U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, Wisconsin | Bipartisan Legislation Would Help Protect Region from Attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army and Support Recovery in Northern Uganda | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) and U.S. Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Brad Miller (D-NC) and Ed Royce (R-CA) are introducing legislation today to help end the reign of terror conducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and neighboring countries.
For over two decades, the LRA terrorized northern Uganda, which led to the displacement of nearly two million people. The LRA has been pushed out of Uganda in recent years, but continues to wreak havoc in the border region of northeastern Congo and southern Sudan. Under the leadership of Joseph Kony, the LRA has supported itself in part through the kidnapping of 66,000 children and forcing them to fight as child soldiers.
The bipartisan Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act would require the Obama administration to develop a strategy to support multilateral efforts to protect the region’s civilians from the LRA and eliminate the threat it poses. The bill also authorizes funding for humanitarian assistance for those areas affected by the LRA’s brutality, including additional funds to support recovery and reconciliation in war-torn areas of Uganda. The LRA’s actions have spurred hundreds of thousands of Americans, most notably young Americans, to speak out and call on the U.S. government to help stop the violence and build lasting peace.
“When I traveled to northern Uganda, I saw the effects of the LRA’s brutality in the faces of the Ugandan people living in displacement camps,” said Feingold, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, who visited the country in 2007. “We must not allow Joseph Kony and the LRA, who have forced children to do unspeakable acts and destroyed the lives of millions, to continue their reign of terror. The strategy required by this bill would address the conditions in northern Uganda that originally gave rise to the LRA and if unchanged, could re-ignite violence in the north.”
“For more than two decades, Joseph Kony and the LRA have terrorized the people of northern Uganda. In 2008, the mayhem and devastation crossed borders and spread throughout Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Central Africa Republic. More than 900 people were killed, and tens of thousands were displaced throughout the region. We in the global community must act now. I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation that I am hopeful will help to bring long-term, sustainable peace to those who have suffered under Joseph Kony and the LRA,” said Brownback.
“For over two decades the Lord’s Resistance Army has terrorized central Africa, attacking civilians and abducting children from northern Uganda to eastern DR-Congo to southern Sudan,” said McGovern, Co-Chair of the House Human Rights Commission. “The introduction of this bill demonstrates the growing consensus on the need for greater U.S. leadership to disarm top LRA leaders and permanently end this violence. At the same time, it will ensure that the U.S. steps up to aid communities affected by the most recent LRA attacks and assist in long-term recovery efforts in northern Uganda.”
“The LRA has abducted more than 20,000 children over the past decade for forced conscription and sexual exploitation. Almost 90 percent of the LRA’s soldiers are children, some as young as eight. They are brutalized and forced to commit atrocities on each other and on their own siblings,” said Rep. Brad Miller.
“This bill rightly targets LRA leader Joseph Kony. Kony’s removal is essential to peace in the region,” said Rep. Ed Royce, the former Africa subcommittee chairman.
In recent years, there was a lull in the violence as representatives from the Ugandan government and LRA engaged in sporadic peace negotiations in southern Sudan. Despite some progress, Kony refused to sign the agreement and his forces have resumed attacks from their new footholds in northeastern Congo and southern Sudan. In December 2008, a joint offensive against the LRA launched by the Ugandan, Congolese and South Sudanese militaries failed to apprehend Kony, who retaliated against civilians in the region, leaving over 900 people dead. During the offensive, insufficient attention and resources were devoted to ensuring the protection of civilians.
This legislation commits the United States to work with multilateral partners to develop a viable path to disarm the LRA, while ensuring the maximal protection of civilians. The legislation also encourages the United States to increase assistance over the next several years for recovery efforts, provided the Ugandan government demonstrates a commitment to genuine, transparent and accountable reconstruction.
Link to Article Source: http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=313227
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