Civilians Told To Quit Kony-Occupied Areas

SUDANESE authorities have ordered civilians to vacate areas in the south, currently occupied by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of Joseph Kony as fighting intensifies.There is no estimate of the number of civilians in the affected area.Kony and his fighters estimated to be about 2,000, are said to be holed up in Katire near Acholi Mountains. They are being pursued by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). The announcement is being aired on Radio Juba.Kony and his fighters fled to the mountain ranges after UPDF captured his five camps in Kit Valley near the Sudanese government garrison town of Juba. The “Operation Iron Fist,” deputy commander, Col. Francis Okello, said the directive was to secure the civilians from the LRA attacks. “The Governor of Juba has called on the population of the mountain areas to run for safety to Torit, Magwi, Palotaka or Lubone or into Uganda as our operations in the mountains continue,” Okello said.According to information given by the Equatoria Defence Forces, a local pro-government militia group, LRA has killed about 300 civilians in this area since March in retaliation for their support for the UPDF. operation there.Ends