23 May 2008
Kampala — THE LRA has taken over Kapili village, 75km northwest of Dungu in eastern Congo and displaced the entire population, according to the Justice and Peace Commission of the diocese of Dungu.
"On Tuesday, May 20, 29 heavily armed LRA elements invaded Kapili at 10:00am. They are still there," Justice and Peace wrote in a letter to the international community.
"Upon their arrival, they started looting the villagers and occupying their houses. The population spent the night in the open air, under great fear."
One unidentified woman was abducted, according to the diocese, which warned that the population was losing patience over the continued attacks.
"The population is angry about what these armed foreigners are inflicting upon them as no effective measures are taken by the Congolese authorities to restore peace."
As a result, it continued, people had started organising themselves in self-defence units to fight the invaders. "The population is organising itself with machetes and sticks."
The diocese appeals to the international community to concentrate on the threat posed by the LRA.
"We ask the international community to focus on one single thing, to force Joseph Kony to leave our country. "The presence of the LRA in Congo during the last three years has not only brought insecurity in the region but also made us lose rare animals in Garamba National Park, such as the white rhinoceros."
Last month, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, expressed concern over attacks and abductions by the LRA in recent months.
Over 400 people are reported to have been abducted in several attacks since February, according to UN and official sources.
Of those, some 200 were abducted from eastern Congo, 150 from the Central African Republic and 55 from South Sudan. Most of those kidnapped were children who are reportedly subjected to military training in the LRA Garamba base.
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