By Francis Kwera
KAMPALA, April 19 (Reuters) - Donors funding a multimillion dollar peace process in Uganda have urged the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to show commitment to ending a two-decade conflict after its leader failed to sign a deal last week.
Hopes of ending one of Africa's longest conflicts were dashed when LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to appear at a signing ceremony on the Congo-Sudan border, stalling nearly two years of stop-start negotiations.
President Yoweri Museveni accused Kony, who has not attended talks in South Sudan for fear of arrest over an international war crimes indictment, of not being serious about peace.
He hinted on Monday that his forces could resume operations against the LRA, and accused the rebels of abducting children, mutilating victims and targeting civilians.
In a statement released late on Friday, donors urged the LRA "to show its clear commitment to peace by signing and then implementing its obligations under the negotiated (deal)".
The Partners for Democracy and Governance (PDG) has spent at least $11 million on the peace process. It consists of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Britain and the European Commission.
Ugandans have always been sceptical that Kony, a self-proclaimed mystic, would leave the bush while International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments against him and two deputies were still active.
Even if Kony does sign a final peace deal, the rebels have vowed never to disarm until the indictments are scrapped. Kampala has said it will only call for the warrants to be lifted after a final peace deal had been signed.
The world court has insisted on maintaining the warrants and says Uganda has a legal obligation to arrest the targets.
Uganda's civil war has killed tens of thousands and uprooted 2 million more in the north. It has also destabilised neighbouring parts of Sudan's oil-producing south, and eastern Congo which has large mineral wealth.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )
(Editing by Katie Nguyen and Ibon Villelabeitia)
