afrol News - Ugandan rebels attack catholic mission

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Congo Kinshasa
Society | Human rights | Politics
Ugandan rebels attack catholic mission

afrol News, 24 September - Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has attacked and destroyed a Catholic mission in Democratic Republic of Congo killing a woman and abducting some children near the border with Sudan, reports have confirmed.

Catholic Information Service for Africa said two Comboni priests at the mission fled for safety to Yambio, South Sudan, while a third priest was left behind, stating that he arrived in Yambio on Monday.

Father Samuel Sebit said LRA attacked the mission, looted and started burning part of the mission.

Fr Sebit said two missionaries who arrived in Yambio escaped without any document or money, indicating that Fr Mario Benedetti managed to escape alone while rebels were taking him to another room.

"They came on foot through the bush. They got two boys who helped them with motorbikes. They arrived in Yambio on Monday between 1 and 2pm. They were looking miserable, with mud, tired, with thorns in their bodies, because the road was very bad", Fr Sebit said.

This was the second time Duru Mission, in diocese of Doruma-Dungu, was looted by LRA in recent months.

Fr Sebit said that many people took refuge in Nzara after LRA attacked a Sudanese People's Liberation Army base in Sacore, 35 miles from Yambio.

"There are many displaced people who have come from Sacore to Nzara, and they are still coming to Nzara because their houses were burnt. Some of their children were abducted and, in fact, one of the children of the chief was burnt," he said.

LRA's attack on Duru town last Wednesday night, was one of gravest in the past months, Missionary News Agency, MISNA, said. Justice and Peace Commission of Dungu Diocese in DR Congo says Duru, Diabo and Doruma are villages that suffer most from LRA violence.

Since December last year rebels have killed nine people and kidnapped some 50 in the area. Congolese government has stationed 2000 soldiers in the area to try to contain LRA.

LRA has been accused for various attacks both in South Sudan and eastern DRC in recent past.

Last week, South Sudan's military also accused Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels of a surprise attack on Democratic Republic of Congo border, which killed two people.

According to local media source, Sudan Tribune, about one hundred LRA rebels made a surprise attack on Thursday morning on Sudan People's Liberation Army (SLPA) military barracks in Sakure about 30 km from Yambio.