Thousands of Ugandan Child Soldiers Turn Over Their Guns

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NAIROBI, Kenya — Thousands of child soldiers were marching through northern Uganda to hand in their guns yesterday, raising hopes that two decades of brutal guerrilla war may finally be over.

Fighters from the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group consisting largely of abducted children, were heading for two assembly points in southern Sudan.

Their leaders have agreed a truce with Uganda’s government in landmark peace talks, under which they will gather their fighters for disarmament in designated locations.

Early reports indicated that the guerrillas were heeding the deal. Some had left the LRA’s main base in Garamba National Park in the remote northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rebel commanders have publicly ordered their soldiers to leave their hideouts. The Ugandan army has guaranteed them safe passage.

Uganda has set a deadline of September 12 for signing a final peace deal. The insurrection has cost tens of thousands of lives and led to the abduction of around 20,000 children.


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