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Former peace negotiator Betty Bigombe has revealed the reasons behind the failure of the 1994 peace deal between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Joseph Kony and the Ugandan government, a pivotal moment that could have ended the war earlier in northern Uganda.

Ms Bigombe, now Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur and former World Bank envoy and minister, first initiated contact with Kony in 1993. She recounted how the rebel leader was close to signing a peace agreement that would have brought peace to the region. However, she claims their efforts were thwarted by “self-seekers” who profited from the ongoing conflict, even as the clashes between the LRA rebels and government forces continued to devastate northern Uganda, causing tens of thousands of deaths.

In an exclusive interview with this publication in Kampala at the weekend, Ms Bigombe, who also served as State Minister for Pacification of Northern Uganda, explained that Kony had expressed his desire to end the fighting and restore peace through negotiations.

“In 1993 and 1994, we had agreed to negotiate and sign a peace agreement. Unfortunately, that effort was undermined. It is still my conviction that at that time, Kony was ready to talk,” she said.

Ms Bigombe criticised those who sabotaged the peace process, noting that many different actors, including government officials who were benefiting from the conflict, played a role.

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