Army begins new push in north

Jan 10, 2005

ALLsuspected rebel hideouts in the north are to be destroyed under the new ‘Sweep Operation,’ the army has said.

By Chris Ochowun

ALLsuspected rebel hideouts in the north are to be destroyed under the new ‘Sweep Operation,’ the army has said.

UPDF 509 brigade spokesman Lt. Tabaro Kiconco on Thursday said they launched the operation to destroy Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels who are still hiding in the region.

He said they recovered one Rocket Propelled Grenade in Lacekocot in Aruu county, Pader district on Friday.

“We suspect that the rebels left the RPG to act as landmine and kill UPDF soldiers who are carrying out the Sweep operations,” Kiconco added.

He said the operation would go on for as long as the LRA rebels were committing crimes against civilians and ignored talks with the Government to end the war peacefully.

“We have launched the daily operations to prevent the ill-equipped LRA rebels, who still pose a threat to the civilians, from attacking the displaced peoples’ camps and massacring people,” he added.

The rebels on Friday tried to attack Amida camp in Kitgum district but they were repulsed by the UPDF during a Sweep Operation at about 9:00pm.

Kitgum resident district commissioner Santo Okot Lapolo said about 10 rebels, who attempted to attack the camp, were beaten off by the UPDF.

He urged the residents of the camp to be more security conscious.

Kiconco said they had beefed up UPDF deployments in all the internally displaced persons camps and along the roads to foil ambushes.

“We can’t give time to the LRA to carry out attacks on the civilian positions when we are here and we are well armed,” he added.

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