Uganda army says rebel leader Kony crosses Nile
KAMPALA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ugandan forces attacked a notorious rebel leader in southern Sudan, prompting him to cross the Nile and head for the jungles of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda's military said on Monday.
It said Joseph Kony, commander of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, may be trying to rejoin his deputy Vincent Otti, who is blamed for the murder of eight U.N. troops two weeks ago in Congo's Garamba National Park.
The remote game reserve borders volatile southern Sudan, where Uganda's military said it attacked Kony on Thursday, 35 km (22 miles) south of Juba town. Army spokesman Captain Paddy Ankunda told Reuters six rebels were killed, but Kony escaped.
"Kony moved southwest to where the Nile is shallow before crossing on Friday night and heading towards Congo," he said.
"We think he could be trying to form some force with Otti to do something after the elections," Ankunda added.
Uganda holds presidential polls on February 23.
Security sources in southern Sudan confirmed receiving reports that the LRA leader had crossed the Nile, and that he may already have entered Congo.
PEACEKEEPERS DIE
Kony, a self-proclaimed prophet, has led a rebellion against the Ugandan government for two decades.
Operating from Sudanese hideouts in recent years, his cult-like group has spread terror on both sides of the border, uprooting 1.6 million people in northern Uganda alone.
His fighters are infamous for targeting civilians, and have kidnapped some 25,000 children during the war.
In October, the International Criminal Court in The Hague unsealed arrest warrants for the LRA leaders for war crimes.
Weeks earlier, the conflict had spread to Congo, when Otti led a heavily-armed LRA group across the Nile and into Garamba.
Analysts say that raised the possibility he might be captured by the U.N. peacekeeping force MONUC operating in DRC.
But on Jan. 23, eight Guatemalan soldiers on a secret U.N. mission to catch or kill Otti died in a four-hour battle with LRA rebels. It was the second deadliest attack on MONUC.
The U.N. and Congo's transitional government in Kinshasa have turned down repeated offers by the Ugandan military to pursue the LRA over the border into DRC.
Ankunda said if Kony did link up with his deputy, it would be up to international forces to catch or kill them.
"Let's study Kony's intentions, and then we will engage MONUC and see what they have in store," Ankunda said, "If they cannot allow us to go there, MONUC should do its part."
Major Hans-Jakob Reichen, a MONUC military spokesman, said the U.N. force was checking out reports of Kony entering eastern Congo. "We have also heard this information coming out of Uganda, but we can not confirm or deny his presence in the DRC."
It said Joseph Kony, commander of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, may be trying to rejoin his deputy Vincent Otti, who is blamed for the murder of eight U.N. troops two weeks ago in Congo's Garamba National Park.
The remote game reserve borders volatile southern Sudan, where Uganda's military said it attacked Kony on Thursday, 35 km (22 miles) south of Juba town. Army spokesman Captain Paddy Ankunda told Reuters six rebels were killed, but Kony escaped.
"Kony moved southwest to where the Nile is shallow before crossing on Friday night and heading towards Congo," he said.
"We think he could be trying to form some force with Otti to do something after the elections," Ankunda added.
Uganda holds presidential polls on February 23.
Security sources in southern Sudan confirmed receiving reports that the LRA leader had crossed the Nile, and that he may already have entered Congo.
PEACEKEEPERS DIE
Kony, a self-proclaimed prophet, has led a rebellion against the Ugandan government for two decades.
Operating from Sudanese hideouts in recent years, his cult-like group has spread terror on both sides of the border, uprooting 1.6 million people in northern Uganda alone.
His fighters are infamous for targeting civilians, and have kidnapped some 25,000 children during the war.
In October, the International Criminal Court in The Hague unsealed arrest warrants for the LRA leaders for war crimes.
Weeks earlier, the conflict had spread to Congo, when Otti led a heavily-armed LRA group across the Nile and into Garamba.
Analysts say that raised the possibility he might be captured by the U.N. peacekeeping force MONUC operating in DRC.
But on Jan. 23, eight Guatemalan soldiers on a secret U.N. mission to catch or kill Otti died in a four-hour battle with LRA rebels. It was the second deadliest attack on MONUC.
The U.N. and Congo's transitional government in Kinshasa have turned down repeated offers by the Ugandan military to pursue the LRA over the border into DRC.
Ankunda said if Kony did link up with his deputy, it would be up to international forces to catch or kill them.
"Let's study Kony's intentions, and then we will engage MONUC and see what they have in store," Ankunda said, "If they cannot allow us to go there, MONUC should do its part."
Major Hans-Jakob Reichen, a MONUC military spokesman, said the U.N. force was checking out reports of Kony entering eastern Congo. "We have also heard this information coming out of Uganda, but we can not confirm or deny his presence in the DRC."
posted by Marko at 2/06/2006 08:18:00 AM
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