November 2, 2007:
Uganda is
buzzing with a rumor that two of the LRA's top commanders have had a falling
out. The LRA's top leader, Joseph Kony, is supposed to have had a major
disagreement with LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti. Kony is believed hiding out at an LRA base in
the Congo's Garamba National Park (northeast Congo). The LRA has split into factions
before. Some of the splinters were quite tiny a handful of people. However,
Kony and Otti are the two political powerhouses in the LRA. A rift between them
is politically significant and could affect the peace negotiations. It's also
believed that a pro-Otti faction and a pro-Kony faction engaged in a firefight
on October 10. Over 30 people were allegedly slain in the fight.
October 29, 2007: The EU,
Canada, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden have contributed $7.7 million to help pay
for the costs of the peace talks between Uganda and the LRA. The money will go
into the Juba Initiative Fund, which was established last summer to support the
peace process. The UN will handle disbursement of the funds.
October 23, 2007: Opiyo
Makasi, a senior commander in the LRA, surrendered to UN peacekeepers in the
Congo. The UN confirmed the surrender. Makasi was identified as the LRA's chief
of operations and logistics. Makasi surrendered in the Congo's Orientale
province. Makasi is not one of the LRA commanders indicted by the International
Criminal Court.
October 22, 2007: Some 8,000 Congolese fled across the Uganda-Congo
border into Uganda to escape attacks by militiamen under the command of
dissident Congolese general Laurent Nkunda.
October 18, 2007: Senior army commanders met with representatives of the
UN's MONUC Congo peacekeeping force to discuss how to "dislodge" rebel groups
operating along the Congo-Uganda border. Ugandan specifically mentioned the LRA
(Lords Resistance Army). The Ugandan military statement describing the meeting
used the phrase "joint operations" to describe possible Ugandan Army and
Congolese military operations against rebel groups.