Uganda's chief prosecutor has indicated plans to prosecute Caesar Acellam, a senior commander of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group who was captured earlier this month, stressing that the captured rebel leader was not eligible for amnesty as he was one of LRA's top military strategists.
In a statement on Wednesday, Richard Butera said Acellam was responsible for the LRA operations which resulted in gross human rights violations as he was a senior commander within the ranks of the rebel group.
Noting that Acellam was captured in combat, Butera said the government was investigating his case for evidence. The chief prosecutor said Acellam might be prosecuted, based on the merits of the findings of the investigation.
"It must also be noted that senior LRA officers involved in gross human rights violations do not benefit from amnesty because of their seniority in command and control. If Achellam falls in that category, the issue will be assessed on evidence available," Butera said in the statement.
Achellam was seized along with his wife, young daughter and a helper in an operation carried out in the Central African Republic by the Ugandan security forces two weeks ago. He is currently being held in an Ugandan Army base in South Sudan. At the time of his capture, Achellam was a senior commander of the LRA rebel group led by its notorious leader Joseph Kony.
The 21-year-old LRA insurgency in the region comprising northern Uganda, eastern Congo, the Central African Republic (CAR) and southern Sudan began in 1988. The group is considered to be one of the world's most brutal rebel forces, and is accused of using children as soldiers and sex slaves. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and most members of the international community.
The insurgency movement is believed to have killed at least 2,000 civilians and abducted more than 4,000 after the four nations plagued by the group's activities launched a joint anti-LRA offensive in September 2008. The insurgency is also said to have displaced more than two million people in the region since it was launched over two decades ago.
Uganda had adopted an amnesty law in 2007 with the intention of persuading the LRA rebels to abandon the insurgency movement. Under that law, LRA fighters who surrender and denounce rebellion are eligible for pardon.
Currently, LRA chief Joseph Kony is believed to be in hiding with his fighters in north-eastern Congo. Kony and several of his commanders have been indicted for various war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but the LRA rebels say that they will not disarm until the ICC warrants are lifted. The exact whereabouts of Kony remains unknown.
The hunt for Kony has intensified after a recent Internet video, labeled 'Kony 2012,' showing the atrocities carried out by the LRA captivated the imagination of international audience after it was posted online by the U.S. advocacy group Invisible Children. Currently, Ugandan forces are being assisted in their search for Kony by members of the U.S. Special Forces as well as troops from other African nations.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.