KAMPALA, Uganda, April 15 (UPI) -- Officials are calling for a redoubling of efforts after a failed attempt to reach a permanent peace agreement in the war-ravaged north of Uganda.
Leaders from both the government of Uganda and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army were recently unable to come to a permanent peace accord and establish lasting stability. Officials from the United Nations envoy to the region have promised to try and pick up the pieces and increase efforts to bring the opposing parties together and reach a deal for peace in the region, the United Nations reported.
"We were obviously expecting a different outcome," Marie Okabe, U.N. spokesperson, said in a statement. "In the best of cases, this will be only a temporary setback to the process, but we cannot say at this point."
Officials say Joaquim Chissano, the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy for the northern region, will try and reverse the setback and salvage a deal between the Ugandan government and the LRA, which has been fighting in northern Uganda for two decades.