DRC to push out LRA rebels
2007-02-26 20:05
Kinshasa - Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) will be pushed out of the bush of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) its rebels are using as bases, said interior minister General Denis Kalume on Monday.
The army was there to defend the country and it would do its job, said Kalume.
LRA fighters were pillaging villages in north-east Congo, near the border with Uganda, Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR), he said without confirming their numbers.
A landmark truce agreement between the LRA and the Ugandan government is to expire on Wednesday, with the LRA saying it will not renew the deal because of attacks on it from Ugandan forces.
The Ugandan military has said the LRA, fearing reprisal from the Congolese army, have crossed into the CAR, joining forces with rebels fighting the government there.
LRA leader Joseph Kony is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The 20-year conflict between the LRA and the government in northern Uganda has left tens of thousands dead and 1.8 million people displaced.
- SAPA