Suspected Sudanese militia kills 10 Ugandan soldiers –Ugandan Army
By Richard Ruati
June 15, 2010 – (JUBA) Ugandan Army has blamed Janjaweed militia for deaths of its 10 combat soldiers.
Ugandan Army is hunting LRA rebels and its illusive leader in Southern Sudan, and the search for Kony has taken them to close to Darfur, which is the stronghold of Janjaweed, a militia group blamed for orchestrating genocide-like atrocities in Darfur.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had earlier denied media reports of the incident, which occurred on May 27 while a UPDF contingent was hunting for remnants of a Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
The New Vision, a Kampala daily, quoted the UPDF’s chief of defence forces, General Aronda Nyakairima, confirming the deaths of soldiers and suggesting that it was not the LRA that killed them, but most likely Sudan’s Janjaweed, reports Reuters News Agency.
The paper said the soldiers were attacked by about 400 men on donkey backs, and quoted Nyakairima as saying that was a sign of their link to Sudan.
Nomads (Ambororo) linked to Janjaweed has been active in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal states, security analysts in the region have cited possible links between LRA rebels and Nomads.
The army had previously denied reports of the soldiers’ deaths in another Ugandan paper, the Daily Monitor. The Monitor, which is independent, had quoted unnamed sources saying the 10 soldiers had been killed by the LRA.
UPDF spokesperson Felix Kulaigye told Reuters the New Vision’s account of the general’s comments was right. The LRA could not have killed the soldiers because the group’s capabilities have been greatly degraded, the paper had quoted Nyakairima as saying.
“Kony’s capacity to cause trouble has been reduced. If he was causing chaos in neighbouring countries, there would be refugees in our country,” he said, referring to LRA leader Joseph Kony.
Tension between Sudan and Uganda is high! Uganda Army accuses Khartoum for harbouring Gen Kony and his cruel men, an allegation which Sudan vehemently denies.
The LRA has fought inhuman rebellion blood civil war for more two decades with the aim of toppling President Yoweri Museveni’s government for about two decades from bases in northern Uganda and southern Sudan.
Since LRA bases were destroyed in mid December 2008, the group has continued to terrorise innocent civilians who bear the brunt of human horror.
LRA is known for its savage acts on the civilian population, including abducting boys and girls to use as sex slaves and child soldiers, to wring support from the local population or as punishment to perceived civilian enemies.
(ST)