Uganda has asked for permission to deploy troops in the DR Congo to pursue Lord's Resistance Army rebels there.

The request was made during a meeting with Rwandan, Burundian and DRC officials earlier this month.

According to the Ugandan foreign minister, Sam Kuteesa, the LRA is a terrorist organization that was operating from the Sudanese territory for the last ten years and now has moved to the DRC. He called for joint operations by the Ugandan and Congolese armies and the UN Mission in Congo (Monuc), to solve the problem. The International Criminal Court )ICC) has just issued an arrest warrant for its leader, Joseph Kony.

Uganda's proposal goes beyond Monuc's suggestion of a bilateral joint monitoring team. According to Kuteesa, there is no option other than a Ugandan operation to capture and disarm the rebels since the DRC claims it does not have the capacity to do it and since the UN says it does not have the mandate to do it.

They are therefore proposing joint operations with UN observers who can check that the Ugandan army is not in the DRC to loot.

About 300 LRA fighters sought refuge in north-eastern Congo between end September and early October, according to Congolese government sources.

ICC action

The ICC, based in The Hague, issued warrants for LRA leader Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen.

However, there were concerns in Uganda that the indictment may derail the peace process with the rebels and instead trigger an escalation in violence.