The Ugandan military says it has killed a senior commander of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.
A
statement from the Ugandan army Wednesday says LRA "Lieutenant Colonel"
Okello Yape was killed in the southwest part of Ri-kwangba, a remote
area of southern Sudan.
There are also reports that soldiers rescued several hostages held by the rebels.
The
statement calls the death of Yape "another blow to the LRA," delivered
by a multi-national force that has been chasing the rebels since
December.
Last week, the army said it had captured LRA Commander Thomas Kwoyelo, believed to be fourth-in-command of the rebel group.
The
LRA has been fighting Uganda's government for 20 years, and has also
become a regional threat, extending its killing, kidnapping, and
maiming of civilians into Congo, southern Sudan, and the Central
African Republic.
The rebel group negotiated a peace deal with
the Ugandan government, but the group's leader, Joseph Kony, has failed
to show up on multiple occasions to sign the agreement.
The
LRA says it wants the International Criminal Court to drop war crimes
charges against its leaders before the accord is signed.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
