Parties Work To Implement Nairobi Agreement

Contact: Deanna Congileo 404-420-5108, dcongil@emory.edu 

ATLANTA, GA.... NAIROBI.....With a view to full implementation of the Nairobi Agreement of Dec. 8, 1999, between the Governments of Sudan and Uganda, a ministerial meeting was held in Nairobi Nov. 17-19, 2000, under the auspices of The Carter Center, with the participation of the Governments of Canada, Egypt, and Libya and representatives of UNICEF.

The Government of Sudan delegation was led by State Minister for External Relations Ali Numeiri and the delegation from the Government of Uganda by Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, minister in charge of the presidency.

Delegates agreed that senior representatives of the Governments of Sudan, Uganda, Canada, Egypt, and Libya, and representatives of The Carter Center, UNICEF, and the Acholi community in Uganda will meet with LRA/M Leader Joseph Kony as soon as possible to engage him in dialogue leading to the peaceful relocation, disarming, and disbanding of the LRA/M and the return of abducted children. Delegates also agreed that a reception center is to be established in Juba to receive and promptly process abductees as they are released.

It was also agreed that a technical team consisting of experts from the Governments of Egypt and Libya will travel to Kampala to begin the work of drafting a protocol for the establishment of an observation team in Uganda. Once in place, the observation team is to:

• observe whether there is any arms-trafficking from Uganda to Sudan;
• observe whether there are any military logistics crossing from Uganda to Sudan directly or indirectly;
• observe whether there are any military forces, armed or not, recruitment and training camps for SPLA/M in Uganda.

Once approved by UNHCR, a delegation from the Government of Sudan is to travel to Uganda to visit the Sudanese refugee camps to invite Sudanese refugees to voluntarily return to Sudan. This process will be done in accordance with international law.