Bangui, Central African Republic
Armed gangs in the lawless northern region of the Central African Republic are seizing local children and demanding ransoms from their parents, Amnesty International said this week. Many families have paid up to $4,000 dollars for their kids, and some parents have had their children kidnapped as many as seven times. An unknown number of children have been killed. Amnesty said criminal gangs are taking advantage of the chaos that has long gripped the area, where rebel groups and government soldiers are battling for control. “News is clearly spreading to criminal elements that they can have free reign,” said Amnesty researcher Godfrey Byaruhanga. “There is almost a total lack of any authority.”
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