LRA'S KONY TO SEE HIS MOTHER

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001795 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL UG CG SU SUBJECT: LRA'S KONY TO SEE HIS MOTHER REF: Khartoum 1775 ¶1. (SBU) CG spoke with two contacts involved in the GoSS mediation initiative between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GOU). They said that no session took place on July 24, but that local press reports stating the talks had broken down were overstated. There were threats to pull out when both sides exchanged accusations that military members of each delegation had engaged in past atrocities against civilians, including decapitations. ¶2. (SBU) A Ugandan interlocutor said that Kony had specifically asked to see his mother. Under the rubric of confidence building, the Ugandans agreed that she could visit. Kony's mother, as well as other family members, arrived in Juba and were flown to Maridi in the company of GoSS Vice President Machar, notables from the Acholi tribes, and various others. STEINFELD