Ugandan LRA ‘in church massacre’

ICC Note

“Bodies of the women and children, with deep cuts are littered inside and outside the church,”

12/29/2008 Congo (BBC News)- Uganda ‘s army has accused the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels of hacking to death 45 civilians in a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Capt Chris Magezi said it happened the day after Christmas near Doruma, close to the border with South Sudan .

He said the scene at the church was “horrendous… dead bodies of mostly women and children cut in pieces”.

Other reports say more than 100 people were killed.

‘Propaganda’

Aid officials requesting anonymity near Doruma, which is about 40km from the border with South Sudan, confirmed to Uganda ‘s Daily Monitor newspaper and to the AFP news agency that the massacre had taken place.

“Bodies of the women and children, with deep cuts are littered inside and outside the church,” an aid official told The Monitor.

Witness Abel Longi told the AP news agency that he recognised the LRA rebels by their dreadlocked hair, their Acholi language and the number of young boys among them.

“I hid in bush near the church and heard people wailing as they were being cut with machetes,” he said.