Ugandan army captures rebel commander in southern Sudan

KAMPALA, Oct 14, 2004 (Xinhua) — The Ugandan army attacked the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in southern Sudan on Wednesday and captured rebel leader Joseph Kony’s [photo] overall commander Lt. Col. Otim Latin Munu, reported local press on Thursday.

Ugandan army spokesman based in the north Lt. Paddy Ankunda wasquoted as saying the government troops attacked the only remaining LRA group in southern Sudan and killed three rebel fighters.

The spokesman said the army would continue to hunt for the LRA remnants in Sudan.

LRA leader Kony is reported to have crossed from Sudan to Uganda with most of his field commanders and fighters.

Meanwhile, Ankunda said Capt. Ochen, who commanded an LRA attack on Abia camp in the northern district of Lira, in which, many civilians were massacred earlier this year was shot dead by the government army in the northern district of Pader.

He said Ochen, who was commander of the LRA Stokree Brigade, was killed at Wol sub-county in Agogo county recently.

He added that since Kony crossed to Uganda, many of his field commanders and fighters have either been killed or captured.

The LRA rebels, based in southern Sudan, have killed tens of thousands of civilians, abducted over 20,000 children and displaced over 1.6 million people in northern Uganda in their 18-year rebellion.