The Pan African Parliament has raised the red flag over the increasing terrorist activities by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels in the Central African Republic since the start of the year.
The concern was raised by the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security H.E Smail Chergui while making a presentation on “Peace and Security in Africa’’ to the continental Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.
He noted a surge in activities of the LRA, targeting civilians and also poaching elephants in the Garamba National Park, DRC for ivory.
The presentation addressed various trouble spots on the continent including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Madagascar, Comoros and Somalia.
He said however, that the African Union Task Force, supported by the US Special Forces Counter-LRA team, has sustained pressure on the rebel group resulting in continued defections within the group’s ranks.
This comes a day after the LRA Crisis Tracker also revealed that the LRA has abducted 217 people since January in the Central African Republic-nearly double the number of abductions carried out by the same rebel outfit in 2015.
Uganda’s representatives to PAP include Hon. Onyango Kakoba (NRM, Buikwe North), Hon. Beatrice Barumba (NRM, Kiruhura district), Hon. Jacqueline Amongin (NRM, Ngora district) and Hon. Elijah Okupa (FDC, Kasilo).
