Following the introduction of the historic LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act last week

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"Weekly Roundup for May 23-29: UN peacekeepers unable to prevent LRA attack on major Congolese town

May 29th, 2009 by alison in: Conflict Watch, Main Site

Following the introduction of the historic LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act last week, we're beginning to see unprecedented attention from US policymakers. In just the last few days, numerous Members of Congress have spoken out on the conflict and the need for increased leadership from the US to achieve peace. (If you're interested in finding out more, you can download the new brief we released this week that outlines what the bill does).

We've set a goal of raising $10,000 by the end of today to help keep this momentum going and to make sure this legislation gets passed. If you can, will you take just a moment and donate $25 to help us meet our deadline?

Now onto the news....

The Good: The UN announced that the first of 3,000 troop reinforcements will arrive in the DR Congo as early as next month to boost the embattled peacekeeping force there.

The Bad: The LRA launched a bold attack on the Congolese town of Dungu last weekend, just miles away from where a contingent of UN peacekeepers are stationed.

The Ugly: The Ugandan government continues to torture prisoners and undermine press freedom with impunity, according to a human rights report issued this week by Amnesty International.

Regional Security

• The first troops of a 3,000-strong contingent to reinforce of the undermanned UN peacekeeping force in the DR Congo may begin arriving next month. However, the UN Security Council, which authorized the deployment last year, has been unable to acquire attack helicopters and other essential military hardware desperately needed by the UN force.
  

• LRA rebels attacked the outskirts of the Congolese town of Dungu this week, killing and abducting civilians, burning houses and causing thousands of people to flee their homes. UN peacekeepers stationed in Dungu deployed but did not engage the rebel force.

Situation in Northern Uganda

• Decades of war and government neglect have left northern Uganda the most marginalized region of Uganda, according to research done by Uganda's Independent magazine. Northern Ugandans are woefully underrepresented at senior levels of the Ugandan government and have dramatically higher poverty levels and school drop-out rates than other parts of the country.
  

• Ugandan political opposition leader Ogenga Latigo spoke about the effect of military operations against LRA rebels and the need to assist war-affected communities in northern Uganda in an interview with The Observer this week.
  

• Amnesty International released a report highlighting the precarious state of human rights in Uganda, highlighting the Ugandan government's continued interference with press freedom, abuse of prisoners, and failure to prosecute violence against women and girls as a criminal offense.

International Response

• Resolve Uganda Senior Policy Analyst Paul Ronan (yup, that's me) spoke yesterday to Voice of America about the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act and how its passing could spark unprecedented efforts by the US government to stop LRA violence and support sustainable peace in northern Uganda. (Click here to read our new brief about the legislation.)
  

• The New Yorker ran a blog post concerning US involvement in efforts to apprehend LRA leader Joseph Kony and prevent LRA violence, emphasizing how landmark legislation on the conflict introduced last week could improve US engagement of the conflict."

I believe that, with the necessary leadership and strategic vision envisioned by this legislation, we can contribute to that end

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"BREAKING NEWS: Landmark legislation to help end war introduced TODAY in US Congress

May 19th, 2009 by alison in: Campaign Watch, Main Site

After much anticipation (and more than a little hand-wringing here at Resolve Uganda HQ), the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act" was introduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives today.

This landmark legislation does three key things to help end the immediate violence being committed by the LRA and also help assist those communities who have been affected by the war. They are:

-Requires a strategy for stopping the LRA: The bill mandates Secretary of State Clinton to devise an interagency strategy to apprehend top LRA leaders and demobilize child soldiers held within rebel ranks;

- Provides lifesaving aid: It increases emergency support to communities in the DR Congo most affected by recent LRA attacks;

- Invests in sustainable peace: The legislation will target US assistance to recovery and reconciliation efforts in northern Uganda to help prevent further outbreaks of conflict.

The bill was introduced by Senators Brownback (R-KS) and Feingold (D-WI) in the Senate and Representatives McGovern (D-MA), Miller (D-NC) and Royce (R-CA) in the House of Representatives.

Here's some of what Senator Feingold had to say when he introduced the bill today: "If we are now to finally see this conflict to its end, we need to commit to a proactive strategy to help end the threat posed by the LRA and support reconstruction, justice, and reconciliation in northern Uganda. This bill seeks to do just that.

The Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 reaffirms and refocuses that commitment to help see this—one of Africa’s longest running and most gruesome rebel wars—to its finish. I believe that, with the necessary leadership and strategic vision envisioned by this legislation, we can contribute to that end. I urge my colleagues to support this bill."

We have our work cut out for us in getting this legislation passed and signed by President Obama, but today is the first step!

Many (many) more details to come in the days to follow. For the daring and courageous, click here to download the bill and read the full text."

O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION S. ll
To support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda and areas
affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army through development of a regional
strategy to support multilateral efforts to successfully protect
civilians and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army
and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief and reconstruction, reconciliation,
and transitional justice, and for other purposes
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
llllllllll
Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. BROWNBACK) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
llllllllll
A BILL
To support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda
and areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army
through development of a regional strategy to support
multilateral efforts to successfully protect civilians and
eliminate the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance
Army and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief
and reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice,
and for other purposes
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lord’s Resistance
3 Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act
4 of 2009’’.
5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6 Congress makes the following findings:
7 (1) For over 2 decades, the Government of
8 Uganda engaged in an armed conflict with the
9 Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda
10 that led to the internal displacement of more than
11 2,000,000 Ugandans from their homes.
12 (2) The members of the Lord’s Resistance
13 Army used brutal tactics in northern Uganda, in14
cluding mutilating, abducting, and forcing individ15
uals into sexual servitude and forcing a large num16
ber of children and youth in Uganda, estimated by
17 the Survey for War Affected Youth to be over
18 66,000, to fight as part of the rebel force.
19 (3) The Secretary of State has designated the
20 Lord’s Resistance Army as a terrorist organization
21 and placed the Lord’s Resistance Army on the Ter22
rorist Exclusion list pursuant to section 212(a)(3) of
23 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
24 1182(a)(3)).
25 (4) In late 2005, according to the United Na26
tions Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Af3
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 fairs, the Lord’s Resistance Army shifted their pri2
mary base of operations from southern Sudan to
3 northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the
4 rebels have since withdrawn from northern Uganda.
5 (5) Representatives of the Government of
6 Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army began
7 peace negotiations in 2006, mediated by the Govern8
ment of Southern Sudan in Juba, Sudan, and signed
9 the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on August
10 20, 2006, which provided for hundreds of thousands
11 of internally displaced people to return home in safe12
ty.
13 (6) After nearly 2 years of negotiations, rep14
resentatives from the parties reached the Final
15 Peace Agreement in April 2008, but Joseph Kony,
16 the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, refused to
17 sign the Final Peace Agreement in May 2008 and
18 his forces launched new attacks in northeastern
19 Congo.
20 (7) According to the United Nations Office for
21 the Coordination of Humanitarian Relief, the new
22 activity of the Lord’s Resistance Army in north23
eastern Congo and southern Sudan since September
24 2008 has led to the abduction of at least 711 civil4
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 ians, including 540 children, and the displacement of
2 more than 160,000 people.
3 (8) In December 2008, the military forces of
4 Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and
5 southern Sudan launched a joint operation against
6 the Lord’s Resistance Army’s bases in northeastern
7 Congo, but the operation failed to apprehend Joseph
8 Kony, and his forces retaliated with a series of new
9 attacks and massacres in Congo and southern
10 Sudan, killing an estimated 900 people in 2 months.
11 (9) The escalated activity of the Lord’s Resist12
ance Army over recent months and the inability of
13 military operations to stop them or protect civilians
14 has perpetuated fears amongst communities in
15 northern Uganda that the rebels could cross back
16 into Uganda in the future, which complicates ongo17
ing recovery efforts.
18 (10) Despite the refusal of Joseph Kony to sign
19 the Final Peace Agreement, the Government of
20 Uganda has committed to continue reconstruction
21 plans for northern Uganda, and to implement those
22 mechanisms of the Final Peace Agreement not con23
ditional on the compliance of the Lord’s Resistance
24 Army.
5
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 (11) Since April 2008, recovery efforts in
2 northern Uganda have moved forward with the fi3
nancial support of the United States and other do4
nors, but have been hampered by a lack of strategic
5 coordination, logistical delays, and limited capacity
6 of the Government of Uganda.
7 (12) Continued economic disparities between
8 northern Uganda and the rest of the country and a
9 failure to take meaningful steps toward reconcili10
ation and accountability, if unchanged, risk perpet11
uating longstanding political grievances and fueling
12 new conflicts.
13 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
14 It is the policy of the United States to work vigor15
ously for a lasting resolution to the conflict in northern
16 and eastern Uganda and other affected areas by—
17 (1) eliminating the threat posed by the Lord’s
18 Resistance Army to civilians and regional stability
19 through political, economic, military, and intelligence
20 support for a comprehensive multilateral effort to
21 protect civilians in affected areas, to apprehend or
22 otherwise remove Joseph Kony and his top com23
manders from the battlefield, and to disarm and de24
mobilize Lord’s Resistance Army fighters; and
6
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 (2) further supporting comprehensive recon2
struction, transitional justice, and reconciliation ef3
forts as affirmed in the Northern Uganda Crisis Re4
sponse Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–283) and sub5
sequent resolutions, including Senate Resolution
6 366, 109th Congress, agreed to February 2, 2006,
7 Senate Resolution 573, 109th Congress, agreed to
8 September 19, 2006, Senate Concurrent Resolution
9 16, 110th Congress, agreed to in the Senate March
10 1, 2007, and House Concurrent Resolution 80,
11 110th Congress, agreed to in the House of Rep12
resentatives June 18, 2007.
13 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR DIS14
ARMING THE LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY.
15 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY.—Not later than
16 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
17 President shall develop and submit to the appropriate
18 committees of Congress a regional strategy to guide
19 United States support for multilateral efforts to protect
20 civilians from attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army, to
21 eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability
22 posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and to enforce the
23 rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in LRA24
affected areas.
7
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 (b) CONTENT OF STRATEGY.—The strategy should
2 include the following:
3 (1) A viable plan to protect civilians from at4
tacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army and eliminate
5 the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army,
6 while building institutions in the affected areas that
7 can help to maintain the rule of law and prevent
8 conflict in the long term.
9 (2) An interagency framework to plan, coordi10
nate, and execute all diplomatic economic, intel11
ligence, and military elements of United States pol12
icy across the region regarding the Lord’s Resist13
ance Army.
14 (3) A description of the type and form of diplo15
matic engagement to work with regional mecha16
nisms, including the Tripartite Plus Commission and
17 the Great Lakes Pact, and to coordinate the imple18
mentation of United States policy toward the Lord’s
19 Resistance Army across the region.
20 (4) A description of how this engagement will
21 fit within the context of broader efforts and policy
22 objectives in the Great Lakes Region.
23 (5) A framework to evaluate the progress and
24 effectiveness of the United States strategy toward
8
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 eliminating the threat posed by the Lord’s Resist2
ance Army.
3 (c) FORM.—The strategy under this section shall be
4 submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classi5
fied annex.
6 SEC. 5. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS OUTSIDE
7 UGANDA AFFECTED BY THE LORD’S RESIST8
ANCE ARMY.
9 (a) AUTHORITY.—In accordance with section 491 of
10 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and
11 section 2 of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of
12 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), the President is authorized to
13 provide assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs
14 of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan,
15 and Central African Republic affected by the activity of
16 the Lord’s Resistance Army.
17 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
18 authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year
19 2010 to carry out this section.
20 SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE FOR RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUC21
TION IN NORTHERN UGANDA.
22 (a) AUTHORITY.—It is the sense of Congress that the
23 President should support efforts by the people of northern
24 Uganda and the Government of Uganda—
9
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 (1) to assist internally displaced people in tran2
sition and returnees to secure durable solutions by
3 spurring economic revitalization, supporting liveli4
hoods, helping to alleviate poverty, and advancing
5 access to basic services at return sites, specifically
6 clean water, health care, and schools;
7 (2) to enhance the accountability and adminis8
trative competency of local governance institutions
9 and public agencies in northern Uganda with regard
10 to budget management, provision of public goods
11 and services, and related oversight functions;
12 (3) to strengthen the operational capacity of the
13 civilian police in northern Uganda to enhance public
14 safety, prevent crime, and deal sensitively with gen15
der-based violence, while strengthening account16
ability measures to prevent corruption and abuses;
17 (4) to rebuild and improve the capacity of the
18 justice system in northern Uganda, including the
19 courts and penal systems, with particular sensitivity
20 to the needs and rights of women and children;
21 (5) to establish mechanisms for the disar22
mament, demobilization, and reintegration of former
23 combatants, including vocational education and em24
ployment opportunities; and
10
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 (6) to promote programs to address psycho2
social trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress dis3
order.
4 (b) FUTURE YEAR FUNDING.—It is the sense of Con5
gress that the Secretary of State and Administrator of the
6 United States Agency for International Development
7 should work with the appropriate committees of Congress
8 to increase assistance in future fiscal years to support ac9
tivities described in this section if the Government of
10 Uganda demonstrates a commitment to transparent and
11 accountable reconstruction in war-affected areas of north12
ern and eastern Uganda, specifically by—
13 (1) finalizing the establishment of mechanisms
14 within the Office of the Prime Minister to suffi15
ciently manage and coordinate the programs under
16 the framework of the Peace Recovery and Develop17
ment Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP);
18 (2) increasing oversight activities and reporting
19 to ensure funds under the Peace Recovery and De20
velopment Plan for Northern Uganda framework are
21 used efficiently and with minimal waste; and
22 (3) committing substantial funds of its own,
23 above and beyond standard budget allocations to
24 local governments, to the task of implementing the
25 Peace Recovery and Development Plan for Northern
11
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 Uganda such that communities affected by the war
2 can recover.
3 (c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER DONOR NA4
TIONS.—The United States should work with other donor
5 nations, on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to increase
6 contributions for recovery efforts in northern Uganda and
7 strengthen accountability mechanisms to ensure the trans8
parent and timely use of those funds.
9 (d) TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE.—It is the sense
10 of Congress that the Secretary of State should withhold
11 bilateral assistance to the Republic of Uganda for the pur12
poses described under this section if the Secretary deter13
mines that the Government of Uganda is not committed
14 to transparent and accountable reconstruction and rec15
onciliation in the war-affected areas of northern and east16
ern Uganda.
17 SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE FOR RECONCILIATION AND TRANSI18
TIONAL JUSTICE IN NORTHERN UGANDA.
19 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con20
gress that the President should support efforts by the peo21
ple of northern Uganda and the Government of Uganda
22 to advance efforts to promote transitional justice and rec23
onciliation on both local and national levels, including to
24 implement the following mechanisms outlined in the
25 Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Rec12
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 onciliation between the Government of Uganda and the
2 Lord’s Resistance Army/Movement, signed at Juba Feb3
ruary 19, 2008, namely—
4 (1) a body to investigate the history of the con5
flict, inquire into human rights violations committed
6 during the conflict by all sides, promote truth-telling
7 in communities, and encourage the preservation of
8 the memory of events and victims of the conflict
9 through memorials, archives, commemorations, and
10 other forms of preservation;
11 (2) a special division of the High Court of
12 Uganda to try individuals alleged to have committed
13 serious crimes during the conflict, and a special unit
14 to carry out investigations and prosecutions in sup15
port of trials;
16 (3) a system for making reparations to victims
17 of the conflict; and
18 (4) a review and strategy for supporting transi19
tional justice mechanisms in affected areas to pro20
mote reconciliation and encourage individuals to
21 take personal responsibility for their conduct during
22 the war.
23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
24 authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fis25
cal years 2010 through 2012 to carry out this section.
13
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 SEC. 8. REPORT.
2 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year after
3 the submission of the strategy required under section 4,
4 the Secretary of State shall prepare and submit to the ap5
propriate committees of Congress a report on the progress
6 made toward the implementation of the strategy required
7 under section 4 and a description and evaluation of the
8 assistance provided under this Act toward the policy objec9
tives described in section 3.
10 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required under section
11 (a) shall include—
12 (1) a description and evaluation of actions
13 taken toward the implementation of the strategy re14
quired under section 4;
15 (2) a description of assistance provided under
16 section 5 and section 6;
17 (3) an evaluation of bilateral assistance pro18
vided to the Republic of Uganda and associated pro19
grams in light of stated policy objectives;
20 (4) a description of the status of the Peace Re21
covery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda
22 and the progress of the Government of Uganda to
23 take the steps outlined in section 6(b); and
24 (5) a description of amounts of assistance com25
mitted, and amounts provided, to northern Uganda
26 during the reporting period by the Government of
14
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 Uganda, each donor country, and all relevant organi2
zations.
3 SEC. 9. OFFSET.
4 Of the total amount appropriated to purchase excess
5 secondary inventory for the Department of the Air Force,
6 the amount available for obligation and expenditure shall
7 be reduced by $40,000,000.
8 SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.
9 In this Act:
10 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON11
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con12
gress’’ means the Committee on Appropriations and
13 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
14 and the Committee on Appropriations and the Com15
mittee on International Relations of the House of
16 Representatives.
17 (2) GREAT LAKES REGION.—The term ‘‘Great
18 Lakes Region’’ means the region comprising Bu19
rundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda,
20 southern Sudan, and Uganda.
21 (3) LRA-AFFECTED AREAS.—The term ‘‘LRA22
affected areas’’ means the territory affected by the
23 activity of the Lord’s Resistance Army in the past
24 and as of the date of the enactment of this Act,
25 comprising all or parts of northern Uganda, south15
O:\DAV\DAV09327.xml S.L.C.
1 ern Sudan, northeastern Democratic Republic of
2 Congo, and southeastern Central African Republic.

US Amb Susan Rice joined other UN Security Council representatives to call on UN peacekeepers to protect civilians in the DR Congo from LRA attacks

TO BE NOTED: From ResolveUganda:

"Weekly Roundup for April 11-17: Ugandan army clashes with LRA rebels in DR Congo

April 17th, 2009 by paul in: Main Site, Update from HQ

When we started this organization a few years ago, a top UN official had just given the conflict in northern Uganda the infamous title of "one of the world's most neglected crises". Since that time, the hard work of activists across the country and throughout the world have raised the profile of this issue in the international community and caused our leaders to pay more attention than they ever had before. Unfortunately, that new-found notoriety, demonstrated this week in a statement from the UN Security Council, has not been matched with the action necessary to resolve the conflict. Words will not end this war, so we must keep taking action until our politicians follow suit. Thank you for your persistence.

Onto the news...

The Good: The US and other members of the UN Security Council last week condemned LRA raids and urged UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo to protect civilians from further attacks.

The Bad: The Council has yet to back up its strong words with concrete action to reinforce the shorthanded UN peacekeeping force in the DR Congo.

The Ugly: At least six people were reportedly killed last Friday in a clash involving the Ugandan military and LRA rebels.

Regional Security

• Over one month after announcing that Ugandan troops had withdrawn from the DRC, a top Ugandan official said that a small contingent of Ugandan soldiers remained there to assist Congolese forces pursuing the LRA. Last week several people, including a Ugandan officer, were reportedly killed during a battle with the rebels.

Situation in Northern Uganda

• Seven people were injured during a land dispute in northern Uganda, part of a growing trend of violent land disputes in areas where people are returning to their homes after years of being displaced.

• A Ugandan court ruled that the Ugandan government must compensate 6,000 northern Ugandans whose cattle and property were destroyed by the Ugandan military in the 1980s. Failure of the Ugandan government to compensate northerners for these losses in the past has been a persistent source of tension in the region.

International Response

• US ambassador Susan Rice joined other UN Security Council representatives to call on UN peacekeepers to protect civilians in the DR Congo from LRA attacks. However, the UN has yet to provide the peacekeepers with desperately needed helicopters or 3,000 extra troops authorized for deployment by the Council last year.
  

• Several US senators and representatives talk about the need for US support for efforts to end LRA violence in a new video from Invisible Children."

Size of this preview: 487 × 600 pixels

the Ugandan army didn't really want to capture Kony. After all, it would mean an end to the army's cash cow

TO BE NOTED: From Peter Eichstaedt:

"War on Kony can be profitable

A story in the Daily Monitor reveals that, as many have suggested, the army is profiting from the recent three-month operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the Lord's Resistance Army.

This information only supports speculation that the Ugandan army didn't really want to capture Kony. After all, it would mean an end to the army's cash cow.

Enjoy this story by Chris Obore.

KAMPALA -- The revelation that the army spent Shs390 million a day during the three-month Garamba operation against the LRA, has divided some top army officers, Saturday Monitor has learnt.

The antagonism has also been worsened by the discovery that some junior army officers in collusion with their superiors had been stealing money meant for pensions and benefits for fallen and retired soldiers. Sources say the army chiefs are now trading accusations against each other over the leakage of that information to the public.

President Museveni, who is also Commander-in-Chief, has also demanded answers to what in military circles has been labelled “abnormal expenditure”.

Our sources said after Daily Monitor reported recently that the Garamba expedition against LRA’s Joseph Kony had drawn Shs35 billion ($17 million USD) from the public coffers, Mr Museveni reportedly called his top commanders and asked them to explain the huge expenditure.

“The President was furious with the Shs390 million a day bill, saying it is abnormal; the man was really hard on the army,” the source said.

Presenting a balance sheet of the Garamba operation to Parliament’s Defence and Internal Affairs Committee, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, justified the expenditure, saying although Kony was not captured, killed or forced to sign the agreement, the overall operation was a success as it had significantly impaired the rebels’ capacity to return and destabilise the country.

Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga, who appeared with the CDF, said the “little” money for the operation was not catered for in the budget, the reason his ministry was forced to ask for supplementary funding. MPs did not get details on how the money was spent.

But sources say Mr Museveni was not amused by the expenditure and accused some army officers of financial impropriety.

Apparently, the President was not aware of the huge expenditure until the story was carried by the Daily Monitor.

According to sources, on learning of the President’s dissatisfaction, a blame game at the defence ministry ensued, leading to the sudden transfer of the Undersecretary, Mr Fred Ogene.

Sources say some sections wanted Mr Ogene fired or interdicted but being a civil servant, it was not possible, considering the stringent laws governing his appointment.

But Defence and army spokesman Felix Kulayigye told Saturday Monitor: “He has been requesting for transfer for a long time, so I don’t believe he was forced out.”

Mr Ogene confirmed by telephone yesterday that he had been moved.“I don’t think the transfer has anything to do with Garamba; it might be but I was not told,” he said, adding: “I have been transferred to the President’s Office.”Mr Ogene, however, said what was given about Garamba expenditure was not the accountability but the highlights.

Pension scamMeanwhile, Dr Kiyonga, has reportedly put more pressure on the army chiefs to explain why there was delayed detection of how money for pensions and benefits was stolen by paymasters.

Sunday Monitor reported recently that the army was investigating a racket involving officers who have been stealing money meant for retired soldiers and families of dead servicemen in a scandal that could eclipse the infamous ghost soldier scam that led to the sacking and prosecution of a former army commander.

Soldires celebrating after arriving at Entebbe Airport from Garamba.
The racket was being perpetrated through a chain of soldiers working in the Directorate of Records, Manpower Audit and Army Strength Management sections.

When the story was reported, Mr Kiyonga, who was then in South Africa attending to his ill relative, reportedly instructed his military assistant to dig into the matter.

When the military assistant swung into action, top army chiefs reportedly refused to cooperate because the investigation could end up at their doorsteps.

The Chief of Staff Land Forces, Brig. Charles Angina, who had instigated a covert fact-finding operation using a combination of military intelligence and staff officers to establish the facts; and later arrested some culprits, reportedly got furious that the information had leaked to the media.

Now Brig. Angina has reportedly deployed operatives to find out how his confidential information ended up at Daily Monitor.

When Kiyonga returned from South Africa, sources say he wrote asking for more information regarding the Mafia-like racket that had been fleecing widows and orphans of fallen fighters but he is reportedly getting lukewarm response from top army chiefs.

Maj. Kulayigye said he was not aware that Mr Kiyonga had asked for answers to the pension graft in the army but promised to reach to his military assistant.
He, however, later called back saying: “All phones are off, so I can’t help you.”But Joint Chief of Staff, Brig. Robert Rusoke, said yesterday that when the matter first came up, “he ( Kiyonga) was not around.”“But the PS will brief him,” Brig. Rusoke said.

Asked what the army had done so far, Brig. Rusoke accused Saturday Monitor of trying to sabotage investigations.“What do want us to say? The matter is under investigation,” he said.He said the Defence permanent secretary “has been in contact with Ministry of Public Service” because “we are working together with Public Service to investigate the matter.”

Last financial year alone, while Shs53 billion was released for payment of benefits and pension, not more than Shs10 billion was actually paid out to beneficiaries. The rest disappeared.

Posted by Peter Eichstaedt at 4/13/2009 05:23:00 AM

You can read Richard's account about what life was like inside the LRA here.

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"First-hand account of what life in the LRA is like for an abducted child

March 25th, 2009 by alison in: Campaign Watch, Main Site, Update from HQ

I've thrown a lot of statistics at you over the past few months.. staggering numbers of displaced people, percentages of populations not receiving any humanitarian aid, frequency of LRA attacks and estimates of how many children have been stolen by the LRA in the Congo and southern Sudan.

In the midst of all these statistics, it's sometimes easy to forget that within each headline, those numbers are made up of individuals - each of them with their own unique story.

The bravery of people like Richard Mitambwoko, 17, who was abducted by the LRA in the Congoand escaped to tell his story, makes it a little harder, hopefully, for us to forget about the individual lives being impacted by this crisis.

You can read Richard's account about what life was like inside the LRA here. Here's some of what he had to say:

"Life with the LRA is not normal. What they do is use you to find other recruits, and when you come across them you have to hit them, you have to draw blood. This goes on all the time. It gets so that when they don’t kill you, you feel good. That's how it works – you just want to feel good.

I have no idea why the LRA are doing this. None at all. They are referred to as a Christian army, but there is no Christianity there. Anyone who says Joseph Kony and his soldiers are Christians is a liar. God doesn’t exist. If he did he wouldn’t let us be kidnapped, he wouldn’t let this happen.

Afterwards, reunited with my family, it was like a wake. Everyone was crying and crying and crying. I discovered that my 10-year-old sister had been taken, she had spent a month with them. My 13-year-old sister is still gone. There are still a lot of children in the bush with the soldiers.

I have nightmares all the time. I jump out of my sleep in fear, imagining the LRA are there and I have to go with them again."

We now have at least one Senator who agrees with us on what's needed from US leaders to stop the LRA's violence and foster lasting peace.

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"Key US Senator issues landmark call for US action to end LRA attacks

March 13th, 2009 by michael in: Campaign Watch, Main Site, Political Progress

Senator Russ Feingold, Chair of the US Senate's Africa Subcommittee and a longtime champion for peace in Uganda, released a statement yesterday calling on the Obama Administration to take immediate action to disarm the LRA and end their atrocious attacks on children and families in central Africa.

We welcome this leadership from Senator Feingold, and invite our supporters to join the Knock, Knock initiative to meet with their own Senators in the local communities in April, to convince them to do the same.

The statement, echoing Resolve Uganda's January policy brief, noted the failure of the Ugandan government's ongoing military operation against LRA forces in the DR Congo to protect civilians from LRA attacks, but called for continued - but improved - action to disarm Joseph Kony and other top LRA leaders and rescue the LRA's abductees.

"It’s tragically clear that insufficient attention and resources were devoted to ensuring the protection of civilians during the operation. Thus far, this operation has resulted in the worst-case scenario: it has failed to stop the LRA, while spurring the rebels to intensify their attacks against civilians," it observes.

But with LRA leader Joseph Kony's refusal to sign a peace agreement, Feingold argues that military action to stop the rebel leader - while avoiding the endangerment of the LRA's captives and abductees - is the most viable remaining option.

"It became increasingly clear that Kony and his top commanders would stand in the way of any comprehensive political solution. These failed [peace] talks justify military action against the LRA’s top command, but that action must be carefully considered. As we have seen too many times, offensive operations that are poorly designed and poorly carried out risk doing more harm than good, inflaming a situation rather than resolving it."

Senator Feingold laid out a vision for the Obama Administration to correct the situation:

"The United Nations Security Council should take up this matter immediately and, in coordination with the Secretary-General and his Special Representative for LRA-affected areas, develop a plan and add new resources to enhance civilian protection. I urge the Obama administration to use its voice and vote at the Security Council to see that this happens. At the same time, I urge the administration to develop an interagency strategy for how the U.S. can contribute to longer-term efforts to disarm and demobilize the LRA, restore the rule of law in affected areas of Congo and Sudan, and address political and economic marginalization in northern Uganda that initially gave rise to this rebel group."

We now have at least one Senator who agrees with us on what's needed from US leaders to stop the LRA's violence and foster lasting peace.

Read the full statement here."

Surpris, les Congolais découvrent des interlocuteurs très informés.

TO BE NOTED: From le carnet de Colette Braeckman

le blog de notre envoyée spéciale en Afrique

"Congo-Rwanda: le premier succès diplomatique de Barack Obama

posté le 6 mars 2009 | catégorie actualité

Avec effusion, des officiers congolais prennent congé de James Kabarebe, le chef d’état major rwandais, hier encore considéré comme l’ennemi numero un. Des journalistes rwandais invités à Goma fraternisent avec leurs collègues congolais. Les deux pays vont échanger des ambassadeurs, normaliser leurs relations. Et surtout, le Rwanda garde en détention Laurent Nkunda, séquestré dans une résidence de Gisenyi, tandis que les Congolais assurent aux combattants hutus qui campent sur leur territoire depuis quinze ans que « le temps de l’hospitalité est terminé » et qu’ils sont bien résolus à les forcer au retour. Même si les opérations ne sont pas terminées, 1300 combattants et 4000 civils ont déjà été rapatriés au Rwanda et chaque jour le HCR enregistre de nouveaux candidats au retour.
Ce virage à 180 degrés, qui permet enfin d’espérer le retour de la paix dans les Grands Lacs, n’a pas fini de surprendre les Européens et il passera peut –être à l’histoire comme le premier succès diplomatique de Barack Obama.

the LRA killed hundreds of civilians in just a few hours in Lira District.

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"Kill Every Living Thing" - Justice & Reconciliation Project releases new field note

February 24th, 2009 by alison in: Campaign Watch, Main Site

For those of you who have been involved in this movement for some time, the Barlonyo Massacre needs no explanation. For those newer to the cause, it was one of the most horrific attacks in the history of this two-decade war, in which the LRA killed hundreds of civilians in just a few hours in Lira District.

Last Saturday marked five years since this attack took place, and to commemorate this tragic occasion, the Justice and Reconciliation Project has released a new field note - the first ever comprhensive public documentation of the massacre of over 300 civilians in Barlonyo on February 21, 2004.

In this line of work, it's sometimes difficult to internalize the meaning and significance of the words and statistics we so readily use... 2 million people, displacement, abductee, atrocity. For me, those words and statistics were given faces and names last August, when I visited Barlonyo with a colleague from Lutheran World Relief. We found ourselves surrounded by women and children, in a place that seemed utterly forgotten. Their stories were unimaginable and the phrase "most neglected crisis" meant something new to me as I stood there and looked at the group who had gathered to come greet us.

In the conclusion to the field note, its authors remind us that ultimately our search for an end to this war is not about Joseph Kony. It's about what he's done, and more importantly, the people he's done it to. They have stories that, while hard to hear and difficult to read, must be told, and more importantly, listened to. The people who have survived this brutal war are requesting something of each of us.

As we drove away from Barlonyo last summer, we passed a hut on which the words, "This world is not our home" were painted on the side. I would like to believe that the things promised to these people five years ago: peace, safety, and justice will come to be in their lifetime.

I hope you'll read the report. You can download it here."

"Over 850 people killed by LRA since "Christmas Massacres"

TO BE NOTED: From Resolve Uganda:

"Weekly Roundup for Feb. 14-20: Over 850 people killed by LRA since "Christmas Massacres"

February 20th, 2009 by paul in: Main Site, Update from HQ

As you know, it can sometimes be difficult to put a human face on events unfolding half a world away. This is especially true in the remote regions of Sudan and DR Congo affected by LRA attacks, where lack of security and accessibility in the areas where the rebels have been operating has meant that we've had few details, beyond size and scope, about what's actually happening there. This grisly picture became a little clearer this week, with the release of a new report from Human Rights Watch that documents the attacks and exposes the unacceptable ways that civilians were left unprotected from LRA violence sparked by the ongoing military offensive against the rebels.

The Good: The US aid agency disbursed $800,000 to UNICEF to help protect children in the DR Congo affected by LRA violence.

The Bad: The US has given little indication that ending the LRA violence is a priority, even as it continues to defend its support for the Uganda-led operation that sparked the latest rebel attacks.

The Ugly: Signs of discord between the Ugandan and Congolese governments began to emerge over how long Ugandan troops will remain on Congolese soil to pursue the LRA.

Regional Security

• Human Right Watch released a powerful report investigating LRA attacks on Congolese communities over past several months, calling for more UN peacekeepers to be deployed in areas affected by the violence. The report documents over 850 civilians killed and over 150 children abducted by the LRA since December 2008.

• A New York Times feature chronicles efforts by "teenage boys and their farmer fathers" in northeastern DR Congo to protect themselves and their families from continued LRA attacks.

• Conflicting reports emerged from Ugandan and Congolese officials concerning the length of the Ugandan army's mandate to pursue LRA rebels in the DR Congo. Ugandan officials claimed permission to stay until the LRA was defeated, while Congolese officials said a February 28 withdrawal deadline was still in place.
  
  

Situation in Northern Uganda

• The UN announced that over one million displaced persons have returned home since 2006, while nearly 450,000 live in the original "mother" camps and 330,000 live in transit camps closer to their homes.

• Northern Ugandan traditional leaders are venturing into rural areas to spiritually cleanse sites affected by violence during the past two decades. Many northern Ugandans view such efforts as crucial to rebuilding communities and lives shattered by the conflict.

• Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni took a swipe at Ugandans who vote for opposition parties this week, saying such a move was a "vote for civil war." Northern Ugandans have overwhelmingly supported opposition politicians in past elections.

• The Guardian published a feature on the state of democracy and corruption in Uganda, including the prospects for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's re-election in 2011.
  
  

International Response

• A US military official told the press that a US-supported, Ugandan-led offensive against LRA rebels is not responsible for the subsequent LRA reprisal attacks against civilians that have killed over 850 people.

• Following an assessment mission to northeastern DR Congo, US officials announced the release of $800,000 to UNICEF to support child protection efforts in areas affected by the LRA, including reunification of separated families and services for victims of sexual violence.

The UN's top humanitarian official briefed US ambassador Susan Rice and other members of the Security Council on the humanitarian crisis in LRA-affected areas of the DR Congo. The Council has not taken any action on the matter since January. "

have sought safety in South Sudan since attacks by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) last year has now surpassed the 15,000 mark.

TO BE NOTED: You know it's bad when you're fleeing to Sudan:

"Influx of Congolese refugees into South Sudan continues

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 17 February 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The number of Congolese refugees who have sought safety in South Sudan since attacks by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) last year has now surpassed the 15,000 mark.

UNHCR staff late last week accompanied local South Sudanese authorities to Lasu, a sparsely populated village in Central Equatoria State where they found the population of Congolese refugees had swelled from 2,000 to approximately 6,000. Most of them fled from the DRC town of Aba, which has been attacked several times since January, the latest last week. Lasu is 45 km from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

There had been fears of a mass influx of refugees from Aba after last week's LRA attack. Refugees interviewed in Lasu by our team confirmed that Aba, with an estimated population of 100,000, was deserted. Earlier reports of large numbers of displaced people moving towards Central Equatoria in South Sudan appear to have been unfounded and it is now believed they have moved to the south based on accounts from the new arrivals in Lasu.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from local residents indicate that LRA are also active in South Sudan, looting property and abducting 21 people in the village of Neuf, 9 km from Lasu.

Our team reports that refugees in Lasu are generally in good health but are in need of emergency assistance. They are living in the open, with only one well to share with the local population and no food. There are a dozens of unaccompanied and separated children, separated from their parents during flight. Aid agencies are coordinating assistance, including the provision of clean water and the emergency construction of latrines to improve the sanitation situation. WFP is sending food from Juba today (Tuesday) and UNHCR began a verification of refugees on Saturday. The relief effort is also being supported by UNICEF (water and sanitation), and MSF-Belgium and MEDAIR (health care).

Meanwhile, in South Sudan's Western Equatoria State, the registered population of Congolese refugees who fled LRA attacks in the Dungu area of north-western DRC in January has reached 9,139. The majority are in Ezo (2,258) near the Sudan's border with the Central African Republic, while others temporarily settled around Yambio in Gangura (2,451), Sakure (910) and Yambio itself (1,813). An additional 1,707 are scattered in seven villages in Yambio and Maridi Counties near Sudan's border with DRC. UN agencies are collaborating with local authorities to provide security and assistance to these populations.

It is critical to move all of these refuges away from border areas both for security reasons and to facilitate distribution of aid. Access to the refugees will soon become impossible when the seasonal rains begin in April and roads become impassable. Work is underway in other camps away from the border. Demarcation of plots at Makpandu camp, north of Yambio, is completed and construction of shelters is ongoing alongside installation of water and latrines. About 400 of the planned 2,000 shelters are completed. The transfer of those who are willing to move began in mid-December, with more than 1,000 relocated to date.

Story date: 17 February 2009
UNHCR Briefing Notes

has scattered fighters who have unleashed a wave of massacres on Congolese villages.

From Reuters:

"U.S. under fire over Ugandan rebel hunt

Post a comment (2)

Posted by: Joanne Tomkinson

Tags: Africa Blog, Africa, africom, Bush, Congo, Joseph Kony, Museveni, peacekeepers, Sudan, U.S., Uganda, UN, Washington

A multinational offensive aimed at wiping out Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels - and planned and equipped with U.S. support during the dying days of the Bush administration - has scattered fighters who have unleashed a wave of massacres on Congolese villages.

LRA fighters have killed nearly 900 people in reprisal attacks in northeast Congo since Ugandan troops, together with Sudanese and Congolese soldiers, launched a military operation in December against fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony, whose two-decade insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 2 million. (See Alertnet briefing for more)

Reuters reported on the U.S. involvement in December. The New York Times said recently that the Pentagon’s new Africa Command (Africom) had contributed intelligence, advice and $1 million in fuel. The Washington Post argues the operation has been so unsuccessful it amounts to little more than “throwing a rock at a hive of bees”.

Foreign Policy magazine said that the LRA, who failed to sign a planned peace deal in April, would be hard to stamp out and that the operation was putting the Pentagon’s reputation at risk.

There are sceptical voices in the blogosphere too.

“One of the first publicly acknowledged Africom operations has turned into a general debacle, resulting in the death of nearly a thousand civilians and sending untold numbers of children into sex slavery and military servitude,” Dave Donelson says on his Heart of Diamonds blog.

Writing in Uganda’s Monitor, Grace Matsiko said the offensive was proving a real test for officers of Uganda’s army (UPDF).

“Uganda should brace itself for a protracted war, should Kony and his top lieutenants continue to evade the UPDF dragnet,” the journalist wrote.

Meanwhile, aid agency MSF has accused the United Nations force in Congo, the world’s biggest, of failing to protect civilians from Ugandan rebel attacks – accusations the world body has rejected as totally unfounded. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has also accused U.N. peacekeepers of inactivity and of living alongside the LRA for three years and doing nothing about the guerrillas.

While expressing his horror at the what he called ‘catastrophic’ consequences for civilians from the offensive, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes has said the joint force still needs to see the operation through.

Should the offensive continue or is it time to halt it? If so, what should be done about the rebels? How big an impact should the conduct of this operation have for the U.S. Africa Command’s future role?"

Me:

February 16th, 2009

5:07 am GMT

What exactly can the UN Forces do? Are they not allowed to intervene? I can’t see any good in leaving the LRA free to roam the area. What’s the argument in favor of leaving them alone?

- Posted by Don the libertarian Democrat

However, Kony is still out there.

TO BE NOTED:

Posted by Peter Eichstaedt at 2/13/2009 06:33:00 AM

"Escapee: Kony is angry

As information dribbles out regarding Uganda's faltering military operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army, we learn that Kony is angry.

Well, why not? His camps were bombed and now his top two commanders are negotiating their surrender.

In a story from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, we learn from an escapee who was with the LRA camp when it was attacked, that Kony was already gone.

"The first day of the attack I was in the camp," said 21-year-old Jackline Apio, who had been in captivity for six years.

"LRA leader Joseph Kony had told us a day earlier there were plans to bomb the camp and ordered all his commanders and other soldiers to leave immediately."

This begs the question, how did he know? It also confirms earlier suspicions that Kony has informers close to the government.

Apio continues: "At about 11 a.m., after we had cooked, we heard the sound of approaching helicopters. Minutes later they [the helicopters] started bombing the camp. We all ran away. "

Why did Kony not have everyone abandon the camp? There have been strong fears that Kony would use the hundreds of abductees as human shields in case of an attack, which is why many in the international community have resisted attacking Kony long ago.

Here we can clearly see that Kony sacrificed these civilians to cover his escape and those of his fighters and commanders.

This should also provide insight into the kind of man we're dealing with.

Apio: "After two hours the rebels came back [to the camp] and collected food, medicine and weapons they had abandoned. The rebels, women and children later joined Kony."

Now it gets interesting: "He was looking enraged, and we started walking towards [the] Central African [Republic]," Apio says.

"Kony later changed [his] plans and ordered everyone to split into groups of 10, including the women and children. He said we should all remain in [DR] Congo. I don’t know where he went, but he remained somewhere with a few soldiers."

Again, Kony's cunning becomes apparent. He knows that others know he has wanted to go the CAR for a long time. Most suspected he would. Knowing that, however, he reverses course, and decides to stay. The only way his army can survive, however, is for them to break into small groups -- again his standard tactic, but quite effective.

But, there is a risk, of course, and that is losing his command and control.

"Our group was led by Dominic Ongwen [Kony’s deputy]. We were 30 and were attacked several times by UPDF [Ugandan People’s Defence Forces] soldiers. On 22 January in the afternoon, our group was attacked by UPDF; we had walked the whole night and were resting," she continues.

"I was shot in my left thigh. Then the [UPDF] commander appeared and ordered [the] soldiers not to shoot children or women.

"The other rebels ran away. We were five, two babies, two young children and I. I thought I would not survive; everyone was screaming and children crying. I said my last prayer because Kony [had] told us that anyone caught by the UPDF would be killed."

This is what Kony tells his captives in order to keep them under his tumb.

Ironically, it is Ongwen and Kony's latest deputy, Okot Odhiambo, who now want to surrender. As I have mentioned, this will be a serious blow to Kony's forces, and if nothing else, will cause others in his camp to do the same.

However, Kony is still out there.

As Apio explains, "It is difficult to get Kony, he keeps changing his location. Not even his commanders know his real location because he does not use satellite phones."

MSF’s criticism rightly emphasizes MONUC’s current inability to protect civilians.

From Enough:

"Doctors Without Borders Spotlights MONUC’s Failures in LRA-Affected Areas

Posted by Rebecca Brocato on Feb 08, 2009

A recent statement from Doctors Without Borders, known by their French acronym MSF, deplores the failure of MONUC, the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo, to protect civilians from the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA.

Commented Marc Poncin, MSF’s operational manager for Congo:

“The conclusion we’ve reached day in and day out on the ground, is that the LRA is continuing its unspeakable violence against civilians…U.N. Security Council Resolution 1856, from this past December 22, makes protection of civilians the priority for the United Nations peacekeepers in (Congo). The MONUC must therefore take up its responsibilities and can no longer continue to be so absent for the inhabitants of Haut-Uele (northeastern Congo) when they are being systematically attacked.”

Alan Doss, the U.N. envoy in Congo, responded to MSF’s critique, saying that it is difficult “to protect civilians against a group like the LRA and that (MSF’s) report did not reflect the reality on the ground.”

MSF’s criticism rightly emphasizes MONUC’s current inability to protect civilians. However, Doss is also correct that without the resources it needs, MONUC – which has been waiting in vain for the additional 3,000 peacekeepers promised by the Security Council in November – is unable to fulfill its mandate. This again highlights the need for activists, as well as groups like Enough and MSF, to put pressure on troop contributing countries to do the right thing and contribute competent forces, and not just beat up on the head of a UN Mission for having inadequate resources."

Me:

Political Pressure

Submitted by Anonymous on February 8, 2009 - 11:18pm.

Is there any reason to believe that these forces ever would intervene militarily in a major way?

Don the libertarian Democrat

the U.S. military admits it was involved in the training of the special forces that attacked Kony's camps

From Peter Eichstaedt:

"U.S. helpled plan botched attack

The New York Times today confirmed what I have reported for weeks now, that the Ugandan army attack on the camps of rebel leader Joseph Kony and his brutal band of killers, the Lord's Resistance Army, was botched.

New, however, is that finally the U.S. military admits it was involved in the training of the special forces that attacked Kony's camps in the Garamba National Park of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the planning of the operation.

However, the comments made by the U.S. forces are very reserved, as if they are trying to distance themselves from a poorly executed plan that has resulted in a bloody rampage by the LRA that has killed some 900 people.

It is the first time the United States has helped plan such a specific military offensive with Uganda, according to senior American military officials, the Times reported.

They described a team of 17 advisers and analysts from the Pentagon’s new Africa Command working closely with Ugandan officers on the mission, providing satellite phones, intelligence and $1 million in fuel, the Times reported.

However, the newspaper reports, no American forces ever got involved in the ground fighting in this isolated, rugged corner of Congo, but human rights advocates and villagers rightly complained that the Ugandans and the Congolese troops who carried out the operation did little or nothing to protect nearby villages, despite a history of rebel reprisals against civilians.

As I have written and told to the BBC, which interviewed me on the topic several weeks ago, "the troops did not seal off the rebels’ escape routes or deploy soldiers to many of the nearby towns where the rebels slaughtered people in churches and even tried to twist off toddlers’ heads," the Times reported.

Further, the Times explained that American officials conceded that the operation did not go as intended, and that villagers were left exposed.

“We provided insights and alternatives for them to consider, but their choices were their choices,” said one American military official who was briefed on the operation, referring to the African forces on the ground, according to the Times.

“In the end, it was not our operation.”

That doesn't sound like a whopping endorsement for the results.

Maj. Felix Kulayigye, a Ugandan military spokesman, declined to discuss the American involvement and simply said, “There was no way to prevent these massacres,” according to The Times.

If there is any good to come to light, it is that in fact the U.S. has become involved actively in some of Africa's most important tragedies. However, the new AfriCOM which lead the way here, hopefully learned a lesson that planning is only the first step.

Ensuring proper execution of such missions must be also integral to the mission, or as we have seen, the results are catastrophic."


Me:

Don said...

Since the LRA has been pushed into another country, is there any chance that this was Uganda's real goal?

Don the libertarian Democrat

February 8, 2009 3:14 PM