10 killed in LRA Kitgum attack
OVER 10 civilians including a local defence unit (LDU) personnel were on Friday night killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Kitgum district
By James Odong, Dennis Ojwee and Wokorach Oboi
OVER 10 civilians including a local defence unit (LDU) personnel were on Friday night killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Kitgum district.
The rebels also abducted an unspecified number of people, burnt huts, a dispensary and Lupur Catholic Mission, 25 miles east of Kitgum town.
The rebels, who reportedly disguised themselves as Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on patrol, attacked Omiya-Anyima internally displaced peoples (IDPs) camp at 5:00pm, where they stayed until Saturday at 9:00am when the UPDF arrived and dispersed them.
The commanding officer of the Kitgum-based 503rd Brigade, Sam Kiwanuka, yesterday said the rebels estimated to be between 200 and 300 made the attack in three phases.
“In the first two attacks, the LDUs repulsed them but they withdrew, re-organised and returned with a bigger force which overwhelmed the LDUs,†Kiwanuka said adding, “The population should not panic because the UPDF reinforcement has been sent and they have taken full control of the situation.â€
Kiwanuka could not explain why the camp, which was home to over 16,000 IDPs, was guarded by LDUs.
He said the 5th UPDF Division Intelligence Officer, Capt. Fred Mukorogo, had gone to the scene to assess the situation.
OVER 10 civilians including a local defence unit (LDU) personnel were on Friday night killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Kitgum district.
The rebels also abducted an unspecified number of people, burnt huts, a dispensary and Lupur Catholic Mission, 25 miles east of Kitgum town.
The rebels, who reportedly disguised themselves as Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on patrol, attacked Omiya-Anyima internally displaced peoples (IDPs) camp at 5:00pm, where they stayed until Saturday at 9:00am when the UPDF arrived and dispersed them.
The commanding officer of the Kitgum-based 503rd Brigade, Sam Kiwanuka, yesterday said the rebels estimated to be between 200 and 300 made the attack in three phases.
“In the first two attacks, the LDUs repulsed them but they withdrew, re-organised and returned with a bigger force which overwhelmed the LDUs,†Kiwanuka said adding, “The population should not panic because the UPDF reinforcement has been sent and they have taken full control of the situation.â€
Kiwanuka could not explain why the camp, which was home to over 16,000 IDPs, was guarded by LDUs.
He said the 5th UPDF Division Intelligence Officer, Capt. Fred Mukorogo, had gone to the scene to assess the situation.