Information emerging from International Criminal Court (ICC) indicates that the LRA third senior-most officer, Raska Lukwiya who was reportedly killed a fortnight ago, is not dead. The ICC’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor said on Monday the ICC has been informed that a medical examination carried out on Lukwiya’s body proved the report incorrect. Lukwiya was reported killed in combat by the UPDF on August 12 in Kitgum district. However, the army yesterday scoffed at the ICC’s latest position. Read more at The Monitor.

Between 150 and 200 fighters of the LRA, women and children are reported to be moving towards Uganda border from Garamba National Park in DR Congo. After three days of walking, the rebels rested on Friday at Ameri and Kusu areas in northeastern Congo. This area has no presence of the Congolese army or MONUC personnel. The UPDF 409th Brigade in Arua and Nebbi has been put on full alert following these reports. Further, on Friday night, Radio France International, quoting Congolese authorities, reported that the LRA and the Congolese army clashed in northeastern Congo. Details of the clash were not given. Sources said the rebels appear to be heading to the Uganda border to surrender. Read more at The New Vision.

LRA rebels attacked and set fire to an ambulance on its way to Kalongo hospital in Pader district yesterday. When attacked, the staff jumped out and ran off, while the LRA helped the weaker patients exit the vehicle. After they had looted two mobile phones and the drugs, the LRA let the ambulance burn to the ground. LRA rebels also killed a Pader man in an attack several days ago. Read more at The New Vision.

The UPDF has warned it will invade the DR Congo and uproot the remnants of the rebel LRA if the ongoing peace talks collapse. "If they (LRA) make the mistake of not taking advantage of the peace talks, Uganda will go to DRC with or without the government's authority," the Chief of Defense Forces, Gen Aronda Nyakirima said. Gen Nyakirima said Uganda has three options if the ongoing talks failed – attacking the LRA from its base in Garamba, inviting the UN Security Council to help Uganda deal with the issue, or forming a joint armed force with Sudan and DRC to fight the rebels. Read more at The East African.

President Museveni of Uganda said yesterday that the UPDF will attack LRA positions in the DR Congo if the current peace talks in Juba, southern Sudan fail. However, some sources say that the DR Congo is demanding that Uganda first pay $10 billion in reparations it was orderd to give the DR Congo by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last December. The ICJ ordered Uganda to pay reparations for the "killing and torture of civilians and destruction of villages" and plunder of valuable natural resources during a five-year occupation of the DR Congo from 1996-2001. Read more at The Monitor.

The Juba peace talks may have been thrown into uncertainty after the UPDF killed the LRA’s third senior-most commander yesterday morning. Raska Lukwiya, one of five top LRA commanders indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, was killed in a clash with elements of the UPDF’s at Mucwini, about 25km north of Kitgum Town. Sources said Lukwiya had planned several ambushes against the UPDF, one of which actually resulted in the death of a motorcyclist and his soldier passenger. The UPDF reportedly foiled the other ambushes. The government delegation spokesman in Juba has accused the LRA of violating its own ceasefire. Talks are set to resume Monday, but it is uncertain now how the parties will proceed. Read more at The Monitor.

The Government of Uganda has accused the LRA of breaching its own unilateral ceasefire by raiding villages for food and killing civilians. It has also accused the LRA of getting reinforcements from its collaborators and planning for war. Sources have said the LRA, under the leadership of Joseph Kony, is engaging in diamond and gold trade in the DR Congo. Last year the LRA relocated to Garamba National Park in the mineral-rich Congo. Analysts say like other rebel groups, the LRA could use the proceeds from the trade to rebuild their war machinery. According to sources, the army has received information that the LRA had joined the diamond and gold business in the area. Read more at The New Vision.

Oroma Gladys, Uganda-CAN news correspondent, reports that the Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao has revealed that LRA leader Joseph Kony told them that a bulk of LRA fighters are in the Central African Republic (CAR). Mao, who has just returned from meeting the LRA leader, was addressing a rally at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu. The leader of opposition in Parliament, Hon. Prof. Ogenga Latigo appealed to the affected communities to learn to forgive and forget the past if meaningful peace should be realized. He called on the 20 year old communities to accept rebels back into society once the peace deal is signed.

Oroma Gladys, Uganda-CAN news correspondent, reports that two displaced women were shot dead Thursday by government soldiers in Amuru district. The two women were visiting their garden when the soldiers pursuing LRA rebels shot them by mistake. The northern military spokesman blamed the rebels' continued raids for these deaths.

Ugandan military officials reported yesterday that five LRA rebels were killed in northern Uganda on Wednesday. General Aronda Nyakairima, Uganda's Chief of Defense Forces, said that the UPDF will launch a massive onslaught on the LRA if the current peace talks in Juba fail. Read more at The New Vision.

Oroma Gladys reports from northern Uganda that UPDF soldiers in northern Uganda have killed at least 11 LRA rebels in the last two weeks. Three of the rebels were reported killed in an ambush in Pader District as they were going to loot food. UPDF northern spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi confirmed the series of clashes
with the rebels and said that their military operation to capture remnants of LRA will continue as usual without any hindrance.

LRA leader Joseph Kony has relocated further south from his hideout in Garamba Forest, a week after he hosted over 100 guests at his previous hideout. Sources said that Kony relocated because he feared the UPDF could soon launch an armed raid. Defense spokesman Felix Kulayigye said the UPDF harbored no plans of attacking Kony. Yesterday, it also turned out that Kony has written to the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, appealing for the Ugandan Parliament's support for the ongoing peace talks. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan army has been put on high alert along the Ugandan border with the DR Congo and Sudan in West Nile, following reports that the peace talks in Juba may fall apart. Military sources said directives were given on Thursday night for all army commanding units in the region to step up their state of readiness in light of the waning commitment to the talks by the LRA rebels. Read more at The New Vision.

In the month of July, LRA activity and attacks in northern Uganda have been virtually non-existent. While there have been a few raids to get food, there were no killing incidents and only 3 retained abductees. Further, there were no road ambushes or other criminal activities. Security officials largely attribute these improvements to the success of ongoing peace talks mediated by the Government of South Sudan. Click here to read Uganda-CAN analysis of why these talks are the best opportunity in over a decade to end the war.