26 Killed by LRA in Northern Uganda Truce Violations

At least 26 civilians have since yesterday been killed and several others wounded by unknown group of fighters in southern Sudan, the latest in a series of violations of the landmark northern Uganda truce, officials have said.
Captain Paddy Ankunda, the spokesperson for the Government negotiating team at the peace talks in Juba, says the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is to blame for the attacks which took place about 20 kilometers from Juba. He says a team monitoring the ceasefire agreement would confirm the rebel attack.
//Cue in: iSince yesterday there have been #i
Cue out: i# these are bare facts.i//
The alleged rebel attacks came just days before President Yoweri Museveni visits the self-governing south of Sudan in a bid to breath life into the faltering negotiations between government and the LRA.
Major General Wilson Deng, who chairs the truce monitoring team, says he and his colleagues visited Nisitu, the scene of yesterday's attack, and found three cars burned and six people killed. He says two people were burned beyond recognition.
Deng is hesitant to allocate blame, saying the truce team is still investigating who carried out the attack and whether it was the LRA or not.
Deng says both the Ugandan military and the Sudan People's Liberation Army are based near the scene of the attacks. He says it is very confusing because the LRA is not in those areas.
The rebels have categorically denied involvement in the latest of a series of alleged violations by both sides of a landmark truce signed in August.
Rebel spokesperson, Godfrey Aywo, says the LRA military high command confirmed beyond any doubt that its soldiers were not involved in the attacks. He says the insurgents haven't declared war on anyone on Sudanese soil.
Jimmy Akena, an independent observer at the talks in Juba, is optimistic that the negotiations will continue despite the alleged truce violations. Akena, who is the Member of Parliament for Lira Municipality, says that the violations will be handled when a full report by the monitoring team is submitted.
//Cue in: iThere have been serious #i
Cue out: i# of the monitoring team.i//