UGANDA: LRA rebels attack disco hall, kill three

KAMPALA, 10 January (IRIN) - Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) killed three revellers at a disco hall in northwestern Uganda over the weekend and critically injured 12 others, the military said.

"A group of 15 rebels attacked a disco hall in Zaipi sub-county in Adjumani District at around 1:00 am on Sunday," Lt Chris Magezi, army spokesman in northern Uganda, said on Monday.

"They started shooting at the revellers on the dance floor and killed three of them, injuring 12 others whom we rushed to Adjumani hospital in critical condition," he added.

He said the army had caught up with the rebels on Monday morning, killing two of the suspected attackers, one of whom he said was a major in the LRA.

Magezi reported that the army had also killed five rebels in unrelated battles in the country's northern region on Sunday; three along the River Aswa in Pader District, one in Kitgum and another in Gulu.

Northern Uganda has for 19 years been the scene of a brutal insurgency that pits government forces against the LRA. The conflict has led to the displacement of close to 90 percent of the region's people, who now live in camps.