The Spotlight

Icon

Independent News, Views and Events from Uganda

LRA Chief Negotiator Calls for Dialogue

By Robert Egwea in London, February 8, 2009

 In reaction to the determination of UPDF to capture LRA leader Joseph Kony alive, David Nyekorach Matsanga (pictured) contacted us a short while ago and refuted the claim that Kony is in DRC.

“I have an official letter as the leader of the peace delegation from President Kabila on this issue. What is in the letter from President Kabila whom I spoke to on Thursday is different from what NRM propagandists in Kampala are saying”, said Matsanga Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: LRA

UPDF to Stay in DRC and Capture LRA Rebel Boss Alive – Capt Deo Akiiki

By Ronald Odongo in Gulu, February 8, 2009

 

UPDF Commandos boarding a military chopper to hunt down LRA rebels

The UPDF in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are upbeat to capture the elusive LRA rebel boss Joseph Kony and his top commanders alive. They have also maintained that they would continue with operation “Lightning Thunder” against LRA rebels in the jungle of Garamba, quashing several reports in the media that they were supposed to quit DRC today, Sunday the 8th February. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: LRA

Pictures From the Frontline

As the allied forces from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan comb Garamba Forest where the barbaric LRA rebels have been hiding, our correspondent Ronald Odongo has posted pictures from the frontline which disprove claims by some Acholi Legislators that government troops bombed empty camps and killed only monkeys. Some of the pictures  haven’t been published because they are too graphic, but they do confirm that LRA rebels have been hit hard and are being effectively eliminated. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: LRA

Barlonyo Massacre Rebel Commander Surrenders

 By Ronald Odongo in Dungu, DRC, January 28, 2009

The feared LRA Deputy Chief Maj. Gen. Okot Odhiambo, who spearheaded massacre of innocent civilians in Barlonyo IDP camp in Lira in 2004 is reported to have abandoned Kony?s war with over 100 other fighters and handed himself over to allied troops in DRC. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: LRA

UN Denounces ‘Appalling Atrocities’ by Ugandan Rebels in DR Congo

30 December 2008 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the “appalling atrocities” reportedly committed by the Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and southern Sudan, and demanded that they respect all rules of international humanitarian law.

The UN Mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC, said an increasingly high number of civilians had been killed by LRA rebels fleeing a joint military operation by the DRC, Uganda and Southern Sudan in the far north-east of the DRC, although it was not possible to give an exact figure due to the remoteness and lack of communications in the region. Read more »

Filed under: LRA

UN Council Backs Offensive Against Uganda’s LRA

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council on Monday backed a recent military offensive by Uganda, Congo and southern Sudan against the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Forces from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan launched a joint assault on LRA leader Joseph Kony’s base in eastern Congo on December 14 after he repeatedly failed to sign a 2006 peace accord.

The 15-member council issued a unanimous statement Monday that “commends the states in the region for their increased cooperation, and welcomes the joint efforts they have made to address the security threat posed by the LRA.” Read more »

Filed under: LRA

LRA War – Peace Detractors Exposed

Individuals from the Diaspora and Uganda implicated

kony

LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony - failed to sign pact again

After nearly two years of painstaking negotiations to secure permanent peace in northern Uganda, the elusive leader of Africa’s most brutal rebel groups the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) once again refused to sign the peace agreement.

Two reasons have emerged for the snub. Firstly, according to LRA spokesperson David Nyekorach, Kony did not sign the agreement because of the ICC indictment. Secondly, some individuals in the Diaspora and in Uganda have been accused of discouraging Kony from signing the pact. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: LRA

Assault on LRA – Hopes and Fears

By Rosebell Kagumire in Kampala, Patrick Okino in Lira, Caroline Ayugi in Gulu, and Peter Eichstaedt in The Hague

Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR)

A dramatic strike against the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA, in northern Democratic Republic of Congo is intended to force rebel leader Jospeh Kony back to the negotiating table, Ugandan officials insisted on Tuesday, December 16. But whether the military operation, which began Sunday and involves Ugandan, DRC and South Sudan forces, will succeed remains in doubt.

Read more »

Filed under: LRA