Rebels hack 6 to death
2005-03-10 22:26
Kampala - Rebels attacked three villages in northern Uganda, hacking to death six people using machetes and hoes before burning down 75 thatched homes, an army spokesperson said on Thursday.
Most of the victims were in bed late on Wednesday when rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army attacked the villages in Adjumani, a district 500km northwest of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, said lieutenant Kincoco Tabaro.
The group is made up of the remnants of a northern rebellion that began after President Yoweri Museveni, a southerner, took power in 1986.
Operating from bases in Sudan, the insurgents have killed tens of thousands of civilians and forced more than 1.6 million people to flee their homes.
Meanwhile, government forces killed 73 rebels in a series of clashes in the past month, another army spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that four soldiers were also killed in operations.
At least six government troops were wounded, 26 insurgents were captured and 20 children were rescued from rebel captivity between February 10 and March 10, said lieutenant Paddy Ankunda.
The elusive rebels hold no territory and are best known for kidnapping thousands of children and forcing them to become soldiers or concubines.
- AP