Kivupeace.org

March15, 2009
Ugandan troops pull out from DR Congo (AFP)

DUNGU, DR Congo (AFP) — Uganda began withdrawing its troops on Sunday from northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, where they
were deployed to hunt Lord's Resistance Army rebels, but failed to catch their leader.

DR Congo Defence Minister Charles Mwando Nsimba and his Ugandan counterpart Jeje Odongo as well as the two countries' army
chiefs attended a brief ceremony as several hundred Ugandan troops were leaving.

The operation to track the rebel army (LRA) is to continue with the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUC). The pullout should take eight days.

"We welcome the success of the anti-LRA operation and MONUC's commitment to pursue this operation with the FARDC (Congolese
government troops) to wipe out LRA terrorism," the DR Congo minister said.

Congolese armed forces chief General Didier Etumba added that the operation had been successful as "the LRA's operational capacity is
drastically diminished".

Ugandan army chief General Aronda Nyakayirima said his forces would stay on the border between Congo and south Sudan.

"We will continue to provide intelligence to the FARDC so the operations can be wound up," he added.

The Ugandan, Congolese and south Sudan armies launched a campaign against the Ugandan LRA in December after its leader Joseph
Kony refused to sign a final peace deal with the Ugandan government.

They have been unable to capture Kony, though the Ugandan army on Wednesday said they had killed an LRA commander in a south
Sudanese jungle in a military operation against the insurgents.

Kony's rebels are accused of having raped and mutilated civilians, forcibly enlisting child soldiers and massacring thousands during two
decades of conflict.

Copyright © 2009 AFP.

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