The peace talks in Juba between the Lord’s Resistance
Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government have made
surprising progress, with a formal cessation of hostilities
agreement signed on 26 August. Led by Dr Riek Machar,
vice president of the Government of Southern Sudan
(GoSS), they evolved rapidly over five months and now
offer the best chance to end a twenty-year civil war that
has ravaged the north of the country and spilled into
Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The immediate test is whether the LRA will relocate its
forces to the two designated assembly areas in southern
Sudan. Initial reports are that small groups of LRA
troops, with LRA Deputy Vincent Otti amongst them,
have arrived at the assembly areas, raising expectations
the talks have overcome their first big hurdle; but if the
rest of the forces do not arrive, they may yet fall apar
