KAMPALA, Nov 30 (Reuters)
Deserters from Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) said on Friday the rebels' leader Joseph Kony had executed his deputy Vincent Otti due to Otti's enthusiasm for peace talks.
"Kony ordered Otti's execution on the 2nd of October," former LRA commander Sunday Otto told reporters, speaking on behalf of seven rebels flown to Kampala after handing themselves in to U.N. peacekeepers.
"Otti's killing sent a chill in LRA, and that's why we left, and there are very many others who are following."
Otti, regarded as the brains behind the group in contrast to the volatile Kony, was a prime mover behind the LRA joining peace talks that began last year in Juba, South Sudan, aimed at ending its 20-year insurgency.
Rumours of his death had been circulating for weeks in Uganda, with various rebel and mediator sources saying he had been arrested by Kony. But until Friday, no credible source had offered confirmation of the speculation that Otti was dead.
A mediator in the peace process had said Kony punished Otti on allegations of spying while Ugandan media have said there was a dispute over money and control.
Deserters from Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) said on Friday the rebels' leader Joseph Kony had executed his deputy Vincent Otti due to Otti's enthusiasm for peace talks.
"Kony ordered Otti's execution on the 2nd of October," former LRA commander Sunday Otto told reporters, speaking on behalf of seven rebels flown to Kampala after handing themselves in to U.N. peacekeepers.
"Otti's killing sent a chill in LRA, and that's why we left, and there are very many others who are following."
Otti, regarded as the brains behind the group in contrast to the volatile Kony, was a prime mover behind the LRA joining peace talks that began last year in Juba, South Sudan, aimed at ending its 20-year insurgency.
Rumours of his death had been circulating for weeks in Uganda, with various rebel and mediator sources saying he had been arrested by Kony. But until Friday, no credible source had offered confirmation of the speculation that Otti was dead.
A mediator in the peace process had said Kony punished Otti on allegations of spying while Ugandan media have said there was a dispute over money and control.
No comments:
Post a Comment