Sudanese govt. agrees to arrest Ugandan rebel leader

KAMPALA, Mar 27, 2004 (Xinhua) — Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony will be arrested and handed over to Uganda or the United Nations, if he escapes into the territory controlled by the Sudanese government forces, the New Vision reported Saturday.

The newspaper quoted a Uganda army commander, Major General Aronda Nyakairima, as saying under a protocol signed by the two countries, the Ugandan government forces are not allowed to enter the Sudanese government-controlled territory to purse the LRA rebels and it can only do this in the territory held by the Sudan’ s anti-government forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) .

It has been agreed that hunting Kony beyond what is termed as the red-line between the Sudanese government forces and the SPLA is the responsibility of the Sudanese government forces.

Earlier this month the Sudanese government extended the protocol for another three months to allow the Ugandan government forces to enter southern Sudan, which is controlled by the SPLA, to purse the LRA rebels.