Patrick Elobu Angonu
11 August 2003
Kampala — The LRA rebels struck Teso yesterday morning and killed about 20 civilians in scattered raids.
The rebels attacked the home of President Yoweri Museveni's press assistant, Mr Onapito Ekomoloit, in Wera Sub County and hacked four people to death.
"Am deeply shocked because the LRA can go that far and kill people in front of my house," Onapito told The Monitor on phone yesterday.
By press time the bodies were still lying on the road in front of Onapito's house, some 17km along the Soroti-Moroto highway.
Civilian and security sources said that the LRA rebels also attacked Atirir town at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, killing seven boys and torching an unspecified number of shops after looting them.
The rebels also struck Odudui, some 16 kilometres north of Soroti, and killed seven civilians.
Sources reported that the rebels were avenging their eight colleagues killed by the army on Saturday after they looted Katine trading centre.
In yesterday's attack, the rebels also set ablaze a trailer laden with assorted merchandise at Olwelai, five miles along the Soroti-Lira highway.
As the rebels struck again, hundreds of people fled their villages and accused the LRA of adopting a scorched-earth policy.
By yesterday afternoon, heavy fighting was reported at Tubur sub-county where the UPDF, backed by helicopter gunships, was engaging the rebels who were marching towards Soroti town.
Tubur Sub county chief Mr Nico Akwang said that the LRA had retreated to Tubur.
The co-ordinator of the Arrow Group, a paramilitary group formed by locals in Teso to fight the rebels, Mr Musa Ecweru, said that the situation is under control.
"Something good is being done to stop those savages from making a daring attack on Soroti town. You know these bandits want to make the whole Teso insecure and that is why they are targeting civilians," he said.
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