Renewed fighting between Ugandan government forces and rebels has caused thousands of people to flee into the northeastern town of Soroti, officials said yesterday.

"There is massive displacement of people as the rebels have broken into smaller groups and have decided to mete out a wave of terror on the local population, forcing thousands of them to flee," said Musa Ecweru, resident district commissioner for Kasese in western Uganda.

A local journalist said the new influx of displaced people had started four days earlier.

Around 800 000 people are already displaced in northern Uganda, after fleeing the fighting that has raged for the past 15 years between forces loyal to President Yoweri Museveni and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which is seeking to establish a new government based on the biblical Ten Commandments.

Ecweru, who also heads a government campaign against the rebels with local politicians, said the areas most affected by the fresh fighting were the counties of Soroti, Amuria and Keperebyong.

Witnesses in Soroti town said by telephone that some of the new arrivals were living in open grounds and had taken over schools and some hospitals.

"The whole town is littered with people, but most of the them have fled with their animals, so we have cows, goats and sheep," said one woman, who gave her name as Celia.

"We have witnessed cases where people are killed, eyes gorged out, bodies mutilated and the rebels using blood of their victims to write letters warning that those who betrayed their campaign will face the same fate," said Ecweru, whose so-called "Arrow Group" coordinates the political campaign against the LRA.

"Such terror has forced many to flee," he added, claiming that he had just delivered two women to Soroti hospital who had been tortured, "one gang-raped". – Sapa-AFP.