DRC: 25 teenagers kidnapped by armed men in the north of the country

Location of Ango, in Bas-Uélé, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Twenty-five Congolese teenagers, including girls, were kidnapped on Tuesday February 28 in the province of Bas-Uélé, in the north of the country.

The attack took place in the territory of Ango, bordering the Central African Republic and South Sudan.

Members of the Ugandan rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) may be behind the kidnapping.

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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,

Pascal Mulegwa

The attackers began, Tuesday, February 28 around 10 p.m., to loot houses and a shop in the villages of Namangu, Zamoi and Banda.

They spent three hours there before attacking the children, without being worried: 13 boys and 12 girls, including one pregnant, were thus taken away, according to the account of the local authorities.

The three localities are isolated and far from the capital of the territory of Ango, a vast territory which has only one military detachment.

The authorities initially blamed the Central African rebellion of the Seleka.

But the administrator of Ango territory rather suspects the

LRA

 :

“

There were seven well-armed men, identified with sealed white outfits.

Each had two firearms with him.

In their habit, they always made these appearances to have children and enroll them in their forces, which leads us to believe that it must be elements of the LRA.

They don't need a ransom or anything.

They only need the children for their army there, and the girls, whose ages vary between 10 and 18, become their wives in sexual abuse.

 »

Authorities have announced patrols to try to find the hostages.

Last week, these rebels had kidnapped three adult men in another locality, before releasing them.

The last act of abduction perpetrated by the LRA in the region dates back to 2020.

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