The minister of state for internal affairs James Baba has defended government’s decision to delay part 2 of the Amnesty Act 2000.

Baba was appearing before parliament’s defence and internal affairs committee that is handling the petition on the extension of the act by religious and culture leaders from northern Uganda.

The leaders say the act was outlawed by the international laws to which Uganda has adopted and domesticated.

He said that after reviewing the Act together with the Justice Law and Order Sector, the ministry discovered that the granting of amnesty was a problem as it did not take into account the need for accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.

He says that the decision to halt part II of the act was meant to enable Uganda comply with national and international obligations to pursue justice and accountability.

On May 23rd 2012 government declared the lapse of part II of the Amnesty Act 2000 but allowed the rest of the act to continue functioning until May this year.

It is estimated that 26,300 ex-combatants have received amnesty to date and 5,335 are being re-integrated into their respective communities.