Uganda's army, with the backing of Congolese and South Sudanese troops, launched assaults on LRA bases in northern Congo on Dec. 14, aiming to crush the rebels and capture their leader, self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Kony.

But in more than a month of operations, coalition forces have failed to track down the rebel leader, and his fighters, estimated to number between 800 and 1,000, have embarked on a bloody campaign of terror against local villagers.