BANGUI, Central African Republic, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Uganda plan a joint offensive against the Lord's Resistance Army, officials say.
The African Union announced the plan Friday after a meeting in the Central African Republic, the BBC reported.
The LRA was founded in 1987 by Joseph Kony, who claims to be speaking for God. The group has been involved in conflict with the Ugandan government and in recent years has carried out attacks as far as 600 miles away, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.
Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the U.N. agency, said the LRA kidnapped young girls and burned shops in Birao in the Central African Republic last Sunday. He said the group has killed at least 344 people in 2010 in 240 separate incidents.
The African Union plan envisions a joint brigade, an operations center and joint border patrols by Uganda and its neighbors. The union would act as coordinator.