Amnesty International has called on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Central African Republic to join forces to free more than 350 people allegedly kidnapped in recent weeks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
Peace talks between Uganda's government and Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, collapsed earlier this month after Kony failed to appear at a planned meeting.
Kony is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Its chief prosecutor said the reported abductions in south Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and CAR underlined the urgent need to bring him to justice.
A statement from the New York-based Amnesty International says the kidnappings were typical of the LRA's brutal tactics during its 22-year insurgency. It warns that the abductees, among whom are scores of women and children, are likely to be used as child combatants and sex slaves, and yet none of the governments in the region have done anything to try to secure their release.
Amnesty International said the governments of Sudan, the Central African Republic and the DRC
