THE UPDF air raid in which two senior LRA rebel officers were killed on Monday, was an attack on a top rebel commanders’ meeting. The jungle meeting at the confluence of River Aswa and River Agago was to be chaired by "Brig" Vincent Otti, the vice-chairman of the Lord’s Resistance Movement/Army. Other top LRA commanders were Abudema, Ras Bogi and Yardin Nyeko. The army identified one of the two dead officers as Lt. Col. Opio Makasi.
| Oh, no! Not Opie! Aunt Bea will be devastated... |
Nine other rebels were killed in the fierce ground and air bombing attack on Monday morning. "Vincent Otti is a high value target, number two after Joseph Kony. If he has lost two commanders and is seriously beaten in a battle, then really the end is in sight," said a top army source yesterday. "After Tabuley was killed, Otti said he would regroup and fight back but now he is on the run and has been getting terrible knocks. Kony has told him to embark on massive abductions to replenish their forces but he has been unsuccessful. Now it is the dry season and they are just trying to survive in Gulu after they retreated from Teso and Lango," the source said. He said Kony had returned to the Sudanese camp of Lubangatek with around 20 people to try and retrieve arms and resume contacts with his former suppliers in Sudan.
| Trying to bum some arms and ammunition from the Darfur camel jockeys? |
The army spokesman, Major Shaban Bantariza, said prior to the battle, the army had received information that the rebel high command was meeting to plan to loot more food before heading to Sudan to re-arm themselves. "Of recent, the rebels have been unsuccessful in looting food yet they are planning to return to Sudan with as much food and as many captives as possible. This is why the rebels were meeting," Bantariza said. On the high death rate of rebels, Bantariza said, "unlike in the past, the rebels now move in larger groups to protect themselves and their commanders. This gives us a chance to kill them in larger numbers."
| That's where The Plane proves its value... |
Since December 31, 2003, 39 Kony rebels have been killed, the army said. During the attack, the army captured 18 rebels, rescued 20 child captives and recovered two guns with 200 bullets, according to the 5th division spokesperson, Lt. Chris Magezi. Other equipment included one bomb of a B-10 gun, eight anti-personnel mines, two G2 guns, one grenade launcher, one RPG pipe and one solar panel. Meanwhile, four rebels yesterday surrendered in Oryang, five kilometres southeast of Kitgum town. |