Lord Resistance Army

Lord's Resistance Army in 2013

United States views on international law [1] in relation to Lord's Resistance Army: On May 29, 2013, Ambassador Rice delivered remarks at a Security Council briefing by Abou Moussa, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (“SRSG”) and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (“UNOCA”). Her remarks are excerpted below and available at (link resource) usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/210048.htm.

Some Aspects of Lord's Resistance Army

For almost three decades, the Lord's Resistance Army has wreaked havoc and perpetrated mass atrocities on the people of Central Africa and the Great Lakes region. The LRA has killed, maimed, and displaced thousands. It has abducted children and forced them to commit unspeakable horrors. It has destroyed families and communities. Its acts are unconscionable and must be stopped once and for all.

Developments

This Council has repeatedly condemned the LRA's atrocities and supported decisive measures to end them. Our goal of permanently ending the LRA threat is within reach, but it will require sustained regional leadership and international support. The United States commends the African Union and governments in the region, particularly Uganda, for their concerted and continuing efforts to neutralize the LRA threat. The United States has provided significant assistance to support these regional efforts, including by sending U.S. military advisors to enhance the capacity of regional forces to pursue top LRA commanders and protect local populations.

Details

Our common commitment has resulted in notable progress. OCHA reports that, overall, there was a significant drop in the number of LRA attacks in 2012, compared to 2011. Some of those displaced by the LRA in South Sudan have begun to return home. And two of the LRA's most senior commanders, Ceasar Acellam and Vincent “Binany” Okumu, have been removed from the battlefield while scores of LRA members have defected or been released. To help bring the LRA's top commanders to justice, the United States, through the War Crimes Rewards Program, is offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of LRA leaders Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen.

More

Nevertheless, the LRA remains a regional threat with an outsized impact because of its brutality and reach. Joseph Kony is still at large, and the LRA continues to conduct attacks and commit abductions. Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced throughout central Africa because of the LRA.

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Instability across the region, particularly in the Central African Republic, threatens to halt and potentially reverse progress in the fight against the LRA. The United States believes that counter-LRA operations under the AU's Regional Task Force should resume as soon as possible. We welcome the CAR transitional government's assurances that counter-LRA operations will continue through the AU Regional Task Force. Further suspension of military operations in the CAR could allow the LRA to reorganize and further endanger civilians.

Resources

Notes

1. Lord's Resistance Army in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law