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Congo to Attack Kony in Garamba

New Vision

25 jul. 06 - 09.44h

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Kampala, Jul 22, 2006 (New Vision/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --In spite of the ongoing peace talks in Juba, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has assured Uganda that it will immediately embark on an offensive to flush out the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) from Garamba National Park. The offence could start this week.

The assurance came in the wake of a Thursday meeting at the External Security Organisation (ESO) headquarters in Nakasero. The meeting was between Brig. Gen. Bahuna Ambamba, the Director of Operations in the Office of the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FADRC) and Clovis Kalyebara the Uganda's People Defence Force (UPDF) Director of Operations.

The meeting was also attended by ESO deputy chief Robert Masolo, the deputy Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI), Col.

Octavious Buturo, and the MONUC military liason officer in Kampala.

The meeting followed an earlier one between Ugandan and DRC military officials in which several resolutions concerning the presence of LRA in Garamba were arrived at.

"It was agreed in May that MONUC and FARDC would carry out a joint operation to neutralise them before elections and they were supposed to set up a liaison office for the FARDC and the UPDF in Aba to share intelligence on LRA and a number of other things," said a source.

The Thursday meeting reviewed progress on the resolutions of the earlier discussions.

"Both parties expressed concerns over the failure to implement the resolutions and the parties have re-committed themselves to re-implement the resolution, which means that as far as we are concerned, we expect the DRC, together with MONUC, who were all present in the meeting, to honour the commitment before the elections. The elections are on the 30th," the source said. "Our expectation now is that the DRC is going to start preparing for the offensive against the LRA. In any case they had assured the Ugandan government that we give them time to complete the election process and immediately after they would move against the LRA. What we have now is a commitment by the DRC and MONUC to move against the LRA."

The source said MONUC officials had in May met LRA delegation led by Col. Bonny Libya and asked them to leave Garamba or be attacked.

"The warning has created impatience between the group in Garamba and one in Juba. The Garamba group has immediate concerns for their long-term safety and they cannot stay endlessly in Garamba while the group in Juba is being financed and facilitated by international agencies and governments, so they are happy to bog down the discussions because they are being paid and have per diem and everything," said the source.

The source said the LRA wanted an urgent agreement to be reached with the Government or the Southern Sudan establishment to enable them to leave the DRC.

The source said some of the most vocal of the LRA team in Juba have never been in touch with the LRA.

"People like Obonyo Olweny have never been in touch with the fighters. Those who have had regular contacts with the fighters have been curiously silent. Even during the deliberations they don't say a word," the source said.

The Media Centre director, Robert Kabushenga, welcomed the DRC assurance.

He said, "It's encouraging that finally the DRC is recognising its international obligations and we hope they can recognise that the LRA is a regional security threat, it has committed atrocities in Uganda, Southern Sudan and there is nothing that will stop them from doing so in DRC."

Kabushenga added, "The UN is aware of this reality and they themselves lost servicemen to the LRA. So it's urgent they neutralise the LRA threat.

"It's also important for the LRA to realise that their best option is to do a deal in Juba because they don't have many options."
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