Kampala — Close to 23,000 former rebels have so far been pardoned since the Amnesty Law came into existence, an Amnesty Commission official has said last week.

Mr Moses Draku, the publicist told Daily Monitor that the largest number of the pardoned ex-rebels was from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel outfit.

At least 12,481 amnesty recipients are former LRA rebels, Mr Draku said. The rest were from the West Nile Bank Front (4,314), Uganda National Rescue Front II (3,114), Allied Democratic Forces (1,870), National Army for Liberation Uganda (195).

The Amnesty Commission is the statutory body set up by the government in January 2000 to provide a blanket amnesty to all Ugandans who were engaged in war or armed rebellion against the government since 1986.

There are 22 rebel groups covered under the act.

Prominent former rebels who have benefited from the law include the former LRA chief peace negotiator, Dr James Obita; the LRA's former operations commander, Kenneth Banya; the former LRA spokesman, Sam Kolo; the former chief of the Ugandan National rescue Front II, Ali Bamuze; and one Brig. Ezaga, a senior army officer during the tyrannical reign of Idi Amin.

The Amnesty Commission chairman, Justice Peter Onega, said the period for granting amnesty had expired in May 2008 but has since been extended for two years until May 25, 2010. "The country is for all of us so we encourage everyone to come back home," Justice Onega said.