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Uganda rebels due to sign peace Uganda rebels delay peace signing
(about 6 hours later)
Rebels from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army are expected to sign a final peace agreement to end more than 20 years of conflict with the Ugandan government. The leader of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebels is refusing to sign a final peace deal until some key issues are clarified, officials say.
LRA leader Joseph Kony is due to attend the signing at a camp in the jungle town of Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan. Joseph Kony was expected to come out of hiding to sign the deal in a ceremony in southern Sudan on Thursday.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is then due to sign separately on Monday in southern Sudan's capital, Juba. But the leading mediator, South Sudan's Vice-President Riek Machar, said Mr Kony had asked for further discussions.
The two sides have been in peace talks there since 2006, after a war in which tens of thousands died. The Ugandan-LRA conflict has cost tens of thousands of lives and is notorious for atrocities against children.
Two million people were displaced in the conflict, during which the LRA allegedly abducted thousands of children to serve as child soldiers. Two million people have been displaced in the conflict, which has lasted for more than 20 years, and during which the LRA allegedly abducted thousands of children to serve as child soldiers.
Elaborate campElaborate camp
The signing ceremony was supposed to go ahead a week earlier but was postponed at Mr Kony's request when he told the southern Sudanese mediators he was too sick to attend. The signing ceremony was supposed to go ahead last week but was postponed at Mr Kony's request, when he told the southern Sudanese mediators he was too sick to attend.
The BBC's Sarah Grainger in Nabanga in southern Sudan says mediators and the United Nations have transformed the bush close to the venue of the signing ceremony into an elaborate camp, complete with electricity and a hot buffet. The signing was rescheduled to take place on Thursday at a camp in the jungle town of Ri-Kwangba in southern Sudan.
They have flown in dozens of journalists to report on the event and have already taken several members of Mr Kony's family to the meeting point. The signing was put off last week after Mr Kony said he was sick
There had been fears that Mr Kony, who has been in hiding since an arrest warrant was issued against him and two of his top commanders by the International Criminal Court, would not appear for the signing. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was then due to sign separately on Monday in southern Sudan's capital, Juba.
"As far as I'm concerned everything is going as planned," rebel chief negotiator David Nyekorach Matsanga told the BBC's Network Africa programme. The two sides have been in peace talks there since 2006.
Southern Sudanese Vice-President Riak Machar has also said the rebel leader was at the camp and was ready to sign the deal. The BBC's Sarah Grainger in Nabanga in southern Sudan says mediators and the United Nations have transformed the bush close to the venue of the planned signing ceremony into an elaborate camp, complete with electricity and a hot buffet.
After Mr Museveni signs on Monday, the rebels will have 30 days to gather in southern Sudan before disarmament and demobilisation will begin. They flew in dozens of journalists to report on the event and had already taken several members of Mr Kony's family to the meeting point.
It had been feared that Mr Kony, who has been in hiding since an arrest warrant was issued against him and two of his top commanders by the International Criminal Court, would not appear for the signing.
But rebel chief negotiator David Nyekorach Matsanga told the BBC "everything is going as planned", and Mr Machar had said the rebel leader was at the camp and was ready to sign the deal.
War crimes charges
If Mr Museveni signs on Monday, the rebels will then have 30 days to gather in southern Sudan before disarmament and demobilisation will begin.
But the LRA negotiators have already said their fighters will not disarm unless the ICC arrest warrants are removed and they can be tried on war crimes charges in Uganda instead.But the LRA negotiators have already said their fighters will not disarm unless the ICC arrest warrants are removed and they can be tried on war crimes charges in Uganda instead.
"We are going to sign the document on condition that Uganda goes to the UN Security Council to remove these indictments," Mr Matsanga said."We are going to sign the document on condition that Uganda goes to the UN Security Council to remove these indictments," Mr Matsanga said.
He said the government had yet to secure the LRA immunity from prosecution and they wanted the indictment removed for 12 months.He said the government had yet to secure the LRA immunity from prosecution and they wanted the indictment removed for 12 months.