UN backs action on Uganda rebels

The LRA has forced thousands of children into combat

The UN envoy trying to end Uganda's long-running conflict has told the BBC he backs the recent offensive against the Lord's Resistance Army rebels.

Joachim Chissano said the aim of the operation was to force LRA leader Joseph Kony to sign a peace deal, which he has so far failed to do.

He urged the UN Security Council to support the action by Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 20-year rebellion in the north has displaced some two million people.

The LRA leader, who for the last few years has lived in a jungle hideout in north-eastern DR Congo, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Uganda's government has been involved in lengthy peace negotiations with his group, hosted by the South Sudanese government.

But Mr Kony has demanded that arrest warrants for him and his associates be dropped before any agreement can be struck.

'Merit'

The three armies launched a joint offensive on Sunday on the forested area of Garamba, in the north-east of DR Congo.

The aim of the attacks now are to force Kony out UN envoy Joachim Chissano Congo terror after LRA raids

The Ugandan army said several LRA camps were destroyed, including its main base.

"We cannot condemn these military actions because we can see the merit of it," Mr Chissano, Mozambique's former president, told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

"The aim of the attacks now are to force Kony out because he should not be given opportunity to entertain other options than are open to him through the peace process."

"The negotiations are over... what is remaining is the signing of the final peace agreement."

Mr Chissano said that the mediators had tried to explain to Mr Kony that the ICC warrants cannot be easily lifted.

"But there is a possibility of a suspension," he said.

"This is what the agreement said - that if Kony signed, the government of Uganda would come to Security Council or ICC and request for the suspension of these warrants of arrest.

"[Then] Kony could move freely into Uganda where justice would be applied according to what is foreseen in the agreement."

In May, a special war crimes court was established in Uganda to deal with cases of human rights violations committed during the two-decade insurgency.

This was agreed to at the peace negotiations with the rebels earlier in the year.