Uganda chases rebels in DR Congo

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Ugandan troops have made another attempt to root rebel leader Joseph Kony and his followers out of their remote camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Ugandan government claimed its forces, along with troops from Southern Sudan and the Congo and supported by aerial bombing, wiped out more than 70 percent of the Lord's Resistance Army camps in the remote northern reaches of the Congo in an operation called Lightning Thunder, the BBC reported Sunday.

However, the goal of this month's attacks -- to corner Kony and force him to end his 20-year insurrection in the Congo, Sudan and the Central African Republic -- failed to come to fruition and it appeared Kony has once again eluded capture. His followers are said to number only about 650.

Kony's fighters are accused of abducting children and are blamed for forcing millions of people to flee their villages.

A Ugandan news Web site, TheNewVision.com, reported Sunday Kony may have headed to the Central African Republic. NewVision said sources reported groups of Kony's fighters were looting food and abducting people, but appeared weary and were not heavily armed.

However, the Web site said LRA spokesman David Matsanga denied Kony had crossed into the CAR.

"Slowly the military option will become elusive; like we said before, it won't yield peace," he said.

Operation spokesman Chris Magezi said depleting the rebels' arsenal and supplies will seriously weaken them.

"We have achieved a lot and this has been a big blow to Kony," Magezi said. "We are occupying all of the LRA camp and major food sources; Kony cannot survive on the food he carried away for long. We shall get him."