The LRA rebels raid villages and enslave residents, forcing them to work as fighters or porters. PHOTO | TEA Graphic
Nation Media Group
By Reuters
In Summary
- The rebels are notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping children for use as fighters. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the LRA's messianic leader, Joseph Kony, and other senior commanders.
- The LRA is from northern Uganda but was driven out by a military offensive a decade ago. Today, its fighters roam a poorly policed area straddling the borders between Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
Lord's Resistance Army rebels have kidnapped 17 people from a
village in eastern Central African Republic, a senior local official
said on Thursday.
The rebels are notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping
children for use as fighters. The International Criminal Court has
issued arrest warrants for the LRA's messianic leader, Joseph Kony, and
other senior commanders.
The rebels struck on Monday, snatching three people in the
morning and forcing them to carry their goods before releasing them in
the evening, said Ghislain Kolengo, prefect of Haut Mbomou region.
"Very early (on Tuesday), they attacked Kadjema village and
kidnapped 17 people who are still in captivity. I hope that our forces
in the area and the Ugandans will find these people and bring them
back," Kolengo told Reuters.
The population then fled the town, he said.
The LRA is from northern Uganda but was driven out by a military
offensive a decade ago. Today, its fighters roam a poorly policed area
straddling the borders between Central African Republic, Democratic
Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
All three countries have faced their own conflicts and Uganda,
another regional neighbour, said last week it planned to withdraw by the
end of the year its troops involved in an operation to hunt down LRA
rebels.
The LRA has been weakened but its fighters still attack
civilians. It has abducted nearly 350 this year, according to the LRA
Crisis Tracker, which documents rebel attacks.
Clashes
Meanwhile, at least 11 were killed in clashes in the north of
the country involving former rebel group called the Seleka, according to
a brigade commander in the town of Ngaoudaye.
The first clash happened on Sunday and led to the deaths of
seven Seleka members who were leading cattle through the town en route
for Cameroon. The former rebels took revenge, killing six civilians,
said the commander, who declined to be named.
Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when
the predominantly Muslim Seleka seized power, triggering reprisals by
"anti-balaka" Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims
from the south.
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra took office in March after elections aimed at drawing a line under the crisis
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