LRA rebels kill 18 in the north

At least 18 people were killed and many more abducted when Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels launched an attack on a village in Lira District, northern Uganda, on Wednesday night. Military and local government sources said on Thursday that the attack on Apala village occurred at around midnight. The army spokesman in Lira, Lt Chris Magezi, confirmed the assault and said this was the first time Apala had ever been an LRA target. "This was an attack on women and children. They abducted people and looted the place of all its food," Local Councillor Joel Otim told IRIN. Magezi said an army unit had been swiftly deployed to the scene. "Our commanders have not yet verified the deaths. Until they do, we can't be sure," Magezi added. The LRA have been fighting since 1986 under their leader, the enigmatic Joseph Kony. They say they want to replace the Ugandan government with a theocracy based on the biblical Ten Commandments, but their attacks have mostly targeted civilians in the rural north.