ENCOURAGING DEFECTIONS IS WEAKENING THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Defections from Kony's Army Increase

Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations

April 25, 2014

The broad-based effort to weaken Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)—and bring him to justice—continues to make progress. The most effective method for weakening the LRA has been to encourage defections, and there are probably fewer than 200 fighters left, down from 1,000 six years ago. The African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF), U.S. military advisors, and non-governmental organizations produce targeted personal messages from recent LRA returnees, local leaders, and the families and friends of remaining combatants. These messages are aired on local FM and shortwave radio stations and broadcast via helicopter speakers over known LRA locations. Two fighters who recently defected recorded “come home” messages at an April 1 symposium in the Central African Republic (CAR), hosted by U.S. Special Forces and the NGO, Invisible Children.

The interagency counter-LRA effort is also supporting improvements in the “early warning” system in CAR and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On March 25 Marty Regan, the CSO member of the team since March, was in the remote village of Ango, DRC, where a cell phone tower had been erected to increase connectivity, enabling residents to notify authorities of LRA activity more quickly. “This should reduce communities’ isolation and help them share information about heightened threats posed by LRA groups in the area,” Regan explained. At an event marking the construction of the tower, U.S. Ambassador to DRC James Swan served as the keynote speaker.

In March, the U.S. Military deployed CV-22 Ospreys to enable the U.S. to move Ugandan troops further and more quickly to areas of suspected LRA activity. The Ospreys will be deployed for short periods of time to support AU-RTF operations. “The Ospreys provide another tool to disrupt LRA operations, and they demonstrate a greater AU-RTF presence to all in the area,” said Regan.

CSO’s primary role in the c-LRA engagement is to help coordinate the civilian and military efforts of the U.S. government, in addition to conducting outreach with NGOs and civil society. Splitting his time between the U.S. Embassy in Kampala and field locations in the four nations where LRA has been active, Regan helps to drive ground-level implementation of the U.S. strategy and to inform planning, policy implementation, and metrics in Washington.

“While challenging, working as a part of the c-LRA engagement brings a good deal of satisfaction in that you experience firsthand how a coordinated, whole-of-government approach can deliver results,” he explained.

The LRA has terrorized communities for 25 years, killing tens of thousands of people and maiming thousands more. Along the way, the LRA has filled its ranks by abducting tens of thousands of children and forcing them to become soldiers and sex slaves. In 2010, President Obama directed the Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID to find a way to help governments and communities end the LRA’s reign of terror. President Obama called the LRA “an affront to human dignity,” saying that “those abducted must be freed, those wounded must heal, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”

STATE DEPARTMENT UPDATE ON JOSEPH KONY AND THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY

FROM:   U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Update from the Field: Counter-LRA
Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
August 20, 2013

Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have terrorized communities across four African nations for 25 years, killing 100,000, according to a UN report, and maiming thousands more. Along the way, the LRA has filled its ranks by abducting tens of thousands of children and forcing them to become soldiers and sex slaves.

In 2010, President Obama directed the Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID to develop a strategy to help governments and communities end the LRA’s reign of terror. To advance that strategy, U.S. Special Forces were sent to advise and assist the regional militaries pursuing the LRA. At the same time, the State Department deployed experts from the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), created by Secretary Clinton in November 2011 to prevent and respond to conflicts in key countries and regions.

Jon Gandomi is one of those diplomats. Gandomi, who has served as the Department’s field representative for LRA issues since June 2012, and his CSO colleagues helped build a network that includes local communities, U.S. Special Forces soldiers, Ugandan troops, UN officials, and NGOs working to end the LRA. Gandomi’s CSO predecessors were Jason Lewis-Berry, Scott Duncan, and Charlene Brown.

“An important part of the U.S. strategy is to encourage Kony’s soldiers, most of whom were kidnapped as children, to leave the LRA peacefully,” Gandomi says. “This approach has built unique partnerships among civil society leaders, communities, NGOs, and UN missions. All of us understand that most LRA members did not choose to be in the LRA and remain with them only because they fear retribution by Kony. If we can make it easier to defect, then we increase the chances of getting them home safely and weakening the LRA.”

The number of defections has increased noticeably over the past year, indicating that this unconventional approach is producing results. Since May 2012, scores of LRA members have defected or were released. NGOs believe that 15 percent of the LRA’s Ugandan male fighting force has defected in the last 18 months. The number of people killed by the LRA decreased by 66 percent from 2011 to 2012, and the Ugandan military has removed two of the LRA’s most senior and notorious commanders since 2012.

“We know from recent defectors that the LRA is at its weakest point in years and morale is at an all-time low,” Gandomi says. “The LRA is fighting for survival.” Gandomi has worked with U.S. Special Forces and local NGO partners to set up locations where it is safe for LRA members to defect. They advertise these locations through radio broadcasts, leaflet drops, and messages played on helicopter-mounted loudspeakers.

Gandomi says it’s hard for most Americans to appreciate how much the U.S. role in the counter-LRA mission means to people in central Africa. “All three of the countries where the LRA operates are among the world’s ten least-developed countries,” he notes. “The region is incredibly remote and has almost no infrastructure, security, or governance. The people who have lived the nightmare of the LRA are extremely grateful for the U.S. presence. They see it as a sign that their years of suffering and trauma at the hands of the LRA have finally been recognized by the international community.”

In addition to travelling with U.S. Special Forces within the region on a weekly basis, Gandomi also engages with local leaders, civil society, NGOs, and UN missions to deepen the coalition of partners working across borders to share information, lessons, and experiences. “The best ideas and innovations in the counter-LRA effort come from communities on the ground,” Gandomi says. “Oftentimes our job is simply to provide a larger platform and support the role they want to play.”

Supporting locally driven efforts is an approach CSO uses in other engagements around the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. “The most unpredictable part of the job is trying to plan around the weather,” Gandomi explains. “In the rainy season you could suddenly discover you’ll be spending the night at a remote field location because travel becomes impossible. You just have to settle in and enjoy being isolated from the rest of the world. During those times I really feel that it’s a privilege to be involved in this work,” Gandomi says. “The region’s challenges won’t suddenly vanish when Kony is captured, but we have a real chance at ending one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts, and the benefits would be significant.”

SUMMIT ON THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY

Photo:  Ugandan Countryside.  Photo Credit:  CIA World Factbook 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Global Summit on the Lord's Resistance Army
Remarks
Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs
Hosted by Invisible Children
Washington, DC
November 17, 2012

Thank you for the kind introduction. Let me express my warm welcome to the distinguished ministers, foreign officials, diplomats, civil society leaders, advocates and activists here today. For those of you visiting, welcome to Washington D.C.

I’m inspired to be here with you today. Your presence sends a strong signal that people across the globe, especially young people, will not stand by and be silent as armed groups commit senseless atrocities and terrorize innocent communities. The results may not always be direct or immediate, but know this – your voices make a difference. As the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

Great distances and different worldviews often divide us. However, particular events in history break down those barriers and connect us on a personal level, on a human level. They touch our sense of what is fundamentally right and wrong. The Lord’s Resistance Army is one such phenomenon. As President Obama said two years ago, the LRA’s actions are an affront to human dignity. Those abducted must be freed, those wounded must heal, and those responsible must be brought to justice.

Over the last several years, the people and governments of Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan have worked to bring an end to the threat posed by the LRA. They have endured difficult circumstances and made sacrifices in search of peace. In coordination with the African Union, the United Nations, and other international partners, the United States has provided cross-cutting support to these regional efforts. We believe it is in our collective interest to help our African partners to strengthen their capacity to resolve conflicts and establish lasting security.

When it comes to the LRA, it is tempting to talk about a silver bullet or a ready-made solution. However, history has taught us that it is not that simple or straightforward. Anyone who has spent time in the remote areas where the LRA operates or studied the LRA over the years can testify to that. That is why we are pursuing a comprehensive approach, supporting both military and civilian efforts. Over the past year, the United States has deployed military advisors and increased our logistical support to regional military operations. At the same time, we have deployed civilian officers and expanded programs to promote defections from the LRA, establish communications networks, and empower affected communities.

Despite enormous challenges, the region is making progress in addressing this threat. The LRA has been weakened and pushed out of many areas. Hundreds of abductees have been rescued. There has not been a reported LRA attack in South Sudan for over a year. In May, the Ugandan military captured LRA senior commander Ceasar Acellam, long considered one of the LRA’s top five commanders. In August, the Ugandan military attacked the group led by senior LRA commander Dominic Ongwen, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and seized their campsite.

Defections are also on the rise. Since Acellam’s capture, several mid-level officers have left the group. In the last month alone, more than 19 people have defected or escaped from the LRA. We are working with a range of partners in the region, including Invisible Children, to airdrop more leaflets, expand radio broadcasts, and establish safe reporting sites to encourage the remaining LRA to peacefully surrender from the group. We are also supporting communities in establishing new strategies and networks, incorporating High Frequency Radios, to increase their own security. And our delivery of humanitarian relief continues.

This is not to suggest that the situation is resolved or that Joseph Kony will be apprehended tomorrow. Communities remain vulnerable, the top fugitives remain at large, and the LRA continues to have a significant physical and psychological impact across multiple countries. Ending the LRA threat will require more effort, more time, and even a little bit of luck. But as we gather today, I think we can confidently say that we are moving in the right direction. We have come a long way over the last several years and with the support of international partners, the AU, UN, and NGOs, the region is moving closer to turning the page on this tragic chapter.

Achieving that ultimate goal of ending the LRA threat and establishing security will require the sustained resolve and collaboration of all those involved, beginning first and foremost with the governments in the region. Although CAR, the DRC, South Sudan and Uganda may have their differences, they are bound together by a desire to protect their people from this regional threat. Their troops and their citizens are on the frontlines. Their continued partnership and leadership, more than anything else, will determine the success of this effort. We believe the African Union’s involvement can help to solidify that regional cooperation.

At the same time though, there are many other stakeholders who have critical roles to play. One of the remarkable things about this effort is that it has brought together an unusual, non-traditional coalition – involving UN peacekeepers and civil affairs officers, former abductees, community radio operators, religious leaders, local self-defense groups, aid workers, international diplomats, peace mediators, philanthropists, and not to forget, all of you here today. As we move forward, we must continue to strengthen this coalition and to grow it by reaching out to new groups and forging new partnerships.

The theme of your Summit is "move." But when you think about it, just moving is not enough. It’s how and where you move that matters. And when we move together, we can have a resounding impact. That is what has made this regional effort, this movement, and this coalition so effective over the past several years, and that’s what is needed to sustain this progress.

So let’s keep moving together. If we continue to do so, I believe we’ll continue to move in the right direction toward a future free of the LRA, and ultimately a future where civilians are protected and such horrific abuses are deterred. Thank you for being here and for your commitment to this important work.

U.S. GIVES SUPPORT TO ANTI-LRA FORCES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

U.S. Supports Pushback Against Lord's Resistance Army

By Karen Parrish

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 - The United States is part of a successful effort to help counter the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa, but a four-pillared approach to neutralizing the terrorist group must continue, senior defense, diplomatic and aid officials told senators here yesterday.

That approach, officials explained, includes increasing protection for civilians in LRA-affected areas, apprehending and removing Joseph Kony and other LRA leaders, disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating remaining LRA fighters, and sustaining humanitarian relief to affected areas.

Amanda J. Dory, deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for African affairs, joined Donald Yamamoto, principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, and Earl Gast, U.S. Agency for International Development assistant administrator for Africa, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's African Affairs Subcommittee yesterday.

The LRA is composed mostly of kidnapped children forced to conduct Kony's terrorist tactics over the past 20 years, administration officials have said. Tens of thousands of people have been murdered and as many as 1.8 million have been displaced by the LRA, they said.

President Barack Obama announced April 23 that a U.S. military advise-and-assist mission to Central Africa, begun in October, will remain in place with periodic review.

"Our advisers will continue their efforts to bring this madman to justice and to save lives," the president said in announcing the mission's extension.

The 100-member U.S. team of trainers is working to help nations affected by the LRA to "help realize a future where no African child is stolen from their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier," Obama said.

Dory described U.S. contributions to the effort, which include training local forces and assisting in intelligence and logistics coordination.

"The militaries of Uganda, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in collaboration with the African Union, continue to pursue the LRA and seek to protect local populations," she said. "They are leading this effort."

U.S. advisors in Uganda synchronize and oversee the department's counter-LRA efforts and coordinate with Ugandan forces, she said, while other U.S. service members work in field locations with forces from Uganda, the Central African Republic and South Sudan.

"U.S. advisors have helped to set up operations fusion centers to enable daily coordination, information sharing and tactical coordination," she said. "[They] are also integrating local civilian leaders into the work of the partner forces to improve the effectiveness of the civil-military relations."

Yamamoto said the State Department's role in the counter-LRA mission largely involves multinational coordination.

"We are coordinating closely with the United Nations peacekeeping missions in the region, especially to promote civilian protection," he said. "We have encouraged the U.N. to scale up its efforts when possible. We are also working very closely with the African Union to increase its efforts to address the LRA."

Gast said USAID has worked in Africa since the late 1980s to help communities build security, to reintegrate children formerly abducted by the LRA, and to strengthen economic development in affected areas.

"As the conflict first began to exact severe economic losses, cause mass displacement and weaken governance in Northern Uganda, USAID focused on providing lifesaving assistance to those affected by the conflict," Gast said. "When the LRA was finally driven out of Northern Uganda, our programs shifted from relief to recovery and then to longer-term development, which is taking place now."

Dory noted the LRA operates in a remote and rugged zone that includes parts of several countries. U.S. forces have effectively only been in the area since December and January, she said, but they have seen results from their efforts.

"We believe the U.S. military advisors have established a good foundation and made initial progress, especially considering the complexity of the operating environment, the number of partners involved and the remoteness of the operational areas," Dory said. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely with our interagency partners to ensure our support is having the intended impact."