Annan warns against LRA
2006-07-06 10:11
New York - Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo should co-ordinate the activities of their security forces to deal with the lingering threat from the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, said United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In a report to the UN Security Council, Annan said UN peacekeepers in Sudan should focus on implementing a still fragile peace agreement between the government and southern rebels and peacekeepers in the DRC should concentrate on supporting "a credible and violence-free electoral process", which would likely extend into September.
He said the UN missions in Sudan and the DRC could provide limited assistance to the governments in the two countries within their capabilities, "but should not be seen as an alternative to authorities in the LRA-affected region in the maintenance of law and order".
LRA, other bandit activity
The report was a response to a security council resolution in March - asking Annan for proposals on how UN agencies and missions, especially in Sudan, could more effectively address the problem of the LRA.
That resolution urged the UN force in southern Sudan "to make full use of its current mandate and capabilities" to pursue LRA rebels in Sudan.
Annan's report said that once fully deployed, the UN force could make southern Sudan "less benign for the LRA and other bandit activity".
But, he said it had no mandate to arrest and could only detain people who attacked or threatened to attack UN personnel or people nearby.
The report said: "It should be emphasised that the regional countries have an overwhelming capacity to address the LRA threat."
Conflict claims 100 000 people
It said: "If a mutually agreeable way is found by the governments in the region to strengthen co-operation on the ground among its security forces, it could create a solid basis to deal more effectively with the lingering threat from the LRA."
The report said that during the LRA's 20-year conflict, an estimated 100 000 people were reported to have died as a result of the conflict and about two million had been displaced, primarily in northern Uganda.
At the moment, Annan said attacks by the LRA "are at their lowest recorded levels for several years and there is evidence of its diminished military capacity".
He said that while its exact strength was unknown, the LRA appeared to have "no more than several hundred active combatants, and does not seem to be a credible military force."
Annan said: "LRA violence against civilians continues, including abductions of children and adults, extrajudicial killings, (and) sexual and gender-based violence, mostly rape and torture."
According to Annan, in the 1990s, the LRA was alleged to have moved its activities into southern Sudan and later into the Garamba National Park in the DRC, which bordered Sudan.
- AP