Ugandan president seeks Sudan’s nod to fight rebels beyond “red line”
Text of report by Chris Ochowun and Alex Odongo entitled “Museveni wants to pursue Kony past Red Line” published by Ugandan newspaper The New Vision website, BBC Monitoring Africa.
Sep 3, 2005 (Kampala) — President Yoweri Museveni has asked Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir to allow the UPDF [Uganda People’s Defence Forces] to pursue LRA [Lord’s Resistance Army] rebel leader Joseph Kony who has fled beyond the red line.
Museveni said Kony and his commanders recently fled beyond the point which the Ugandan army may not go, with 80 fighters. He said this was due to the combined pressure by the UPDF both in northern Uganda and in southern Sudan.
Under the protocol agreed with Sudan, the UPDF is supposed to operate south of Torit-Juba road. “We used to fight Kony with only one dimensional force that only walks on foot, but now we have got multiple forces to fight Kony. If Gen Bashir gives me permission to pursue Kony beyond the Red Line, it will only take me 30 minutes to finish him and his fighters,” Museveni said.
Museveni said Bashir had agreed to joint operations with the Sudanese army, the SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] and UPDF to flush out Kony.
Museveni, who was addressing guests during the inauguration of Bank of Uganda Gulu regional office on September 1, said although Kony had fled to north of Torit-Juba road, the UPDF was killing his men daily.
He said rebel remnants led by Dominic Ongwen were trying to terrorise Pader District. He said the UPDF recently captured one of Kony’s wives north of Jabulen in southern Sudan about 40km south of Juba.
Museveni said he would not forgive killers like Kony who rape women and infect children with HIV. “They must be held accountable in order to bring peace in he north,” Museveni said.
“We have rejected so many requests by some people to beg Kony, ‘Ladit Kony, you have killed enough stop fighting and come out.’ Our stand on Kony has never changed. We have fought Amin and Obote and defeated them and we shall get Kony and he will pay for all his crimes,” Museveni said.
The attributed the high level of poverty in northern Uganda to the 19-year-long war and bad politics.
Museveni caused laughter when he said Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao oloko maber tin (Mao talked well today). He said he would rehabilitate Mao if he continued talking positively about the Movement government.
Mao had hailed Museveni for steering the country well, adding that good policy demands that those who are crying should be given their shares.
“We feel we are now part of Uganda now that Bank of Uganda is here,” Mao said.