SUDAN Vice president Salva Kiir has defended the LRA, saying they are not behind attacks in South Sudan.
The rebel Lord's Resistance Army is not behind attacks in South Sudan, First Vice President Salva Kiir said Thursday.
The spate of attacks that started right with the resumption of peace talks in Juba in January left at least five people dead and displaced dozens.
"These people, (attackers) were speaking Swahili," Southern Sudan Vice President Salva Kiir told a forum of state Governors and Speakers, noting that the LRA speak largely indigenous Acholi.
Swahili is a dominant language in Eastern DR-Congo, and is widely spoken in Uganda. The attack took place about 40 kilometers to the border with Uganda.
The LRA head of delegation to the peace talks has pointed out that the LRA was assembled 400 kilometers from the scene of fighting.
Southern Sudan head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Mr David Gressly also declined to confirm the allegations, saying they were "not sure that the attack was by the LRA."
The statement by Mr Kiir, also president of the Government of South Sudan, ends speculation on the LRA involvement in the attacks.
Mr Kiir also said they reached this conclusion basing on what the attackers took with them after the raids.
"When looting houses, they went to bars and took alcohol and cigarettes," Mr Kiir said of the attackers.
Mr Kiir said the LRA rebels don't drink because if one is caught doing so, they are subjected to court martial. "It's in their constitution," Mr Kiir said. "Also, they don't smoke."
He said he hoped a final peace agreement would help expose the culprits behind the attacks since there would be no LRA to implicate.
The Government of South Sudan has since July 2006 facilitated peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA.
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The truth is now slowly being unearthed about these attacks and killings in the South Sudan. As VP South Sudan pointed out, the attackers cannot be LRA judging by the language they speak. In his wisdom, he said the attackers could have been either from Congo or Uganda. Considering all imaginable possibilities, neither the Congo rebel nor the Congo government army could be suspected in any way whatsoever of trying to attack Sudan due to the situation in the Congo. Without any doubt, judging by the wisdom of South Sudan VP, Salva Kiir, the culprit in this attack, as earlier suspected is the Ugandan army. The forces that are backing the Darfur rebels and that were backing, organizing and arming the South Sudan rebels would like the fighting in South Sudan to start again to introduce complications and increase the dimensions of the Sudan killings and sufferings and they are using, with almost no doubt, the Ugandan army as their surrogate. The past record of the Ugandan army speaks for itself. Truth is, undoubtedly, perennial!
I do not understand why this cowardly barbarian has not been captured and brought to justice. What kind of a man kidnaps over 50,000 children and then either abuses them or brutalizes them until they become his soldiers or 'wives'? The 10 Commandments of the real God condemn the murderous acts of these commanders. Isnt there one real man in the LRA willing to turn this goon in? To the LRA members that may read this try being a real warier and let the children go. Try fighting another soldier not children you cowards! It has been widely reported that Sudan has been funding the LRA for years.
Good books about this: Aboke Girls by Els De Temmerman (2001), Girl Soldier, Faith McDonnell & Grace Akallo (2007), The Journey of the Lost Boys by Joan Hecht (2005).