Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Uganda have agreed to form a join military brigade to tackle Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) militants operating in the shared border regions. The LRA, which was formed in Uganda almost 20 years ago by Joseph Kony, has recently mounted deadly attacks in all four countries.
The latest LRA attack was in the Central African Republic's northern town of Birao last Sunday [9th October]. A spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Adrian Edwards said the LRA has carried out more than 240 deadly attacks this year, killing approximately 344 people. Edwards added that the group’s activities also included looting, arson and abduction especially that of young girls.
The new measure to fight the LRA was agreed at Friday’s [15th October] meeting, by ministers of the four affected countries, in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui. The details about the size join venture have not been disclosed, but it is commonly believed that a military group to counter militant activity is thought to include at least 1,000 men.
The four ministers said there’d be a joint operations centre which would allow exchange of intelligence and strategy. The four countries concerned are also expected to set up joint border patrols which would be co-ordinated by special African Union (AU) representative.
Source: BBC News
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