Uganda joins forces with the Democratic Republic of Congo to find Ugandan rebels in DRC.
Ugandan army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Shaban Bantariza tells VOA, generals from the militaries of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are briefing their operational commanders on how to hunt down Ugandan rebels hiding in Congo.
He says the briefings follow a meeting Wednesday in which the two militaries agreed, with the support of the U.N. mission in Congo called MONUC, to share information and resources in their search for members of the Lord's Resistance Army.
At the end of September, Lord's Resistance Army deputy leader Vincent Otti and more than 100 rebels crossed into Congo from his base in southern Sudan.
Lieutenant-Colonel Bantariza explains Otti's movements in the area.
"He crosses from Congo - Garamba, upper area - into Sudan to and fro, to and fro," said Colonel Bantariza. "He is gathering drugs, he is gathering food, and some ammunition also. We would like to know where he gets the ammunition from."
Lieutenant-Colonel Bantariza says he suspects that Otti, another leader, and rebels have gone to the Garamba and Aba areas of Congo because the areas are isolated and far from authorities.
The Lord's Resistance Army has been brutalizing populations in northern Uganda for almost two decades, killing, mutilating, and raping northerners and kidnapping children. The group's motives for their terror are unclear.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court recently issued arrest warrants for Otti, the rebel group's leader Joseph Kony, and several other top leaders.
The rebel group is also classified as a terrorist organization.
At a Great Lakes security conference being held in Uganda, Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kuteesa called for Ugandan troops to enter Congo to hunt down the rebels.
The last time Ugandan troops entered the neighboring country was during Congo's civil war from 1998 to 2003. Congo had accused Uganda of using the occasion to steal natural resources.