KAMPALA, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Uganda's Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are now officially among the world's wanted men -- but international arrest warrants for five of its top commanders may not necessarily bring them any closer to justice.

For almost two decades, the cult-like group has waged a campaign of fear against isolated communities in the remote north of the country, massacring civilians, slicing off the lips of survivors and kidnapping more than 20,000 children.

Its self-proclaimed prophet leader Joseph Kony has evaded all attempts to catch him, retreating to the lawless mountains of southern Sudan and sending child soldiers to attack camps for the more than 1.6 million people displaced by the conflict.

Now, in its first indictments, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has targeted the LRA leadership, but many doubt it will have any impact on the ground.

"I don't think it will bring his capture any closer," said Tom Cargill, a British-based Africa expert. "It is yet to be seen how seriously people take an ICC warrant."

The new world tribunal has no police to enforce its arrest warrants, and instead must rely on Uganda's military and the help of neighbouring states. While Kony is in Sudan, his No. 2 has just fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The leaders of the LRA, which has never given a clear account of its objectives beyond opposition to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, have proved adept at hiding.

"Without ICC warrants Uganda's army has been trying to capture, or even kill, Kony for many, many years," said retired Colonel Walter Ochora, chairman of northern Uganda's Gulu district -- the epicentre of the LRA's brutal rebellion.

"We all wanted that promotion for getting him. But we failed. The army shall just have to redouble its efforts," he told Reuters.

Kony has slipped away from every danger, including a helicopter gunship raid on his headquarters last year when the military said he left four wives and 13 children behind.

Many in northern Uganda, including some government troops, believe the elusive rebel chief uses magic to escape.

Western analysts have accused elements in the Sudanese military of supplying Kony and his fighters, raising doubts over Khartoum's willingness to act on the ICC warrants.

Khartoum denies it supports the LRA.

Under a 2002 deal with Kampala, it has allowed Ugandan troops to hunt the LRA in a lawless stretch of the south up to a so-called Red Line about 100 km (63 miles) into Sudan.

For the first time in more than a year, Uganda's military said last month that it knew where Kony was: north of the line near a government-controlled garrison town southeast of Juba.

Uganda's government says Kony is now the responsibility of Sudan. But senior army officers are sceptical about Khartoum's commitment to bring him to justice. They say any future ICC trial would reveal years of Sudanese support for the LRA.

Last month Sudan called on President Museveni to negotiate with Kony. But diplomats say ICC arrest warrants in fact rule out any more peace talks to end Uganda's war.

A landmark mediation effort by former minister Betty Bigombe seemed to be bearing fruit late last year when the government and LRA representatives met in the bush.

But those efforts stalled when the main rebel negotiator surrendered in February. And while Bigombe has spoken to Kony by telephone since then, there has been no progress.

She had been a vocal critic of the ICC, accusing it of arrogance and lack of transparency, and had said she would end the peace process the moment warrants were issued.

Western governments who supported her with logistics and funding said that effort now appeared to be over.

"It is impossible for her to continue dialogue with the top five in the LRA. We cannot support her talking to anyone wanted by the ICC," said one diplomat close to the process.

The ICC has not named the five LRA commanders it wants brought in for trial. But Kony is certain to be one, and experts on the war say the others are thought to include his top henchmen Vincent Otti, Okot Odiambo and Raska Lukwiya.

Otti led 380 heavily armed LRA rebels from Sudan into remote northeastern Congo last month. Hundreds of Congolese troops have been sent to the area after the LRA band refused to disarm.

Odiambo was blamed for leading the LRA's worst recent massacre at Barlonya camp in February 2004, when more than 300 people were burned, shot and hacked to death.

Another rebel believed to be on the ICC list was Brigadier Dominic Ongwen, whom the military said it had killed on Friday.

Residents in the north said confusion about who could face ICC trial was stopping some junior rebels from surrendering.

Ochora, the Gulu chairman, said the court should make public its arrest warrants as soon as possible.

"There are boys out there, if they know they're not on the list they'll come in," he said. "For now they remain scared."