About 50 Lord's Resistance Army ( LRA) rebels have left their areas of operation in northern Uganda and southern Sudan and crossed into northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ugandan army spokesman Shaban Bantariza said on Monday.

Bantariza said LRA Deputy Commander Vincent Otti crossed over the White Nile River last week before burning homes on the road between the Sudanese towns of Juba and Yei.

By Sunday night Otti had continued west, reaching the border with the DRC in the area of remote Garamba National Park.

"Otti is now in Congo. We believe he crossed sometime late yesterday," said Bantariza.

Garamba is 170 km northwest of Uganda's Arua town, where Uganda 's army chief held talks on Saturday with local officials and members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

On the whereabout of rebel leader Joseph Kony, Bantariza said he had not entered Congo with his deputy, and was still thought to be on the run inside southern Sudan.

"We believe he is hiding in an area controlled by Sudanese government troops," Bantariza added.

Ugandan and Sudanese governments have agreed to hold defense chiefs meeting on joint operation against the LRA in southern Sudan.

According to local media on Monday, the Ugandan army has deployed its 51st battalion in West Nile from Kitgum district and put them on "standby class 1."

LRA rebels have killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced over 1.4 million people in northern Uganda in their 19- year rebellion.

Source: Xinhua