Kiir orders expulsion of Ugandan LRA rebels from S. Sudan

Mar 8, 2006 (KHRTOUM) — Sudanese first-vice-president and president of southern Sudan government Lt. Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit instructed the joint command to purge the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from Southern Sudan.

Commander Haj Hamad Jaily said after a meeting with Kiir that the command will abide by the instructions of the first vice-president in the south and eradicate the LRA forces that oppose the Ugandan regime, and regain stability in the south.

He added that the meeting was aimed at widening collaboration between the SPLM and the Sudan Armed Forces.

He further said they agreed with the SPLM to achieve the main goal, which is the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

In an interview with the BBC on 20 February, Kiir reiterated an accusation already advanced by many southern responsible. He charged Sudanese army of supporting Ugandan rebel Lord’s resistance Army.

But, he added he has no prove on the implication of the Sudanese army.

Last October, the International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed arrest warrants it issued three months earlier for five LRA commanders, including the leader, Joseph Kony.

Sudan agreed to cooperate with the ICC on the case of Joseph Kony. Warrants for their arrests have been distributed to Uganda, Congo and Sudan.

The LRA has over the years abducted more than 30,000 children, forcing them to become fighters, porters or concubines. The rebels have killed thousands of civilians and forced more than a million to flee their homes, but appears to have no clear political agenda and little contact with the outside world.

(ST)