Ugandan rebels sneak back from Sudan

KAMPALA, March 26, 2004 (Xinhua) — Most rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have dodged the military offensive the Ugandan army launched recently in southern Sudan and sneaked back to the country, local newspaper the New Vision reported Friday.

A Ugandan regional intelligence officer, Charles Otema, was quoted as saying on Thursday in northern Uganda that “the army will remain in the Sudan to wait for any survivor of our offensivein northern Uganda. At the same time we shall hunt them in Uganda.”

Military sources said that the rebels now are concentrated in Gulu because they anticipate low deployment of the government forces in the northern district.

Otema said the rebels have become vulnerable because “they are desperately trying to survive here.”

He said the killing of 92 rebels last week shows the Sudan mission is successful.” It is pressure in the Sudan which forced them to run to Uganda.”

Last week the Ugandan army entered southern Sudan to pursue the LRA rebels.

Since the rebels started fighting 18 years ago, they have killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced 1.4 million others, spreading fear throughout northern Uganda, paralyzing economic activities there.