LRA rebels commit new abduction in W. Equatoria

By Richard Ruati

May 22, 2010 (YANGIRI, Western Equatoria) – Uganda’s Lord Resistance Army rebels have abducted a young girl during fresh attacks carried out in Sudanese villages bordering the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The list of LRA atrocities against the children of northern Uganda is endless. Since war broke out in 1986 the rebel group has routinely abducted children as young as seven, training them in southern Sudan and forcing them to fight on the front lines.

The LRA has targeted schools, churches and villages to abduct boys, whom it uses as soldiers, and girls, who are often used as sex slaves for LRA commanders. Over the one and half years, as many as hundreds Western Equatoria children are believed to have been abducted by the rebel group.

“LRA fighters surrounded Yangiri and were relaxing just around Eyat camp. On Friday at 11:00am, local time, The Ugandan rebels crossed between Yaa River and Eyat camp where they abducted one lady, and purported towards Naandi,” a local resident, requesting anonymity, at Yangiri Payam told Sudan Tribune.

The kidnapped is 14 year old girl.

It is believed that, the LRA rebels now operate in at least five counties in the region.

A Local chief in Yangiri says one old woman was beaten to coma, as grannies watched.

A lady who was travelling on a boda-boda motorcyclist on Friday morning from Yambio to Tambura using the Mupoi-Tambura, close to Mabia met with 2 guys, one dressed in uniform another without shirt, the suspected LRA guys arrested the boda-boda rider, and freed the lady to continue her journey.

The motor bike and the owner were taken back to Yambio; fortunately World Vision vehicles that were coming from Tambura did not meet those suspected LRA.

The lady revealed that, “the two-could be suspected LRA rebels were deep black and talked to them in Arabic.

It has been reported that, forensic searches by Arrow Boys are targeted at LRA rebels’ hideouts in the region, with the goal of flashing out LRA.

The civil vigilante’s main role in the villages and outskirts of towns had been to take to the streets with a local gun or machete and possibly lynching notorious rebels.

Traditional weapons like arrows boys have been the AK-47 of the local worriers.

Until one and half years ago, the infamous LRA rebels enjoyed safe passage after looting, abducting and burning the streets of the villages. However, with the presence of Arrow boys, the LRA had had difficulties making their way to villages at a large scale.

(ST)