Man arrested re: deaths of red cross workers

Ugandan soldiers have arrested a Lendu tribal warrior for the killing of six Red Cross workers in Congo, adding that the attack was a robbery, a top general and newspapers reported today.

Major General Jeje Odongo, head of the Ugandan army, said that an investigation into the killings in north-eastern Congo, a region controlled by the Ugandan army and allied rebels, had produced one arrest and that the investigation was continuing.

He offered no additional details, except to confirm an account published in the Government-owned New Vision newspaper today.

The paper said Dongo Chuga, a fighter from the Lendu tribe, was under arrest and had confessed to killing the four Congolese, one Swiss and one Colombian worker from the International Committee of Red Cross near Bunia on April 26.

The six workers were delivering aid in a clearly-marked Red Cross vehicle when they were shot and hacked to death.

Chuga said robbery was the motive for the attack, the newspaper said, quoting a Ugandan Army spokesman, Major Phineas Katarima. He said they stole money, two mobile phones and clothing.

The Red Cross has been providing aid to thousands of people affected by clashes between the Lendu and the Hema.

Thousands have died in the last two years in fighting over control of land and other resources.

Human rights groups have accused the Ugandan army of supporting the Hema in the clashes.