KAMPALA, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The Ugandan army has re-launched offensive operations against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in southern Sudan, reported state-owned weekly Sunday Vision.

    "We are still observing the ceasefire within the gazetted zone until we receive contrary orders from the president," a security source was quoted by the weekly as saying.

    The ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the LRA rebels,which was declared by President Yoweri Museveni on Nov. 14, has been extended for three times until Dec. 31.

    President Museveni last week also ordered the extension of ceasefire to southern Sudan, creating a corridor to allow rebel leader Joseph Kony to meet his deputy Vincent Otti.

    According to the weekly, the army's offensive is concentrated in the area where the two top rebels are hiding.

    "The operations, which include aerial and ground troops, began on Friday. The army's helicopter gunships were seen flying to and from southern Sudan where Kony and Otti are hiding," the weekly said.

    The army said full-scale operations had been relaunched against Kony's rebels both in southern Sudan and those in Uganda who don't want to enter the ceasefire zone.

    On Dec. 13-14, the Ugandan army killed 18 rebels near ceasefire zone.

    The LRA rebels, based in southern Sudan, have fought the government for last 18 years, killing tens of thousands of civilians and displacing over 1.6 million others in northern Uganda.

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