Ugandan government forces pursue rebels in Sudan

KAMPALA, Mar 15, 2004 (Xinhua) — Thousands of Ugandan soldiers have entered the southern part of the Sudan in pursuit of the rebels fighting the Ugandan government, local media said Monday.

According to The New Vision, the Ugandan army rolled into the Sudan last weekend on search-and-hit operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony around Imotong and Upper Talanga areas along the Sudan-Uganda border.

The newspaper quoted senior Ugandan military officials as saying on Sunday that the rebels must not be given any chances to return and kill Ugandans.

The newspaper also quoted intelligence sources as saying the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) is expected to face a stiff challenge as Imotong mountains hosted over 50 caves with water springs where the rebels could hide.

“We suspect that the LRA will hide in those caves, take low profile and lay ambushes in a bid to stop the UPDF from reaching the caves,” the official said.

The Sudanese government extended a protocol last week for another three months to allow the Ugandan government forces to enter into the Sudan in pursue of the rebels. The protocol was first signed in 2002.

Last month the LRA rebels launched two attacks in north Uganda, killing more than 250 civilians.

Over the last 18 years, the LRA rebels based in the southern part of the Sudan have killed tens of thousands of civilians, abducted over 20,000 children and displaced more than 1.4 million people in north Uganda.