More rebels return families

Dec 13, 2004

TWO more senior LRA rebel commanders have sent their families home. The officers, already in the ceasefire zone at Paludar, Palabek, Kitgum, on Saturday sent their wives with five children.

By Alfred Wasike and Chris Ochowun

TWO more senior LRA rebel commanders have sent their families home. The officers, already in the ceasefire zone at Paludar, Palabek, Kitgum, on Saturday sent their wives with five children.

Maj. Gen. Caesar Accellam and Maj. Acel Calo Apar released their wives and escorted them up to Palaro UPDF detachment in Aswa county west of Gulu where they are being taken care of.
Another rebel commander Brig. Sam Kolo sent his family home last week.

Northern army spokesman Lt. Paddy Ankunda said the women would be transferred to Gulu barracks on Monday.

“Let me hope releasing the women does not mean reducing the luggage on them in order to give them ample time to resume operations and attacks on the civilian positions,” Ankunda said.

LRA leader Joseph Kony has not moved to the gazetted areas a day to the expiry of the latest extension of the truce to pave way for talks to end the 18-year-long insurgency.

Last week, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said Kony was moving down from Sudan to the safe zone.

“He is merely circumventing the designated area. The man is hiding in Katire valley. He is not coming to the designated area at all,” Bantariza said yesterday.

“He is not showing specific interest in moving towards talking peace to end the conflict,” Bantariza added.

Ankunda said if the rebels were committed to the peace talks, they should assemble in the peace zone and accept the UN food and stop looting from civilians.

Ankunda said on Saturday the UPDF attacked a splinter rebel group headed by Onen Kamdulu at Labuje in Kitgum and killed two of them.

He said the army killed 15 more rebels in two attacks in Lajenge, Kitgum and Goma Hills yesterday. He said one of the dead had pips for a colonel and the army was trying to identify him. Six rifles, a walkie-talkie, a grenade and an accumulator battery were captured.

All the attacks were outside the peace zone.

Meanwhile, the UPDF 509 brigade spokesman, 2nd Lt. Tabaro Kiconco, said they killed three rebels at Corner Kilak, 5km southeast of Pader town.

He said a gun with three magazines and several bullets were captured from the defiant rebels outside the peace zone.

President Yoweri Museveni recently extended the ceasefire to 7:00pm tomorrow.

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