Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony has rejected a presidential offer of amnesty, calling it redundant ahead of peace talks set for next week.
A spokesman for the head of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army quotes him as saying that amnesty would mean surrender, and would not help in finding a peaceful resolution to the rebels' 20-year war against the Ugandan government.
On Tuesday, President Yoweri Museveni pledged "total amnesty" for Kony if peace talks between the rebels and government go well. The regional government of southern Sudan will mediate the talks between the Ugandan government and the rebels next Wednesday in Juba.
The International Criminal Court has charged Kony and four of his top commanders with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kony denies the charges. The court said that Uganda and neighboring countries have an obligation to carry out the court's arrest warrant for the rebels.
On Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Kampala said rebels who committed atrocities should face justice.
Kony is believed to be hiding at a rebel base in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced almost two million others from their homes.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.