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Uganda

Ugandan army kills 24 rebels in ongoing clashes

Kampala (dpa) - Ugandan forces battling a group of rebel fighters in the north of the county said Thursday they had killed 24 rebels and captured 14, including the son of notorious rebel leader Joseph Kony.

Severe clashes took place Wednesday in the Okudi hills, close to the northern Ugandan city of Gulu, as well as in the districts of Kitgum and Pader.

"Kony was not far away when we attacked his forces. His son Ocan was with the rebels we captured,'' said army spokesperson Lieutenant Paddy Ankunda.

Kony entered Uganda from southern Sudan with about 70 fighters on Monday following a Ugandan artillery bombardment of LRA bases in Southern Sudan. Ugandan forces have since clashed with the group on a daily basis.

"The majority of these rebels are not armed. They have not been getting supplies,'' an army spokesperson said.

Kony, an elusive former preacher said to be in his mid-40s is bent on unseating the Ugandan government and installing an administration based on the teachings of the Bible, Kampala government sources say.

The exact nature of his political and military aims are however unknown. LRA rebels under Kony have become known for their brutality and are blamed for the abductions of up to 20,000 children, many of whom are forced to fight government troops or act as slave labour for rebel forces.

Around one and a half million people have been forced from their homes by the 17-year LRA insurgency and live in camps dotted all over the region.

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