| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa: Horn |
| Sudan Says It Will Help Capture Ugandan Rebel Leader |
| 2004-08-04 |
|  EFL: Marking a major turnaround in policy, the Sudanese government says its army is now fully engaged with Ugandan forces to capture the elusive leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. Regional analysts are puzzled by Sudan's decision to help Uganda crush a rebel movement, which Khartoum has long tolerated, if not supported, for the past 18 years. The top spokesman for the Sudan People's Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Bashir Suleiman, tells VOA that one of the army's first priorities now is to help Uganda capture rebel leader Joseph Kony and put an end to his nearly two-decade-long campaign of terror. The general says the army decided to assist the Ugandan army after assessing the needs of the people living in an area of southern Sudan where Mr. Kony and his LRA rebels have been based. Last Wednesday, the Sudanese government gave Ugandan forces permission to cross the so-called red line to hunt for the LRA leader at his operational base, deep in southern Sudan. The massive raid was the first since the red line was established two years ago, setting a strict limit on how far Ugandan troops could enter Sudanese territory in search of the rebel leader and his followers. Kampala opposed the red line, saying it allowed LRA rebels to launch attacks on villages in northern Uganda and then retreat behind it to relative safety. Mr. Kony escaped Wednesday's raid, but the Ugandan army hailed it as a major success after its troops reportedly killed more than 120 LRA fighters and seized dozens of automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. Two days after the raid, top Sudanese and Ugandan commanders met near Juba in southern Sudan and jointly pledged to stop the war, which has caused countless deaths and has driven more than a million and a half people from their homes in the region. Regional analysts say that last week's events appear to mark a major thaw in relations between Sudan and Uganda. For years, the two countries had traded bitter accusations. Uganda charged that Sudan gave arms, food, and logistics support to the LRA. Sudan, in turn, claimed that Uganda actively supported the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Army during the group's 20-year struggle against Khartoum. Many analysts, like Jim Terry with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, believe there is some degree of truth to both claims. But Mr. Terry says he is puzzled by Khartoum's sudden decision to publicly denounce Mr. Kony and the LRA. "To be honest, I don't really know what is going on. Well, I can speculate about what is going on, but it is hard to tell just how significant that all is." |
| Posted by:Steve |