Uganda: Lords Resistance Army Surrenders

Lords Resistance Army Surrenders

September 13, 2006: Because the truce with the LRA continues to hold, the government has extended its "peace deal" deadline. The government had originally said that a final deal had to be reached by September 12. The government appears to have used the threat to goad LRA rebels into moving into the assembly areas in south Sudan. At this point, it looks like both sides are interested in reaching a firm peace agreement that will end the war. The government has asked the UN to "delay action" on a resolution that calls for "joint military action" against the LRA. Uganda has supported that action and said it was necessary to fully enforce criminal indictments against LRA leaders. However, at this point it time it looks like that government believes the resolution would throw a wrench into the peace process. LRA rebels continue to trickle into the south Sudan assembly camps, many coming into Sudan from the Congo. Getting to the areas is tough because of inadequate roads. Also, the rebels are moving on foot. The government said that it expects most of the LRA rebels to reach the assembly points in south Sudan by September 19.

September 11, 2006: The Sudan government reported that "several hundred" LRA guerillas had gathered in the two "safe zone" assembly points in southern Sudan. The two assembly points are located at Ri-Kwangba (western assembly area, near the Congo border) and at Owiny Ki-Bul. LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti is supposedly in the camp at Ri-Kwangba.

Ugandan police said they found 32,000 rounds of submachine gun ammunition in the Lwamunda Forest Reserve area. The police described the ammunition as rusted and unusable. The jungle reserve is in Mpigi district, which is in the Luweero Triangle. The Luweero Triangle was a battleground during the 1980s in the war that pitted current president Yoweri Museveni against then-president Milton Obote.

September 10, 2006: A UN spokesman said that security in northern Uganda had improved significantly since Sudan-brokered truce agreement between the Ugandan government and the LRA went into effect. In late August the Ugandan government announced that it would begin a $330 million aid and recovery program for war-wrecked northern Uganda. Much of the money will come from international donors. Northern Uganda needs it. Rebuilding villages is a priority, but to make effective use of the aid will require improving the road network.

September 9, 2006: An LRA spokesman told the press that Ugandan military and security forces were deploying along the routes used by LRA rebels to reach assembly areas in south Sudan. The LRA accused the Ugandan government of "obstructing" the rebels' movement. The Ugandan government rejected the accusation and said that Ugandan forces had been instructed to provide food and aid to rebels who were moving toward assembly areas.

September 8, 2006: Kenya turned over custody of 25 Ugandan rebels to the Ugandan government. The 25 men allegedly belong to the Uganda Freedom Front. Kenyan police arrested the men in late July. They were charged with "unlawful presence" in Kenya. The Ugandan Freedom Front is led by a Ugandan Army deserter