Since the beginning of 2017, Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are suspected to have abducted 200 civilians and killed five in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central Africa Republic (CAR), according to a May 15 LRA crisis tracker report by the American charity, Invisible Children and Resolve.
The latest abduction was reported on May 17 in which 16 civilians were abducted in the areas of Banangui, Haut Bombu province in the CAR.
During the same raid, LRA also reportedly wounded two civilians, a man and woman.
A week earlier, another group of LRA attacked Bas Uele in DRC and abducted 16 and forced a abductees to carry their loot. Eight of the abductees were released later in the day but another eight spent two days before eventually being released.
The report said there have been 55 incidences of LRA attack leading to the abduction of about 200 people in DRC and CAR since January this year. The rebels, according to the report, also killed five civilians including a woman and a Congolese national army officer, among others.
Since 2006 when Joseph Kony, the fugitive LRA chief left Uganda for DRC and CAR, at least 400 deaths mostly civilians have been blamed on his brutal fighters.
