The military leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army is threatening to return to war and to “capture power and overthrow” President Museveni’s government in Uganda if International Criminal Court indictments against four named leaders are not withdrawn.

The threat comes as peace negotiators from the LRA, the most feared rebel organisation in Africa, and the Government continue to hold talks in the southern Sudanese capital, Juba, despite repeated allegations by both sides of ceasefire violations. The military leader, Vincent Oti, and LRA founder, Joseph Kony, agreed at a meeting in one of the rebel group’s jungle camps along the borders of southern Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that they will attack if the peace talks end without the lifting of the indictments.

“We cannot go back to Uganda without lifting these indictments. That is impossible. We cannot go and without our going none of the other soldiers can go. But we can fight,” General Oti, who is also deputy chairman of the LRA’s political movement, told me.

“If they refuse then the war will continue. I am prepared to do anything – even war. I am ready for war.

“If they don’t drop the indictments you will see that we have enough to capture power. We were seven, now we are thousands. Everybody in Uganda wants change but they can’t do anything without the barrel of a gun,” he said.

The LRA is accused of abducting 20,000 children for use as boy soldiers and sex slaves in a 20-year reign of terror over most of northern Uganda.

General Oti, as the group’s main military tactician, is accused of overseeing terrible acts of violence.

Abducted children were forced to kill their parents, girls were raped by LRA commanders and anyone who stood up to them risked having ears, lips and tongues cut off. The LRA insists it is not to blame for all the atrocities. Indeed, it maintains, with some justification according to a number of aid agencies, that the Ugandan Army is responsible for the violence.

For three days I stayed with the LRA in their camp, which is two days driving and walking from the nearest village, Naban-ga, in southern Sudan. I saw at least 100 heavily armed soldiers, some of them boys of about 14 or 15. Most sport dread-locks and wear combat fatigues and T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of gangsta-rap stars such as 50 Cent.

There are four or five camps of similar size in the area. The fighters carry their weapons at all times. The youngest boys cook food and carry out menial work for the more senior members. Women, girls and children are kept out of sight, although I saw at least 20 aged between 15 to 20 carrying out chores and fetching water.

A member of the LRA’s negotiating team at the peace talks, who asked to remain anonymous, says he believes the LRA numbers a few thousand but can still command support in northern Uganda.

The violence in northern Uganda has forced 1.6 million people to live in so-called protected camps. Normal life has, in effect, ground to a halt.

The Ugandan Army and its supporters who run the camps are far from popular.

The peace talks in Juba have been continuing but heavily disrupted for the past year. Uganda wants the LRA to go through a “traditional” healing process and accept punishment, with the indictments still standing. The LRA says that is impossible and also dismisses a suggestion from independent monitors at the talks for the LRA to serve some sort of “house arrest” punishment in a third-party country before returning home.

“That won’t happen, that won’t happen. The indictments must go or the war goes on,” said General Oti.

* Stuart Ramsay is Sky News chief correspondent. His full report can be seen on Sky News tomorrow from 4am.

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