Ugandan army says senior guerilla commander captured

KAMPALA, July 15, 2004 (dpa) — The Ugandan military has captured a man believed to be the chief advisor to rebel leader Joseph Kony, an army spokesman said Thursday.

The self-styled brigadier, Kenneth Banya, said to be in his early 70s, was a member of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) high command before his capture during a fierce battle Tuesday, the spokesman said.

Government troops fought LRA forces in the remote village of Okidi, about 420 kilometres north of the capital Kampala. Five rebels were killed and six captured, said army Major Shaban Bantariza.

“(Banya) joined the rebellion when it started in 1987. He was the chief advisor to Kony and a member of the high command. He was the heart and spirit of the rebels,” Bantariza said.

The insurgency has engulfed the northern half of Uganda, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The rebels have their support bases in southern Sudan from where they launch attacks into Uganda before retreating back across the border.