By Joe Bavier KINSHASA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A group of dissidents from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebel group is preparing to surrender to United Nations peacekeepers in neighbouring Congo, western diplomats in Kinshasa said on Monday. Ugandan media reported at the weekend that a group of around 30 LRA fighters, including three commanders, had deserted following a split among the movement's military leadership. Western diplomats in Democratic Republic of Congo said a small group of LRA rebels made contact with MONUC, the U.N. mission in Congo, last week. "The leaders of that group are talking to MONUC now," a diplomat, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "Once they've worked out the next steps, there's a larger group that wants to leave the bush and surrender too," he added. The diplomat said it was unclear whether the group included fighters' family members and dependents. A MONUC spokesman contacted by Reuters declined to comment. Congo's lawless east has long served as a safe haven for local armed militias, domestic insurgencies, and foreign rebel movements from Uganda and Rwanda. The LRA, whose brutal 20-year war in northern Uganda killed tens of thousands and made 2 million people refugees, signed a ceasefire with the Ugandan government last year but has refused to quit its jungle hideouts in eastern Congo. The group is notorious for brutal attacks on civilians, killing villagers, slicing body parts off survivors and kidnapping children to serve as fighters and sex slaves. Last month, Opiyo Makasi, reported to be the LRA's operations and logistics commander, surrendered to Congolese authorities following reports of a split in the rebel group between leader Joseph Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti. LRA fighters not accused of serious rights violations can qualify for disarmament and repatriation under a U.N. programme. Makasi was later transferred to MONUC in Kinshasa for his return to Uganda. "INDISCIPLINE AND SUBVERSION" In Uganda, LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo told Reuters a group of fighters had been expelled from the movement. "It is true some few soldiers, who are not members of the military high command, were engaged in indiscipline and subversive activities ... They were discharged," he said, adding he could not confirm the group's current whereabouts. "We wouldn't call it an LRA surrender, because they were no longer with the movement," he said. Kampala's The Sunday Vision newspaper reported that those preparing to surrender in Congo included Otti supporters. Earlier this month, a Ugandan politician and mediator quoted Kony as telling him he had arrested his deputy Otti on suspicion of spying, but Kony denied reports he had killed his deputy. Several LRA commanders, including both Kony and Otti, are wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged war crimes. The LRA agreed to a truce during peace talks held in southern Sudan in August 2006. But the movement's top leaders have stayed hidden in Congo, fearing arrest. (Additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Kampala, Editing by Pascal Fletcher)
