The Lord's Resistance Army(LRA) continues its horrific reign of terror in northern Uganda, despite courageous peace-making efforts from church leaders and the Ugandan Army's military offensive, AsistNews Service reported.

Joseph Kony, the leader of LRA is a spirit medium and is driven by an evil spriritual power which is greater than the Ugandan army or any other human influence. LRA has been persecuted the churches and the Christian population of northern Uganda with barbaric atrocities for 16 years.

Last month, 50 LRA militiamen broke into a Catholic Seminary and killed one person and abducted 44 young seminarians. Another four people are confirmed hacked to death by them and the remaining 37 people are missing.

Even LRA militiamen clubbed 13 civilians to death in Pabbo Camp north of Gulu on June 5. Ten days later they also broke into villages in Lira and Arpac, butchering faces and hands. From the massacre 8 people from age 6 to 61 died and hundreds of houses were burned. 100 children were abducted for child-soldiers.

Uganda Church leaders courageously have tried to make peace. After the recent peace meeting between the LRA and church officials, some commanders of LRA deserted LRA. However Joseph Kony has responded that LRA would start a war on all clergy and mission. Father Carlos Rodriguez of Gulu said the LRA has burned, bombed, destructed churches on nine occasions.

On June 14, Kony ordered his LRA soldiers, "Catholic missions must be destroyed. Priests and missionaries must be killed, nuns beaten black and blue."

Therefore many Christians are so threatened and feel unprotected. Christian workers seek for safe shelters for their children. The Christian doctors also help the victims who have experienced the LRA's abuse.

Recent LRA defectors reported that the government of Sudan uniformed troops are supplying the LRA with truckloads of advanced weaponry an ammunition.

Ugandan church leaders are seeking for Christians around the world to pray for them so that the Christians never lose their faith despite the horrific situation.

By Young Sun Lee
funnysun@hotmail.com