Ugandan rebels say a stalled peace process has collapsed completely after a joint attack on its positions by forces from three African countries

Uganda, DR Congo and South Sudan launched a joint offensive against bases of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in north-eastern DR Congo. A rebel negotiator said the offensive signalled an escalation of the war. The Ugandan army has said that several LRA camps have been destroyed, including its main base. Army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said that the operation had been launched because LRA leader Joseph Kony had been unwilling to end the violence in the region. In November 2008 Mr Kony failed to sign a peace deal, despite two years of tortuous negotiations. The LRA has led a rebellion for more than 20 years in northern Uganda, displacing some two million people.