The Ugandan army rescued 249 children during the last two weeks from rebels who abducted the kids, the army spokesperson said on Monday.
The children, all between 12-years-old and 18-years-old, were found by soldiers as the troops pursued Lord’s Resistance Army rebels through parts of northern and northeastern Uganda, Major Shaban Bantariza said.
It is believed the rebels abandoned the children because they could not keep up, he said. The rebels, who rarely speak to journalists and could not be reached for comment, are estimated to have abducted up to 20 000 children, turning the boys into fighters and the girls concubines.
Bantariza also said that 22 rebels and two soldiers were killed and three soldiers injured in fighting in northern Uganda in the past two weeks. Another 10 rebels surrendered to the army and 12 were captured, he said.
The rebel group, led by Joseph Kony, who claims to have spiritual powers, is the leftover of a northern rebellion that began after President Yoweri Museveni, a southerner, took power in 1986 after a five-year bush war.
Fighting between rebels and government forces has intensified recently with rebels ambushing towns and villages daily as well as abducting children as hopes for a settlement of the 17-year-old conflict fades. – Sapa-AP