LRA's "Commander Sam" captured as Kony men rampage in Central Africa Republic

LRA commander "Sam" has been handed to 

the US Special Forces that have been in Central Africa Republic 

since 2012  leading the hunt for LRA leader Joseph Kony.

The Lord Resistance Army (LRA) have suffered yet another blow, with the reported arrest of one of their commanders, a one Sam.

According to Ndeke Luka Radio, a broadcast radio station in Bengui, Central African Republic,  "Commander Sam" was captured on Saturday by the Popular Front for the Central African Renaissance (PRGF) - a branch of former rebels Seleka. 

"Sam" was captured in Mbangana located 175 Kms from Sam-Ouandjia in the northeast of the Central African Republic.

#Centrafrique : Une attaque de la #LRA fait un mort au village Ngagan près de #Bangassou https://t.co/ZN3cAmobbq cc @jadwong @odouacle

— Henri-Blaise N'damas (@achebe54) February 8, 2016

According to Colonel Mahamat Dea, "Commander Sam" was handed over to US Special Forces, who were sent by President Obama to lead the hunt for Kony. 

"We have arrested him. We ask the United Nations to support us in securing the population,"  said Colonel Dea.

“We wanted the Central African authorities, the United Nations, to be present before we hand him over. But due to a communication problem that our men encountered we hastily handed him over to US forces,” whose detachment is based in Obo, a town in the far east of the Central African Republic, he added.


The arrest, is yet to be officially confirmed.

According to Ndeke Luka Radio RNL, a man was also killed by the rampaging Ugandan LRA Rebels in the east of CAR, where they are based after running away from Northern Uganda.

The LRA attackers also took 17 hostages. Twelve were later released, according to a local source. The peasants' granaries were systematically looted and money taken away by the LRA.

Ongwen "handed himself over" last year to the Seleka Rebels 

and then US Special Forces in CAR and is now in The Hague facing trial

The attack in the village Ngagan occurred four days after the one that took place in Mabo Bangassou Gambo on the road. 21 people were kidnapped. Local sources confirmed to RNL a dozen hostages were released.

In January 2015, Dominic Ongwen, one of the main LRA leaders "surrendered" to the Seleka ex-combatants also in the northeast of the Central African Republic. His trial opened on January 21 continues at the ICC in The Hague. 

The head of the Ugandan rebels Joseph Kony is also wanted by the ICC, is still at large.

The LRA emerged in 1987 seeking to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni. They were routed in northern Uganda, fled and sowed terror in southern Sudan, then northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo before crossing into southeastern Central African Republic in March 2008.

**Ndeke Luka Radio is a broadcast radio station in Bengui, Central African Republic.