Kampala, 8 Jan - (ANA) - A top commander of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel army has surrendered and is now in the custody of US forces, the Ugandan army confirmed Wednesday. Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said top LRA commander Dominic Ongwen, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes, gave himself up in Central African Republic. He said Ongwen one of the last senior aides to LRA leader and warlord Joseph Kony who was still at large. The LRA have been blamed for the slaughter of over 100,000 people and kidnapping of more than 60,000 children during a three decade-long campaign across five central African nations. "His surrender puts the LRA in the most vulnerable position. It is only Kony left standing," Ankunda told AFP, adding that he had first surrendered to CAR's Seleka rebels, before being handed over to US forces. Ongwen is being held in the southeastern CAR town of Obo, close to the border with South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo, Ankunda said. "We are working out procedures," he added, when asked about Ongwen's immediate fate -- including his possible transfer to Ugandan authorities or to The Hague-based ICC. (ANA)

FA/ANA/8 January 2015------------