Civilians cooperate to flush out rebels in the western Uganda

Civilians in western Uganda at the weekend joined government troops in a bid to flush out rebels hiding in the forested areas of the Ruwenzori mountains. An official in the department of defence told IRIN that people in the rebel-affected areas are "unhappy." He said this has led them to organise themselves "to help the army flush out rebels." According to AFP, over 4,000 civilians had been sent with government troops to search the Ruwenzori mountains. "The Ugandan army is working with the civilians to comb the hills for rebels. It is a three-day operation," the agency quoted Bundibugyo resident district commissioner Edward Masiga as having said. A media source told IRIN on Monday the "civilians" are the Local Defence Units (LDUs) who are local militias who apart from carrying knives, machetes and spears, are also given arms by the army. They are found in almost all rebel-troubled areas and are usually paid by the local authorities. Meanwhile, five people were injured, three of them critically, when a grenade was hurled into a bar in Kampala on Saturday night. There have been four other attacks in the capital since January, and the most recent was on the previous Saturday. "These are people beaten on the war front who have now resorted to acts of terrorism. Nobody claims responsibility for these acts," a government official told IRIN.