Uganda's army says it has pulled its troops from the hunt for rebel leader Joseph Kony.
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The Central African Republic (CAR) state claims that Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) no longer pose a threat to the nation. In a statement, Uganda's Army said it had "successfully achieved" its mission to "neutralize" the LRA and its troops would withdraw from CAR.
"Joseph Kony with less than 100 armed fighters is now weak and ineffective. He no longer poses any significant threat to Uganda's security and northern Uganda in particular," the statement added.
Kony, who remains wanted, fled Uganda more than a decade ago. It is widely reported that he and his fighters roamed the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo, before moving into CAR. In 2005, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for war crimes.
The LRA was notorious for maiming people and abducting children to use as soldiers and sex slaves. Several of its top commanders have surrendered, including Dominic Ongwen, who is facing war crimes and crimes against humanity charges at the ICC.
The Ugandan Army, supported by U.S. Special Forces and African Union (AU) troops, have been searching the CAR region for Kony since 2012. Ironically, that same year a Kony2012 video, made by U.S.-based activists calling for the world to capture Kony, went viral.
Just last month the United States withdrew its troops from the search for the guerilla chief.