The ICC v. Peace? The Ugandan Standoff Continues

According to the BBC, widely-anticipated peace talks between the Ugandan government and the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army may fall apart due to the LRA’s refusal to send any of their top five leaders to the planned meeting site. ICC arrest warrants have been issued against all of the five top LRA leaders and this may be the main reason none of the key leaders will attend.



The ICC reiterated this week that it would not withdraw the arrest warrants; it has further indicated that Uganda has not asked that the warrants be withdrawn. This may be true, but what to make of the Ugandan government’s offer of amnesty to the LRA if a peace deal is reached? Moreover, the Ugandan government seems to think the ICC should arrest the LRA leaders, rather than Uganda itself.



This is becoming a nearly impossible situation for the ICC. They plainly cannot withdraw the arrest warrants without serious criticism among their key supporters. But the ICC does not have the ability to actually arrest the wanted LRA leaders (indeed, this is why the Ugandan government is offering peace talks in the first place). Nor can the ICC grant amnesty and assure the LRA that they will never be subject to future arrests. What a mess!