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/ 11 November 2007

Brutal Ugandan rebels ask for forgiveness

Five years ago, Ugandan rebels bayoneted Ellen Atim’s husband and five of her children to death. Atim narrowly escaped and fled with her surviving children to a displacement camp where they have eked out a meagre existence ever since. Yet she says she is prepared to forgive the rebels who tore her family and life apart.

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/ 9 November 2007

Ugandan rebel hideout hit by cholera

An outbreak of cholera has swept a hideout camp housing Uganda’s rebel Lord’s Resistance Army, infecting its leader, Joseph Kony; his deputy, Vincent Otti; and scores of fighters, a spokesperson said on Friday. The outbreak was first reported in September, but details of fatalities remain unclear.

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/ 9 November 2007

Ugandan rebel chief denies killing deputy

Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony has arrested his deputy on suspicion of spying but denies executing him, a top peace mediator said on Friday. Norbert Mao, a top regional politician, said he had just spoken to the fugitive head of the Lord’s Resistance Army by satellite phone at an undisclosed location.

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/ 6 November 2007

Sudan wants SA to mediate on Darfur crisis

Sudan has asked South Africa to mediate on Darfur, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Tuesday as attempts to end a conflict that has killed more than 200 000 and forced 2,5-million from their homes appeared to founder. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday.

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/ 23 October 2007

Ugandan rebel commander surrenders in DRC

A commander of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has surrendered in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is in the custody of Congolese authorities, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Opiyo Makasi, reported to be the rebel group’s operations and logistics commander, gave himself up along with his wife.

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/ 22 October 2007

DRC warlord to appear before ICC

Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga, accused of massacres, using child soldiers and turning women into sex slaves, is to make his first appearance on Monday before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Katanga (29) arrived in The Hague on Thursday after being handed over to the ICC by Congolese authorities in Kinshasa.

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/ 18 October 2007

DRC militia chief to face war-crimes charges

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday transferred a militia chief to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face war-crimes charges, including sexual enslavement and using child soldiers. Germain Katanga (29), who once led the Forces for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri, was flown out of Kinshasa early on Thursday.

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/ 9 October 2007

AU confirms bombing raid on Darfur town

Sudan’s army bombed Muhajiriya, the main Darfur town held by the only rebel faction to sign a 2006 peace deal with Khartoum, injuring at least two dozen people, the African Union force commander said on Tuesday. Martin Luther Agwai said it was not yet clear why the fighting began on Monday.

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/ 4 October 2007

Elder statesmen paint bleak picture of Darfur

International elder statesmen, including two Nobel Peace Prize winners, said on Thursday that Darfur was rife with violence and deeply divided after returning from the Sudanese region. They warned rape was widespread and being ignored by the Sudanese authorities and also urged Khartoum to hand over war-crimes suspects for trial at the International Criminal Court.

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/ 27 September 2007

Aid agency reduces Darfur operations after attacks

Relief agency World Vision has scaled back its operations in South Darfur after its staff suffered three attacks within a week, an agency official said on Thursday. ”World Vision has not suspended operations — we have scaled down,” Michael Arunga, communications manager for World Vision, told Reuters. ”There have been three attacks in one week.”

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/ 11 September 2007

Violence ‘could undermine Darfur peace talks’

Ongoing violence in Sudan’s Darfur region threatens to undermine planned peace talks between Khartoum and rebel groups, a British minister said as he flew into the war-torn area on Tuesday. British Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Malloch Brown made the remarks a day after rebels said government aircraft had bombed a rebel-held Darfur town.

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/ 30 August 2007

Rebels accuse govt of bombing Darfur

Darfur rebels accused the government of bombing South Darfur on Thursday, the latest attack in an aerial campaign that has driven thousands of people from their homes over the past month. ”There is aerial bombardment on a daily basis — bombing by MiG 29 and by Antonov,” Justice and Equality Movement commander Abel Aziz el-Nur Ashr Ashr said.