South Sudan’s Equatoria receives five former LRA abductees
By Richard Ruati
February 23, 2009 (YAMBIO) — The Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) this weekend airlifted five former captives of the rebel LRA from Dungu to Yambio town; three of them are ladies, two of the ladies have given birth to one child each and the other lady is believed to be pregnant with three months.
Victoria Geriwa, 18, from Maridi, she was abducted in 2006, she has given birth to one year and one month baby; Isaac John, 20, from Ezo, he was abducted in March 2008; Lojong John, 15, from Lanya, he was abducted in 2008; Nyangi Gislan, 16, from Lanya, she was abducted in 2007, she has given birth to a 8 months baby and Rozeta Borotiranite, 17, from Source Yubu in Tambura County, she was abducted in 2008.
Troops from Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan launched a joint military operation “Light Thunder” since December 14, 2008 to oust the Lord’s Resistance Army from its hide-outs in DRC. But the operation has so far failed to capture LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony.
However Captain Adeo Akiiki, the spokesperson for the joint force said following an indoor meeting with the state authorities that, “allied forces main aims and targets were to rescue and free the women and children abducted by the LRA rebels, destroy the bases and military strength of LRA forces which was reorganizing in the Garamba jungles and force Joseph Kony to sign the Juba Peace agreement.”
He further said that the forces of the joint operation have rescued 265 abductees from Sudan, DRC and CAR. Seventy of the abductees are from southern Sudan citizens, who we have just handed over some to the state government of Western Equatoria State.
The Ugandan and southern Sudanese troops are expected to pullout from the DRC by the end of this month, said Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende today.
“We estimate that they will not have anything more to do here,” Mende said. Congolese police, troops and United Nations’ peacekeepers would continue the operation, he added.
The allied forces are estimating between 150 and 200 LRA rebels to have been killed during the operations since mid December last year.
Captain Akiiki said that, “the two phases of the fighting using air and ground have succeeded in killing 46 LRA forces using the ground operations and the aerial phase have killed more than one hundred, as it is difficult to count those ones.”
“The Allied forces have captured some ten combat fighters, apart from the officers,” he added.
But one of former abductees believes that “aerial bombardments will not stop LRA from committing more crimes, looting and abductions, as they continue to hide in the thick bushes, ground forces and only ground attacks will help to bring an end to the brutal scenes of LRA activities.
He further said that the regional operations disrupted the rebels’ plans to return to southern Sudan.
However the Captain Akiiki said the joint forces have managed to destroy the camps the LRA rebels had set up in Garamba forests, camp Swahili, camp Kabua and camp Boo and others as well as capturing and destroying some LRA equipments.
(ST)