Ugandan Government says rebels have attacked a village in the north of the country, killing at least 14 people.

A local official said the rebels, belonging to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), attacked Pece Acoyo village, 360 kilometres (225 miles) north of Kampala, before dawn.

Thousands of civilians have been abducted.

They used hoes and axes to hack the villagers to death, he said.

The LRA has been conducting a campaign of violence in northern Uganda since 1987 to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni.

The government recently named a delegation to hold talks with the LRA, but the rebels have yet to name their own delegation.

Food trucks

In a separate incident, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza told the Associated Press news agency that a rebel unit killed five census workers in nearby Labora on Tuesday evening.

The workers were returning home after completing their work, he said.

Army escorts have not stopped attacks on convoys

Correspondents say the rebels have also attacked trucks carrying food aid to people driven from their homes by the fighting in northern Uganda.

On Monday, the UN World Food Programme said it was suspending operations in northern Uganda after one of its truck drivers was killed.

Initially, the LRA wanted to replace Uganda's constitution with the Ten Commandments and remove President Yoweri Museveni.

But some factions have recently shown interest in peace talks.