----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 11:21
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Subject: [Ugnet] Museveni tells us there
are on 200 remainding rebels now wehear there are 10, 000 rebels
Uganda: LRA Rebels Are 10,000 Strong
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.
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