The deputy commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Vincent Otti, says the rebels will not return to negotiations in Juba, the capital of Sudan's semi-autonomous southern region.

LRA rebels pulled out of talks in Juba last month after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir threatened to expel them from bases in southern Sudan.

Otti says that if Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni rejects holding peace talks in another country, the LRA is ready for war.

The LRA has suggested Kenya and South Africa as alternative venues for talks with the Ugandan government. Kenya said Sunday it would not host the talks.

The LRA signed a ceasefire with Uganda's government in August, raising hopes that peace talks would end the group's 20-year uprising in northern Uganda. But, the sides have made little progress and remain far apart on several key issues.

The fighting in northern Uganda has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than one million others. - VOA News