Uganda named five rebel commanders sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC), including Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony, whose cult-like group kidnaps, rapes and kills children.
"Now the whole world will be searching for Kony," Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi told a news conference, adding that Sudan, where Kony is based, should now arrest him.
"I trust the Sudanese, who obviously know where Kony is, will effectively execute that warrant."
The warrants are the first issued by the court, the first permanent global tribunal set up to try individuals for genocide, war crimes and systematic human rights abuses.
Mbabazi said the other four LRA leaders sought by the Hague-based tribunal were Kony's number two, Vincent Otti, Okot Odiambo, Raska Lukwiya and Dominic Ongwen.
Nineteen years of warfare by the LRA has devastated northern Uganda and uprooted more than 1.6 million people. More than 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the rebels and forced to become fighters, porters and sex slaves.
Mbabazi confirmed Kampala had received the warrants, which follow sealed indictments, sent out last week by the ICC.
"The government of Uganda has decided to inform the public through the media about this decision and call on the public to cooperate," Mbabazi said.
The ICC has no police to enforce its arrest warrants, and instead must rely on Uganda's military and the help of neighbouring states. Otti recently fled from Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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, Sudan 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.
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