Museveni wants rebel leaders dead

Little is known about LRA leader Joseph Kony (l)

Uganda's army is actively trying to kill the leaders of a rebel group, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

In both Ugandan and Kenyan newspapers, he says this is the only way to stop the Lord's Resistance Army rebels.

On Monday, a senior United Nations official said the humanitarian situation in the north, where the LRA operates, is the worst in the world.

Joseph Kony leads the LRA rebels, who are notorious for abducting children and mutilating their victims.

'Illogical donors'

"We are now working hard to kill Kony and [his deputy Vincent] Otti," Mr Museveni said.

"It is not enough to scatter the bandits. They must be annihilated for our people to live in peace. The wages of sin is death," he said.

The rebels chop off noses and ears

He also criticised foreign donors for imposing limits on military spending, which he said had hampered the army in its fight against the LRA.

"The donors' stance that defence expenditures must be kept below 2% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) is not being logical," he said.

After visiting northern Uganda, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland said the humanitarian situation was worse than anywhere else in the world, including Iraq or the Palestinian territories.

The LRA have said they want to rule Uganda according to the Biblical Ten Commandments but they abduct children to serve as sex slaves and fighters.