Legislators from war-ravaged northern Uganda on Tuesday urged the government to halt a military offensive against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), saying the military option would not bring peace to the war-torn region.
"Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) calls upon Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo)and southern Sudan to halt the joint military operation forthwith and revert to the peace process as the only way forward," said a statement from APG.
The statement said the military option had failed to resolve the conflict for 20 years.
Military forces from Uganda, southern Sudan and DR Congo launched an attack on Sunday on rebel leader Joseph Kony's base in Garamba forest in northeastern DRC.The joint operation, which entered the third day on Tuesday, was prompted by Kony's repeated refusal to sign a final peace agreement the rebel group negotiated with government for over two years.
The Ugandan government on Tuesday explained to foreign envoys here and Parliament that the offensive was carried out to force the elusive rebel leader back to the negotiation table and sign the deal.
Ruth Nankabirwa, minister of state for defense, told Parliament in a statement that the attack was also carried to rescue women and children from southern Sudan, the DR Congo, the Central African Republic and Uganda who are under LRA's captivity.
The legislators also appealed to the LRA to exercise maximum restraint and stop looting and abductions in the DR Congo and southern Sudan.
The LRA's over- two decade insurgency has left tens of thousands of people dead and about two million homeless in northern Uganda. The legislators warned that the resumption of war is likely to create panic among the population which was returning home during past two years following the relative peace in the region.
Source:Xinhua
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