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****** Uganda: UPDF Grabs Vital Kony Documents ******
Barbara Among
21 December 2008
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Kampala — The UPDF has captured vital documents belonging to LRA rebels as it
continues to pursue them in the Garamba jungles.
A Ugandan passport, maps of South Sudan and Darfur region in particular and
"security" documents which the army declined to describe were among those
seized, spokesman Capt. Chris Magezi said late last evening. Military
intelligence is studying the documents, he added.
The documents were captured from Eskimo camp, the LRA operational centre and
sick bay.
"Strategically, we could not be any happier," said Magezi who speaks for
Operation Lightning Thunder, a combination of Uganda, South Sudan and DR Congo
armies which attacked the rebels last Sunday. "Kony appears more pressed than
ever before."
He described the catch as substantial, which indicated that the pre-aerial
attacks had been effective.
The passport belonged to commander Dominic Ongwen, wanted by the world court,
along with Kony and his deputy Okot Odhiambo, for war crimes.
Also seized yesterday afternoon were 30 machine guns, 100 bullets, SMG and sub-
machine guns, 10 walkie-talkies, two solar panel chargers, a pair of
binoculars, two man-park (very high frequency military communication) radios,
two satellite phones, an album of Olweny's family, maize flour, beans, simsim
and cooking oil.
No dead or injured have been found seven days since the operation kicked off.
On Tuesday, the allies recovered 10 sub-machine guns, four anti-personnel mines
and bombs. Eight abductees and two LRA fighters have also been received.
Earlier, copies of the final peace agreement which Kony refused to sign thrice
this year, were picked from the camps. Kony's guitar, wig, jungle boots,
bedding, farm equipment and household utensils were also recovered.
The allied troops, Magezi said, were closing in on Kony. "He is under pressure.
When somebody abandons communication equipment, weapons and food, there is no
other better indication," he said. "Without food supplies and a base to operate
from, we shall get him soon."
Kony, said Magezi, had been ejected from Garamba to Dungu areas. "As the troops
continue to cordon-and-search the area, we expect more recoveries, including
bodies. This is an indication that people fled in disarray."
He said the UN mission in Congo, MONUC, had promised more helicopters and
intelligence.
The troops now occupy all LRA camps and are destroying the huge gardens the
rebels had opened up and which were being tended by abducted children.
The offensive was launched after peace talks failed and was intended to force
the rebels back to the negotiating table, the army said.
Yesterday, the forces continued dropping more leaflets to encourage scattered
fighters and abductees to hand themselves in.
Kony has fought Kampala for about 22 years and displacing two million people in
the region.
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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