UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon condemned on Tuesday the recent killings of civilians reportedly committed by Uganda's notorious rebel group Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Xinhua reported.
The secretary-general condemned "in the strongest possible terms the appalling atrocities" in recent days in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and southern Sudan, as well as all other attacks committed by the LRA, Ban's press office said in a statement.
"The secretary-general demands that the LRA respect all rules of international humanitarian law," the statement said.
Ban recalled an earlier statement adopted by the Security Council, in which the 15-member body welcomed the joint measures taken by Uganda, DRC and southern Sudan to address the security threat posed by the LRA.
"He urges the forces of Uganda, DRC and southern Sudan on the ground to coordinate with the humanitarian community and the United Nations Missions in the region to ensure the effective delivery of assistance to those affected by the LRA attacks," it added.
In an apparent retaliation of a military strike against it, the LRA rebels reportedly massacred 189 civilians in the DRC and southern Sudan between Dec. 24 and 27.