KHARTOUM, Sept 30, 2008 (AFP) - Hundreds of refugees from northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have fled to neighbouring south Sudan after rebels launched brutal attacks, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

Some 1,200 Congolese trekked through remote forest to reach the Yambio region of southern Sudan's Western Equatoria state, after gunmen destroyed their homes and abducted children in the Dungu region of DRC.

The raiders are reported to be from Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group accused of forcibly enlisting child soldiers and of massacring thousands during what has been one of Africa's longest-running conflicts.

'Approximately 1,200 refugees fled to the villages of Gangura and Sakure following attacks by armed groups believed to be LRA fighters around Dungu,' the statement read.

'Refugees gave accounts of abducted children and homes set ablaze in acts of savagery,' the statement added.

The refugees said they were forced to trek for four days through thick jungle and swamps despite heavy rains and floods as the LRA had blocked other routes.

'Unconfirmed reports indicate that bodies were seen floating in rivers along the way,' the statement read.

Military pressure is mounting against the LRA, who are believed to be based in jungle hideouts in northeast DRC.

Congolese troops earlier this month were reported to be planning to crack down on the fugitives.

Uganda's military has said it supports the move, which is also backed by troops from the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC).

The refugees reaching Sudan have been settled in basic accommodation but the UN and aid agencies are working to address their critical needs.

Peace efforts have so far failed to get the signature of LRA rebel chief Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war-crimes charges.

Kony, a semi-literate former altar boy, took charge in 1988 of a regional rebellion among northern Uganda's ethnic Acholi minority.

Twenty years of fighting have left tens of thousands dead and displaced two million people, mainly in northern Uganda.