LRA kills Britons

The scene of a brutal attack, close to the town of Morobo in Southern Sudan
[Photo: International Aid Services (IAS)]

The death at the hands of Ugandan rebels of the second British man this week has underlined the deteriorating security situation in northern Uganda.

Steve Willis, who ran a chain of backpackers’ hostels, was shot as he tried to help a group of tourists on a rafting trip. They were caught in an ambush by fighters suspected to be members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

CMS regional manager for Sudan, the Rev Pauline Walker, decried the situation. The ongoing attacks of LRA rebels affected not only Uganda but Sudan.

“Southern Sudan has only just started to recover from its own 22-year-old war but the LRA are now making it very difficult for peace to be established,” she commented.

“The peace agreement between north and south was signed only in January this year and the people are now struggling to build their country.”

Mr Willis, was killed on Tuesday when the vehicle he was travelling in with four others was ambushed by two suspected LRA rebels.

The attackers attempted to abduct two of the passengers, but the army pursued after them and rescued them after they had spent four hours in captivity.

Violence has also been reported across the border in Southern Sudan.

Last Saturday (5 November) suspected LRA rebels attacked an International Aid Services (IAS) vehicle, which was travelling from Kaya to Yei in Southern Sudan, killing British aid worker Colin Lee and Sudanese driver Karaba Juma.

A statement from IAS indicated that, “At about 4pm the vehicle was ambushed by a group of armed men some 19km from Kaya, close to the town of Morobo.

“The vehicle had three IAS staff on board, two international staff from Bermuda (British national Mr Lee) and Paraguay and a Sudanese driver. The driver, Mr Karaba Juma, was shot in the arm while the passenger in the front seat, Mr Collin Lee (57), Bermuda, was shot in the chest and throat. His wife, Hedwig Unrau Lee (35), escaped unharmed. Mr Lee was taken to Yei hospital for treatment but due to severe wounds he passed away around 10.20pm.”

Two weeks ago, several aid agencies suspended or restricted their operations in northern Uganda, following the killings of two aid workers there.

And now the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a travel advisory warning against “all travel to northern and north eastern Uganda because of rebel insurgency and tribal clashes.”

The foreign office adds, “Diplomatic missions have seen an extract from a letter, which suggests the LRA may be targeting ‘white people’. If you are currently in the region you should exercise extreme caution - some of these recent attacks have taken place in daylight hours and close to population centres.”

Incidents of violence have been on the increase following the International Criminal Court's issuing of arrest warrants for five LRA Commanders, including leader Joseph Kony, on 13 October 2005.

Some observers believe the attacks on aid workers and foreign nationals represent a change of tactics by the LRA in response to the ICC indictments.