Sudan denies reports on arming Ugandan rebels in Congo

By Alfred Wasike

KAMPALA, Oct 25, 2004 (New Vision) — Sudan has refuted reports that it ferried weapons to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to arm an anti-Uganda dissident group, the Peoples Redemption Army (PRA).

Yesterday Sunday Vision reported that Sudan airlifted weapons in July 2004 to PRA bases in the troubled Ituri district in the DRC.

The Sudanese ambassador to Uganda, Sirajuddin Hamid Yousuf, said, “There are no bases for the information you said you have received. How could weapons be ferried from Sudan to DRC? Using which water course? My assessment of the information you talked about is that it is poor intelligence and a desperate attempt to take the two countries back to the state of cold war years ago.”

“The Sudanese Embassy totally and categorically denies as baseless any information regarding ferrying arms to DRC. At least if there is any such illicit arms activity in the captioned area, the Government of the Sudan is not a party,” he added.

Sources quoting prisoners of war recently captured by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) told Sunday Vision, “Sudan airlifted rifles from Sudan to DRC for arming some Ugandans who are there under training.”

The sources said the Kizza Besigye headed the rebel group.