A top U.N. official says indirect talks between the Ugandan government and northern rebels have provided the best chance for peace in 18 years of conflict.
U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland praised the Ugandan government Tuesday for its renewed efforts to seek dialogue. Mr. Egeland says the conflict has forced up to 90 percent of the population in some areas of northern Uganda from their homes, adding that hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake.
Rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army are notorious for attacking civilians and kidnapping children for use as soldiers or sex slaves. Over the last few weeks, the rebels and the Ugandan government declared a temporary cease-fire and held talks through mediators.
The government says it is extending the truce for another week in the hopes of starting formal peace talks by then.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
