Uganda extends disarmament deadline

The Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has said he will extend the deadline for the voluntary disarmament of a heavily-armed tribe in order to give officials time to fulfil the government's side of the deal.

The government has offered the Karimojong community farm tools, food and building materials if they hand in their illegal weapons.

In a New Year message, Mr Museveni said there had been an excellent response so far to the disarmament deal and the deadline would be extended from 2 January to 15 February.

Correspondents say that long-running disputes between armed cattle rustlers from the Karimojong community, and their conflicts with tribes in neighbouring countries, have seriously hampered development in north-east Uganda.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service