SOUTHERN SUDAN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH LRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000989

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS PTER UG SU
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SUDAN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH LRA

REF: A. KHARTOUM 00900

B. KHARTOUM 00754

C. KHARTOUM 00713

D. KAMPALA 00856

Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS)
officials have confirmed newspapers reports that they have
opened discussions with the Lord,s Resistance Army, which
continues to terrorize the people of Southern Sudan.
According to Minister for Culture, Youth, and Sports John Luk
Jok, Riek Machar met recently with LRA second in command
Vincent Otti at a village in LRA-controlled territory south
of Maridi. This follows a series of negotiations with
lower-level LRA representatives in Juba. Machar has
requested a direct meeting with LRA leader Joseph Kony, but
Kony is reportedly reluctant to surface for fear of being
captured or killed. In these negotiations, the GoSS seeks to
mediate between Uganda and the LRA, or at the very least
convince the LRA to leave Southern Sudan. For a more
detailed discussion, please refer to the related IIR
(septel). End Summary.

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Negotiations Underway
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2. (C) GoSS Secretary General Abdom Igua did not directly
confirm the talks, but when he learned of the interview with
Riek Machar in the Juba Post that discussed the meetings, he
was willing to talk about the principles of the negotiations.
Both Igua and Jok said that the GoSS is anxious to end the
threat to security posed by the LRA, which they believe is
still getting support from certain elements in Khartoum.


3. (C) The GoSS believes it can serve as a mediator between
the LRA and Uganda, although it admits that mediation will be
difficult because the LRA seems to have no agenda beyond
terror and the deification of Kony. At a minimum, they would
like to strike a bilateral deal to convince the LRA to leave
Southern Sudan and not attack its people.

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Amnesty an Option?
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4. (C) Part of this deal may be an offer of amnesty and
protection for any members of the LRA who defect. Uganda has
a similar offer to the LRA which includes everyone but the
five leaders indicted by the International Criminal Court
(ICC). It is unclear if the GoSS would be willing to shelter
these five, but they have complained to USG officials that
the ICC indictments and the inclusion of the LRA on the list
of terrorist organizations &limits their options.8

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CONCLUSION AND COMMENT
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5. (C) The LRA has proven to be an unreliable negotiating
partner in the past. In 1994, when they were also severely
weakened, they opened negotiations with the Uganda
government. Not only did these negotiations turn out not to
be serious, but they used that time to reorganize, recruit,
and rearm, and then come back as strong as ever. This may be
a similar attempt, as Otti reportedly said that a withdrawal
of all Ugandan troops from Sudan and an end to anti-LRA
operations was a precondition for negotiations. These talks
are now stalled over Machar,s insistence on meeting directly
with Kony, and Kony,s fear that the GoSS is setting a trap.
STEINFELD