Ugandan religious leaders trying to broker an end to a 17-year conflict between a feared rebel group and the government have accused neighboring Sudan of resuming aid to the rebels in breach of a 1999 pact.

But Sudanese officials denied they were supporting the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which is led by self-styled prophet Joseph Kony and has a reputation for maiming villagers and abducting children.

Uganda's Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative (ARLPI) said Sudan's army had been supplying LRA officers with arms since late last year.

"This accounts for the fact that in recent months violence has escalated to unprecedented levels in Northern Uganda, with the civilian population bearing the brunt of the rebel offensive," it said in a statement.

The Sudanese High Commission chargé d'affaires in Kampala said Khartoum was committed to a 1999 accord in which Uganda and Sudan pledged to stop supporting each others' rebels.

"The government can never support the LRA. We are confident that the relevant authorities will investigate and act on the allegations," he said.

The Ugandan army said it would confront Khartoum with the allegations. "We are to present these findings to the Sudan government and see what they say," said a spokesman, Major Shaban Bantariza.

Last week Uganda and Sudan renewed an agreement allowing Uganda to continue operations in southern Sudan against the LRA. Reuters