UN Refugee Agency alerted to an increase in the number of attacks in recent weeks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa, leading to new displacements of thousands of people. “The security situation in south-eastern CAR remains extremely fragile,” according to Melissa Fleming UNHCR Spokesperson, adding that the one exception is the city of Obo, where United States troops were deployed in October to bolster efforts by the joint CAR-Ugandan armed forces to hunt down the LRA and its leadership. “Our staff on the ground say that patrols around Obo by the two national armies supported by the US military advisers have enabled local authorities to ensure security within a 25-kilometre radius from Obo, compared to five kilometres before patrols were instituted. The extended security is allowing residents to tend their farms.”
US Military Led Hunt Team for Kony & LRA:
The attacks have taken place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, The LRA was formed in the 1980s in Uganda and for over 15 years its attacks were mainly directed against Ugandan civilians and security forces, which in 2002 dislodged the rebels. They then exported their activities to Uganda’s neighbouring countries, with practices that include the recruitment of children, rapes, killing and maiming, and sexual slavery. According to UNHCR, LRA assaults in these three countries have led to a total of 440,000 internally displaced persons or living as refugees, of which 335,000 are found in the DRC alone.
Is “Kony2012” Working?
Last week, the four countries affected by LRA activities – CAR, DRC, South Sudan and Uganda – announced that they would launch a joint military task force backed by the UN and the African Union to pursue the rebel fighters, including the group’s leader, Joseph Kony. See our Blog for Film Report - http://diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/joseph-kony-african-hunt-team/48269 . Efforts are clearly now moving toward some head despite of or perhaps because of the “Stop Kony” campaign. See Our Blog for Video Report on Kony2012 Initiative– “Film Wanted Poster for Terrorist” -http://diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/film-wanted-poster-for-terrorist/46986
By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey – Follow @MuhamedSacirbey
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UN Photo - A Congolese woman, displaced by LRA attacks, carries a bag of non-food items distributed by UNHCR in Dungu, DR of Congo. Photo: UNHCR/M.Hofer
