Uncategorized Blog Posts
Philip Lancaster wrote a guest blog that was featured by both The Christian Science Monitor and the Congo Siasa blog. His subject is the U.S./Ugandan failure to stop the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and he writes with the experience and perspective of a man who was “General Romeo Dallaire’s Military Assistant in Rwanda in 1994, head of MONUC’s Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration division, and the Coordinator of the UN Group of Experts on the Congo. Most recently, Philip was in charge of an international group researching ways of dealing with the LRA.”
Below are a couple of paragraphs from Lancaster’s post, in which he argues that regional governments, namely Uganda, backed by the US and other international bodies, continue to employ the same search and destroy tactics that have proven ineffective in stopping the LRA for the past 25 years. The same mistakes are being made over and again without a serious effort to gather needed intelligence and adjust strategies. We encourage you to take a moment to read the entire thing, but here is a taste:
“We have ample evidence from reports of the past 20 years that the LRA are a force to be reckoned with. Ruthless as they are, their tactics are well adapted to the terrain and the nature of the forces they face. And yet the proposed military responses under the new AU offers no new troops, no new thinking and no sign of serious military technical analysis. A cynic might be led to think that no one really wants to look at the problem carefully out of fear of being called to do more than they might want to.”
…
“As frustrating as the problem of the LRA is, it is also a fascinating mirror reflecting political dynamics in the West. The nub of the political problem could be understood as a manifestation of the hypocrisy of our times. It is as simple as the old children’s story about a village of mice deciding that the solution to their cat problem is to make it wear a bell. The problem seems solved until one of them asks who is going be the brave soul to hang a bell on the cat. In the LRA case each affected state has other priorities and no third party state is willing to commit political or military resources to give either the UN or the AU a real hope of success. But everyone involved is too polite to point out that neither organization has the capacity it needs and won’t unless someone steps up to take the responsibility to ensure that it does.
“Who shall bell the cat?” But, it would seem, in this case, we haven’t even started looking for a bell.”
I have to say that I deeply admire a writer who can use fable effectively. The question is quite fitting — who shall bell the cat?
Without new, game-changing action to stop the LRA, guided by stronger intelligence and cooperation between regional and international bodies, there’s no reason to believe that Joseph Kony’s campaign of violence will end any time soon. Lancaster’s argument underscores the need for stronger leadership from President Obama to swiftly and robustly implement his strategy to end LRA violence, released last November – and this is a message we will be sending the Administration loud and clear this fall, so stay tuned.
-Azy
Yesterday, Washingtonians ushered in the month of June with a smoldering 98-degrees — not the late-nineties boy band, I’m sad to say. I’m talking Fahrenheit, people!
But not even abnormal, ice-cap-melting heat could stop our tenacious interns, Liz and Jenny, from making sure that your voices are being heard — and your letters are being read — by your elected officials.
Over the last few months, hundreds of you have written your members of Congress to let them know why ending LRA violence is so important to you and to ask that they take needed action to see this injustice finally ended. Right now, that specifically means we need Congress to ensure the President’s strategy to end LRA violence gets adequate funding in the FY2012 budget.
As the Resolve office has received your letters, Jenny and Liz have been women on a mission, hand-delivering them to the DC offices your members of Congress.
Our deepest thanks to all of you who took the time to put down on paper why this injustice — and seeing it finally ended — is so important to you. Some of you wrote letters and postcards as part of Resolve’s Start Something to Finish It campaign. Others of you met Koji and Brian on the Resolve Tour and wrote a letter during one of their community round-tables. Hundreds of others wrote letters in contemplative silence as part of Invisible Children’s 25 event.
Regardless of where or why you wrote your letter, in doing so, you chose to be an advocate. With each letter that you write or phone call you make or lobby meetings you join, you help marginalized families and children being targeted by LRA violence have access to the halls of power in Washington. You align your voice with theirs and bring a shared message of peace and justice to the front doors of your elected officials.
And while Oval Office ceremonies or Oklahoma Holdouts might get more attention, your humble, persistent acts of resistance to apathy are what’s really needed to see this injustice finally ended. So keep those letters coming!
Thanks, advocates.
- Lisa
Uganda
Today
The LRA has said that it is willing to open up to an investigation and, if obliged, to surrender its fighters alleged to have committed atrocities during the 20-year war in northern Uganda. In their latest position paper in Juba, the rebels insist, however, that such a move would only be possible if the government reciprocates by turning in UPDF soldiers they say have also committed atrocities against civilians. Government delegation spokesman Barigye Ba-Hoku said yesterday they are not in Juba to "review Uganda's history but to negotiate peace" with the LRA. Meanwhile, an LRA high command meeting on Saturday resolved to demand the post of vice president on top of other ministerial positions as part of a power-sharing agreement. The government has repeatedly said the LRA cannot make power-sharing demands on it. Read more at The Monitor.
The chief mediator at the Juba talks, Dr. Riek Machar, has officially communicated the route LRA fighters must use to assemble at Ri-Kwangba. "There was some declaration three days ago on the routes to be used by LRA fighters. They need to act and start moving and the monitoring team will monitor them," Machar explained. In his declaration, Machar gave the LRA another three weeks within which they have to assemble at Ri-Kwangba. In a telephone interview, LRA second-in-command, Vincent Otti, advised all his troops in Sudan and northern Uganda to be ready to move to Ri-Kwangba as soon as possible. Read more at The New Vision.
The Acholi Parliamentary Group is to release a dossier on the atrocities committed by the LRA and the Ugandan government since 1986, the acting chairperson Reagan Okumu has said. Addressing journalists at Parliament, Okumu said the dossier, compiled from both local and international organisations, revealed that from 1986 to 1991 the LRA were responsible for 17% and the Government 83% of the atrocities. From 1992 to 2006, he said, the LRA was responsible for 81% of the atrocities and the Government 9%. "Now that truth and reconciliation have been put on the agenda in the peace process in Juba, everybody should take responsibility for the atrocities committed," Okumu declared. Read more at The New Vision.
In the aftermath of Uganda Cranes
At the resumption of peace talks in Juba, UN special envoy Joaquim Chissano said that time is running out for LRA to clinch a peace deal with the Government. "I repeat: time is not in our favour," Chissano said. He said it was impossible to satisfy all interests at the talks, but added: "We make an effort to bear the pressure from all corners." Chissano revealed that he had set up an office in Kampala, with a branch in Juba, and that his mandate had been renewed to run until November when a peace agreement is expected. Chissano
The UN Special Envoy for northern Uganda, Joaquim Chissano is expected to fly to Juba to open the third round of peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA rebels. Chissano was reportedly in Uganda yesterday meeting with the government negotiating team and was slated to hold talks with President Museveni. The Ugandan negotiating team was also expected to fly to Juba today. Read more at The Monitor.