Uganda: LRA Rebels Are 10,000 Strong
| | ||||||||||
The Monitor (Kampala)
October 13, 2006
Posted to the web October 13, 2006
Posted to the web October 13, 2006
Frank Nyakairu
THE Lords Resistance Army has finally put a figure to its current strength and said it has
over 10,000 fighters spread in the DR Congo and south Sudan.
The LRA spokesman, Godfrey Ayo, said at least 1,379 fighters are scattered in areas around Owiny-ki-Bul, a remote village in south Sudan, while 10,000 are holed up in the Congolese forest of Garamba with the LRA boss, Joseph Kony.
"We have ascertained the strength of our forces currently. We have 1,379 soldiers who have been in Owiny-ki-bul and 10,000 with the LRA leadership in Ri-Kwangba at the DR Congo-Sudan border," Ayo said. "It is this force that the rebels have insisted should guard Kony and stay separate from the UPDF at the time of demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR).
Government reaction
However, the government said yesterday that it would not "engage" in "speculation" about the LRA strength and insisted that the rebels should simply
honour the August 26 truce and assemble at the two South Sudan assembly points.
"We want all these rebels to assemble first so that we can count and demobilise them," said Capt. Paddy Ankunda, the government delegation spokesman. The government in the past has put the rebel strength between 400-500 fighters.
In its most recent submission to the mediator at the Juba talks, the LRA said, "As part of the Peace Agreement, and in order to end the war, the parties agree that the two armies (the UPDF and the LRA) shall remain separate during the period preceding the full implementation of the DDR and formation of new national armed forces agreed upon between the parties."
The LRA demand is contained in a 20-page position paper on the item of comprehensive solutions.
"The forces of the LRA shall be confined to the northern and eastern parts of the country, east of
the River Nile and north of the Awoja River, under the supervision of the Ceasefire Monitoring Team, established under the Ceasefire Agreement, until the completion of the reintegration exercise provided for above," an excerpt from the paper read and added. "The parties agree that during the reintegration exercise, the formula to be adopted shall be 5:4:1 for UPDF, LRA and other armed forces; respectively."
However, the rebels latest stance offers fresh evidence that the talks are mired in a circus of generic proposals, which have relegated the talks into a rhetorical battle between both parties.
The government team, yet again, rejected this demand. In a response submitted to the mediator yesterday, Kampala argued that the matter could only be resolved constitutionally.
"If there is further need to amend the Constitution, the Juba peace talks are not the right forum to address the issue.
The Constitution stipulates modalities on how it is to be amended," read an extract of the government position paper seen by Daily Monitor.
The Rugunda team also rejected the rebel's proposal of creating two parallel armies alongside the Uganda national army.
"The current structure of the UPDF came out of an extensive defence review process by the Ministry of Defence which was done with the assistance of the British Government," the statement said.
Defence policy
"The Ministry of Defence conducted the process in close collaboration with other government departments and agencies, the UPDF, Parliament, academia and members of the civil society. This resulted in the formulation of a comprehensive defence policy, which, among others, provides the basis for the transformation and modernisation of the UPDF."
On
Thursday, the South Sudan government completed deployment of 400 SPLA soldiers at Owiny-ki-Bul but no LRA rebels were found in the area.
|
"There has not been any LRA rebel in Owiny-ki-Bul since September 28," a military official who preferred anonymity, told Daily Monitor.
After a Wednesday meeting, which spilled over to yesterday, the government held further negotiations with the rebels but little progress was recorded.
The two parties are currently discussing the second item on the agenda; Comprehensive Solutions, expected to map out lasting solutions for the war-torn northern Uganda.
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
