Sudan Defence minister denies supporting Ugandan rebels
Dec 26, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Defence Minister Lt-Gen Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein denied receiving any official complaint from the SPLM regarding the involvement of elements of the Sudanese army in supporting the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army militias.
Hussein has confirmed that the armed forces are working in coordination with the leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to implement the security and military arrangements stipulated in the Naivasha agreements.
The responsible of the SPLM intelligence service, Edward Lino, had accused in an interview last week with the Sudanese al-Sahafa the Sudanese army of supporting the Ugandan rebel LRA.
The Sudanese government had for years provided bases and other military support for the abusive Ugandan rebel forces of the Lord’s Resistance Movement (LRA), in retaliation for the Ugandan government’s backing of the SPLA.
After September 11, 2001, the U.S. put the LRA on its list of terrorist organizations, and the Sudanese government hastened its promised withdrawal of support from the LRA.
The Sudanese government had provided bases for the LRA south of Juba, but after it began to withdraw its support the LRA began raiding and looting Sudanese villages for food, and killing Sudanese civilians.
The Sudanese government gave the Ugandan government permission to pursue the LRA inside Sudan, starting in March 2002. As a result of the campaign, LRA forces returned to Uganda, where they carried out further abuses.
(ST)