LRA rebels not committed to peace - army spokesman

The Ugandan military said on Thursday that the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) had misused a month-long ceasefire declared by the government, and instead of a showing commitment to peace, regrouped to execute more atrocities in the northern region. Army spokesman, Maj Shaban Bantariza, told IRIN that the ceasefire period "was a time lost as far as the military is concerned", adding that the army had lost its momentum. "We had successfully curtailed their propensity to abduct children to swell up their ranks," he said. "They could not meet to plan attacks, but the ceasefire period offered them this opportunity and instead of moving towards talking to the government, they have been moving to Sudan to re-organise." The government-announced ceasefire took effect on 15 November. The government has since extended it twice to ostensibly allow the rebels more time to consult. However, Bantariza said the LRA had, during the ceasefire period, attacked villages to loot food and staged some ambushes on the roads. Two people died and a Roman Catholic priest, Father John Peter Olum, sustained gunshot wounds in both hands when their vehicle was ambushed by the LRA on Monday at Rach Koko area, some 70 km northeast of Gulu town, according to church officials. The LRA has fought the Ugandan government in the north since 1988 and has killed or maimed thousands of people, while driving 1.6-million others out of their homes. Recent mediation efforts have brought a flicker of hope with the rebels meeting a mediator, who is brokering peace talks with the government. Still, much ground remains to be covered, according to observers. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report released on Wednesday that despite recent positive developments in the peace discussions, the humanitarian situation in the north was "as dire as ever". It said that attacks on civilians had continued and that internally displaced persons were living in sub-standard camps, where their basic needs were not being met. "The rights of children to health services, water, primary education and protection remain, to a large extent, unfulfilled in the conflict-affected districts," UNICEF noted. The agency said, however, that the continued extensions by the government of the November 2004 ceasefire, had contributed to the reduction in hostilities, although "the long-term impact on the lives of the most vulnerable children and women remains to be seen". Some 80 percent of those displaced in the eight districts of northern and eastern Uganda are children and women. Each night, especially in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, the fear of LRA attacks and abductions drive - on average - some 35,000 "night commuter" children to seek shelter in town. According to UNICEF, a total of 15,000 persons - most of them children - were reportedly abducted by the LRA between 2003 and 2004. This year, 840 formerly abducted girls returned through reception centres in Gulu, of whom, 250 were "child mothers".