Ugandan rebels return back from southern Sudan to hunt for food: officer

KAMPALA, May 15, 2004 (Xinhua) — The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are hunting desperately for foodstuffs to replace those they lost to the Ugandan government forces in southern Sudan, reported Sunday Vision which was published on Saturday.

Intelligence sources of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces ( UPDF) was quoted as saying recently that less than 100 rebels have crossed into Uganda from southern Sudan on the orders of LRA top leader Joseph Kony to hunt for food.

UPDF commanding officer Sam Kiwanuka said these rebels ran away from southern Sudan under pressure from the UPDF and is trying to look for safe haven in Acholi areas in northern Uganda.

The newspaper also reported that the LRA has lost a spy recently.

UPDF spokesmen in the north Paddy Ankunda was quoted as saying Friday that the female spy together with some rebels surrendered recently to the UPDF in Gulu district, northern Uganda.

The Sudan-based LRA rebels have been fighting an 18-year-old war to topple the Ugandan government dominated by southerners, and claiming to fight for the Acholi tribe. They have killed tens of thousands of civilians, abducted over 20,000 children as their porters, fighters and sex slaves and displaced more than 1.6 million people, most of whom are from Acholi tribe.

Since March this year, the Ugandan government forces have been pursuing the rebels in southern Sudan after securing a green light from the Khartoum government.