commanded an operation in February 2006 that killed eight Guatemalan
commandos under the Monuc peacekeeping mission leaving 16 injured.
Sources in the Government of South Sudan Peace talk's secretariat told Daily
Monitor that Mr Chissano had come to intervene in a disagreement between the
LRA delegation and the UN over how to handle funds.
The rebels had been asking for 97,000 pounds (Shs320million) for consultations
in war-affected regions in northern and north-eastern Uganda. "There was a
disagreement on how that money would be used and the secretariat had to block
the transfer after giving it to Martin Ojur," the sources said. After the
Garamba meeting the LRA is expected to start consultations with the communities
on how the conflict would be resolved.
A month-long consultation process on the Government side has already favoured a
special crimes court for the LRA leadership over the atrocities committed in
Uganda's longest war.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for four top
leaders for war crime and crimes against humanity. The Hague-based ICC wants
Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen tried but the rebels have
insisted that dropping the indictments is a precondition for any peace deal.
Each is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in
Uganda since July 2002.

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