Since the late 1980s, the people of northern Uganda have lived a nightmare. Over the years, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by the brutal Joseph Kony, forcibly abducted tens of thousands of children to fill their ranks as soldiers and sex slaves. Sadly, this nightmare went mostly unnoticed by the world community. Thankfully, that has started to change. Last month, nearly two thousand young people from across America came to Washington D.C to advocate for action to stop the LRA, a far cry from just a few years ago when the tragedy in Uganda was called the world's worst neglected humanitarian crisis. For a long time, the international community paid little attention and the Ugandan government did even less to protect its citizens living in the northern part of the country. Thanks in part to these young people, those days of neglect are over.
Yet the end of neglect has not meant the end of the LRA. First, in late 2005, the rebel commanders moved their base of operations into northeastern Congo. And since then, a series of new efforts have failed to resolve the crisis. From 2006 to early 2008, representatives of the rebels and Ugandan government negotiated a series of agreements in southern Sudan. These negotiations were not perfect, but they did achieve a cessation of hostilities and provided a framework to address the larger issues that enabled the conflict to exist for so long, including the grievances of northern Ugandans. Unfortunately, Kony repeatedly refused to sign the agreement and instead his forces launched new attacks in Congo, Sudan and, for the first time, Central African Republic.
Last December, the violence and bloodshed escalated significantly. The Ugandan military, with its regional counterparts, launched a coordinated offensive against the LRA's new bases in northeastern Congo, but it failed. Those planning the operation were unable to anticipate contingencies and did not take adequate precautions to protect civilians. When the operation failed to apprehend Kony and his top commanders, they retaliated against Congolese civilians. In the six months since, the UN estimates the LRA has killed an estimated 1200 Congolese civilians and abducted another 1500. Time and time again, rash military operations that are poorly designed and poorly carried out have inflamed this crisis rather than resolved it.
The United States provided support for both these efforts. In 2007, at the urging of Congress, the State Department appointed a senior diplomat to observe and assist the ongoing peace negotiations. And last year, at the request of regional governments, the Bush Administration provided non-operational, non-lethal assistance for the military offensive. But the twin failure of peace talks and military operations has shown that there is no simple solution to this crisis and that we can not just throw our support behind the single most promising initiative of the day. Advocates have tended to back either peace talks or military operations, but both those efforts in isolation have failed. It's time for a new, multifaceted strategy to confront the LRA.
That is why I joined with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) in authoring the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act (S. 1067). Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) has introduced the same proposal in the House (H.R. 2478). With the help of the thousands of young people, momentum for our legislation is gaining. If passed, the measure would require the Obama Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy to help protect civilians while seeking to eliminate the threat posed by the LRA. This legislation leaves it up to the discretion of the Administration to determine the specifics, but it seeks to ensure a multifaceted approach that includes all elements of U.S. policy -- economic, political, intelligence and military -- and coordinates our efforts across the four affected countries.
Our bill does not, however, encourage a new Ugandan-led military offensive against the LRA and does not sanction any specific military operation. Instead, it seeks to push a comprehensive approach in which military activity would be one component within a larger framework. Such an approach, though, should also include humanitarian components and support for credible diplomatic efforts to press for a viable political solution.
A comprehensive approach also requires attention to rebuilding the lives and communities of those most affected by the violence. The U.S. and other international donors have already contributed substantial funds to help recovery efforts in northern Uganda. But, we also need to ensure that the government of Uganda is upholding its end of the deal and that complementary steps are being taken to address the original causes of the war. To that end, the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act also includes support for transitional justice and reconciliation efforts. Ultimately, as we have seen with so many other conflicts, our success may depend less on how we end the violence and more on how we build the peace.
Senator Feingold is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.
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"When I visited AFRICOM's headquarters last December and talked with senior officials, we discussed the important roles that it can play."
"To put it bluntly, I believe supporting viable and legitimate efforts to disarm and demobilize the LRA is exactly the kind of thing in which AFRICOM should be engaged. Of course, the key words there are viable and legitimate. We should not be supporting operations that we believe are substantially flawed and do not have a high probability of success."
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=111-s20090312-29&person=300042
Do you believe in open, democratic government at the federal level? Or do you believe that secret government by our "betters" (people like you) - as the U.S. Senate now effectively operates - is best, never mind all that "we the people" nonsense?
I ask, Senator, because, THREE TIMES IN A ROW, the United States Senate has passed the Graham/Lieberman 'Retroactively Gut The Freedom of Information Act To Conceal Unlawful Government Actions Bill', WITHOUT OBJECTION from any Senator (including you), and WITHOUT A PUBLIC VOTE ON THE SENATE FLOOR. As a result, the Senate has now passed this measure - with YOUR SUPPORT - as BOTH a standalone bill, and as part of the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that's now set to be SECRETLY conferenced with the House bill.
WHY, Senator, did you not object to the latest version of the 2006 Military Commissions Act - that Carl Levin is trying to sneak through this week under cover of the Sotomayor hearings? An Act which "punishes" FOREIGNERS for the SAME offenses the detainee photo suppression bill would HIDE when committed by the UNITED STATES.
PLEASE read Andy Worthington's masterful coverage of this, and OBJECT to Levin's underhanded method of further undermining our Constitution:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-worthington/former-insider-shatters-c_b_229978.html
Yes, ya'll at the top see these things and it's horrifying. But I need to let you in on something you've clearly overlooked... Americans don't give a rats ass about Africa.
White, Latino and Asian Americans are much more concerned with jobs and family security here at home and would rather you spend your days working on those issues. Same goes for African Americans who seem to get off the couch only for Michael Jackson (if you can get Maya Angelou to speak in Congress about your bill or get Michael Jordan to donate a few million to the cause, then you might have something). There's a thousand times more murders in our streets than elsewhere, sex slavers, child abusers, brutalized homeless and tens of thousands more incarcerated in this country than to worry about what happens aboard at this point.
Let the U.N. ambassador work on this atrocity and stick to fixing the damn economy.
Cheers,
A Realist
Now regarding US involvement with Uganda - repeat after me folks: Uganda and America are very intimately involved and have been for a long time.
Here's one scenario: Uganda supplies arms to Somalia, US pays Uganda, Uganda denies supplying arms, blames the US. Who's pimping who? And is Uganda really a peacekeeping unit if it arms the Somalis? The Ugandan President says fighting in Somalia is a waste of time! Senator what's your view??
US PAYS UGANDA TO ARM SOMALI FIGHTERS - http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/US_pays_Uganda_to_arm_Somali_fighters_87755.shtml
Let's get our own house in order, and then we can go about saving everbody from themselves, ok?
You probably didn't really write this. But did you read it?
Yours sincerely,
R. J. R. Crowe
Pardon me belaboring the point, but the people I met in Northern and Eastern Uganda would appreciate their situation being publicly acknowledged.
Check out these useful link of the Ugandan newspapers. Summary; government blames hungry famine victims of being lazy & drunkards - or is that lazy - drunkards, government denies hunger crisis, Quote from responsible minister; " ... it's the duty of citizens to feed themselves ...", ..
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=afsvl_Pb8_Ss
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Hunger_claims_35_as_minister_denies_crisis_87705.shtml
If there's any decent news, it's that the government has abdicated it's responsibility to feed it's starving citizens to the WFP (World Food Programme), which will probably be more bothered than the entire government..
Instead, the most pressing humanitarian crisis is the lack of decent universal and affordable health care in the United States.
Congress should work at solving our own problems before focusing overseas.
Can we please spend our tax dollars HERE not elsewhere?
Even as we blog right now, Northern Uganda is experiencing famine. The newspapers report this, but the government reluctantly admits it.
Summary of the government's repsonse?
At a meeting held yesterday to discuss relief, the government minister responsible and his deputy launched a diatribe accusing the residents of the North and East, the very areas emerging from the LRA conflict and targets of your bill, of being lazy and drunkards - that was the government response to calls for humanitaian assistance.
Sounds unbelieveable? I thought so too! Check these links of Uganda's leading newspapers.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/687291
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Famine_MPs_weep_ask_Kabwegyere_to_resign_87754.shtml
The government only budged when the local politicians threatened boycotts.
Again, the government of Uganda is the least reliable avenue for humanitarian aid - NGO's are better equipped to implement, monitor and evaluate any resettlement project.
It's nice to see that you are concerned with the LRA. I understand that something needs to be done about that situation. But guess what. You are a senator from WI and you should be worrying more about this states financial and tax woes than the LRA. This state has a huge deficit and unemployment rate. We are also in the top 10 in states with people on welfare. I just find it a little odd that you have time to go through all the channels to do something like this while that the state you are suppose to represent is crumbling around you. Large manufacturing companies/jobs are leaving for friendlier tax states as you sit back and worry about Uganda. I think you need to focus on a smaller picture here(the state that elected you) and do something for the people of Wisconsin.
He's a US Senator from Wisconsin
Not a Senator of Wisconsin
His job is to represent wisconsin in national issues. Not to work on the states internal problems. With I suppose the exception of securing a few earmarks.
I think his policy is horrible here, but its not improper for him to have a policy
As for his proposal. He wants to send money and weapons to one side of an internal conflict in a foreign nation. I generally oppose that
Senator Feingold, your position on Northern Uganda has changed drastically over the past few months. We used to hold you up as a rare champion for Northern Uganda. Your criticism of the Ugandan government was clear and unwavering. But now we see you wavering and are deeply saddened to see you resurrecting the usual route of militarism.