C. African troops attack Kony's base, free civilian abductees
One civilian was killed, and 11 people were abducted during the attack on Friday, which was blamed on the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of Joseph Kony, local authorities said.
In Uganda, Kony, among several atrocities, is accused of orchestrating attacks in seven internally displaced persons camps, including Pagak, Abok, Barlonyo, Abia, Odek, Pajule, Lokodi, and Lwala Girls in Northern Uganda.
Central African troops backed by Russian allies have freed eight people abducted last week during an attack blamed on an armed group in the country's southeast, the defence ministry said Tuesday.
One civilian was killed, and 11 people were abducted during the attack on Friday, which was blamed on the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of Joseph Kony, local authorities said.
Upper-Ubangui regional governor Victor Bissekoin said there had been a resurgence in such abductions recently in the Central African Republic (CAR).
An army operation carried out on Monday targeted an LRA group some 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Madama-Zouma, in Upper Mbomou, according to a ministry statement obtained by AFP.
"Eight civilians, including children, were freed. Two attackers were neutralised, and military equipment was impounded," the ministry said, adding that troops were still pursuing suspected rebels.
In a similar case, at least 30 people were abducted on September 12 near Bangassou, in the southeast, according to several local sources, who likewise blamed the LRA.
Intelligence reports indicate that Kony, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), remains a fugitive in CAR after his group was forced out of northern Uganda in 2005 and 2006.
Before acquiring refuge in CAR, his armed group roamed the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and parts of South Sudan, targeting unarmed isolated civilians.
The LRA leader is the subject of a long-standing active ICC arrest warrant issued on July 8, 2005, for 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The group, which Kony founded in Uganda in the late 1980s, waged an insurgency against the Ugandan government for decades before extending activities abroad.
LRA is notably accused of abductions, murders and the forced recruitment of children.
ICC files indicate that Kony and his fighters raided villages where they abducted children for use as child soldiers or sex slaves, robbed food stores and displaced hundreds. Despite regional military interventions, remnants of the group continued sporadic attacks and abductions in eastern CAR.
In 2025, while in Uganda, Dahirou Sant-Anna, the International Cooperation Advisor in the Office of the ICC Prosecutor, revealed that the charges against Kony will proceed to trial once he is arrested and produced before the Hague-based court.
Interacting with LRA victims of the LRA she said the confirmation of charges is a positive step toward holding Kony accountable.
“For us this is a positive step toward bringing justice to the victims of the LRA and Kony in northern Uganda because of the judges’ decision to confirm the charges,” he said during a meeting held in Lira on November 25. The ICC team included Leonie Von Braun, a Senior Trial Lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor.
The ICC confirmed all charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kony during a hearing conducted in his absence.