Ugandan army kills 30 rebels in southern Sudan

KAMPALA, March 21, 2004 (Xinhua) — After getting the green light from the Sudan government, the Ugandan army has been allowed to enter southern Sudan to purse rebels and killed 30 rebels in its military operations against the Sudan-based Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the Ugandan military has said.

Gunships of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) attacked the rebels in southern Sudan on Friday and Saturday, killing about 30 rebels, according to a press release issued on Saturday by the UPDF in northern Uganda.

In the attacks, many rebels were wounded and some others captured, the release said.

After a series meetings between the defense ministers of the two countries earlier this month, the Sudan extended a protocol for another three months to allow the UPDF to enter its territory to purse the rebels. This time the Sudan even allow Uganda to use war planes to bomb the LRA rebels.

Meanwhile, the UPDF killed 10 rebels in the attacks Friday in northern Uganda bringing the total number to 40 killed by the army in the past 10 days in northern Uganda, according to the release.

On Friday the UPDF simultaneously repulsed LRA attacks on four camps of internally displaced persons in northern Uganda, killing 10 rebels and hit the LRA inside the Sudan.

In Lira-Palwo, the rebels penetrated a sector of a camp, burning 40 huts before they were repulsed.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in northern Uganda recently to oversee the “Iron fist” operations.

Since they started fighting the LRA rebels have killed tens of thousands of civilians, spreading fear throughout northern Uganda, paralyzing economic activities there.