Ugandan army arrives in South Sudan to pursue rebels

Mar 29, 2006 (NAIROBI) — A contingent of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) arrived in Yambio in Western Equatoria State on Monday 27 March to assess the security situation after continuous Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) attacks in the area.

The arrival of the UPDF in Yambio is possible because of an agreement signed between the Governments of Uganda and Sudan to allow the Ugandan armed forces to pursue the LRA into southern Sudan.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday 28 March, Western Equatoria State Deputy Governor Joseph Ngere told Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that the Ugandan army had come to prepare for its deployment along the Sudan-Congo border.

“They will be coming but not this force. Of course this is a vanguard, a contingency who are allowed to come and collect information, but they will be coming because we have given them all information about LRA. I am sure they will come.” said Joseph Ngere.

Ngere said that the force will provide security along the border in an effort to prevent further attacks by the LRA.

(SRS/ST)