By FM KULAYIGYE psc (K) Col DEF/UPDFSPOKESMAN
Persistence, consistence and resilience have paid off. In the ongoing Operation Lightening Thunder in the Central African Republic (CAR) against the LRA, our gallant combatants have saved more lives, despite the constant efforts of the LRA to avoid detection.
On 5 Feb 12, one of our squads rescued 03 abductees from CAR. They had been abducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009. The three were in the group of Olanya, Brother to Kony. They were rescued after Contact with the rebels on 5 Feb 12. Their names are;
(a) ANZOYO TSUKIYA aged 22 years from Faradje DRC,
(b) KAMLEGU, AGED 15years from Dungu DRC,
(c) IMA GAMBOLIPA, 13 years from EZO, South Sudan
In another development, on 10 Feb 12 in CAR, we rescued Akello Vicky aged 17, A Ugandan from Lokung, Lamwo, District she is a daughter to Mr. Okeng Wokorach and Lavoo Clementina. She was rescued at around 1400hrs after she had successfully given birth to a baby girl in the morning hours at around 0900hrs of that same day.
Akello Vick revealed that she was in a group is under one PALOTAKA but the overall commander is Okot Odhiambo, who was hiding some few KMs from where we got her. She further said a number of people are dying due to hanger because they no longer access food, medicine and clothes for fear of being detected by UPDF. She has been brought to Gulu for treatment, because of pain in one of her breasts.
Again yesterday another encounter with Odhiambo’s group at about 4 pm our forces rescued a Sudanese girl aged 16 years of age. She said that she had been in captivity for three years. In the same encounter, One rebel was put out of action and one 01 SMG was charged.
We salute our officers and combatants in the OLT for the tireless efforts to ensure that the people of the Great Lakes Region live in peace. We also thank the government and people of CAR for their untiring support in this Pan-African venture.
FM KULAYIGYE psc (K) Col DEF/UPDFSPOKESMAN
