Uganda People's Defense Force ( UPDF), Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) have signed a protocol to carry out joint operations against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Sudan.

According to Ugandan government radio reports on Saturday, this is to be the first time the three armed forces of the two countries carry out joint operations against the rebels

Ugandan military source was quoted as saying that commanders of the three forces met in Entebbe, some 40 km south Kampala, and discussed strategies for the arrest of Joseph Kony and his commanders.

The meeting at Entebbe was attended by Uganda's chief of defense forces General Aronda Nyakairima, SAF chief Major General Almahi Mahmoud and SPLA's Major General Pieng Deng.

They also signed a protocol extending the UPDF operations against the LRA in Sudan to January 19, 2006 and removed the Red Line.

The protocol also allows UPDF to use helicopter gunships subject to coordination by ground forces and intelligence of the three forces.

Uganda will, for the first time, be permitted to use Yei and Juba airports in southern Sudan for its operations.

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

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in September this year for Kony and other four commanders for their crimes of murder, torture and mutilation, abduction, sexual violence, forced recruitment and killing people.

Source: Xinhua