Ugandan rebels flee to southern Sudan

KAMPALA, Jan. 14, 2004 (Xinhua) — The majority of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels led by vice-chairman Vincent Otti have fled to southern Sudan under pressure of the Ugandan army, local media reported on Wednesday.

The LRA rebels, who have been terrorizing northern and eastern Uganda for a year, have fled to the Sudan after suffering major defeats in recent weeks.

In recent weeks, Otti lost four of his bodyguards. Four others plus his wife surrendered to the government army. Last week, the army dispersed an LRA high command meeting.

Army spokesman Shaban Bantariza on Tuesday told press that therebels had been suffering major defeats in recent months.

He said the rebels had been routed from eastern and northern Uganda where they had expected to abduct children and loot food toreplenish their supplies.

He said there were now only about 500 LRA rebels, down from 3,000 at the same time last year, adding that many rebels had been killed, captured or had surrendered.

It’s now the dry season and we can move our vehicles around much quicker with no mud to slow us down,” he said.

He added that Uganda was worried the LRA still had arms caches at some of their abandoned camps.

Since the beginning of the year, the Ugandan army has killed 82rebels, captured 40, rescued 147 people and seized several guns.