KAMPALA – Ugandan ground forces closed in on Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) bases in northeastern Congo after bombarding the rebels’ camps, the army said yesterday, in a push to end one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts.
The offensive agreed by Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan began on Sunday with an aerial attack against camps in the remote Garamba National Park in eastern Congo.
Analysts say regional governments had lost patience with LRA leader Joseph Kony, who has repeatedly failed to sign a final peace deal to end fighting that has killed thousands.
“Most of [Kony’s] camps have been set on fire,” said Ugandan army spokesman Maj Paddy Ankunda.
“It was an air-led operation, then the ground forces were inserted.”
He said there was “reliable intelligence that they [the LRA] were preparing to attack Uganda . . . and also we had the ICC warrants”, referring to indictments by the International Criminal Court for Kony and two of his deputies for war crimes.
With details still sketchy, it was not clear whether Kony had been captured, killed or escaped.
Ugandan ministers were due to hold a news conference this morning about the offensive.
Kony has repeatedly demanded that the ICC warrants be dropped before the rebels leave their camps, but analysts said patience was wearing thin.
“Over the last three years Kony has received a lot of carrots but no sticks,” said Julia Spiegel of Enough Project, a US-based group campaigning against war crimes.
“Kony proved repeatedly that he was not ready to sign a peace deal and, given his attempts to boost his military strength, he left the governments with little recourse than to use sticks.”
Analysts and diplomats said the offensive involved helicopter gunships, jets, ground troops and special forces – guided by intelligence from the Congolese army and US electronic monitoring. “This was a Ugandan-led mission,” said one analyst.
Kony’s fighters have waged a two-decade war against Uganda’s government.
The UN peacekeeping force in the Congo said no decision had been taken on what role it would play in the offensive. – (Reuters)