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Title: Obama orders US troops into Ugandan civil war, plans to send more into South Sudan, Central African Republic & Congo
Source:
LA Times
URL Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wor ... oops-lord-resistance-army.html
Published: Oct 14, 2011
Author: LA Times
Post Date: 2011-10-14 19:26:03 by Happy Quanzaa
Keywords: Obama-doma-ding-dong
Views: 10420
Comments: 17
Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Middle East U.S. sends troops to Uganda to help fight Lord's Resistance Army October 14, 2011 | 1:36 pm increase text size decrease text size Charles Okello was cutting sugarcane when he was attacked by Lord's Resistance Army rebels REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON AND JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- President Obama is deploying about 100 special operations troops to Africa to help target the leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a notorious rebel group that has been entrenched in a stalemate with the government of Uganda for more than two decades. In a letter notifying Congress on Friday, Obama said the first small team of U.S. “combat-equipped” advisors arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. Over the next month, the remaining U.S. troops will be sent to surrounding countries, including South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Congo. The goal of the U.S. mission is to assist regional African forces in removing Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and other commanders of the group “from the battlefield,” the letter says. “Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense,” the letter says A militia known for abducting children and forcing them to fight, often mutilating them, the Lord’s Resistance Army has long been condemned by the U.S. and human rights organizations for atrocities against civilians. The militia keeps sex slaves, rapes women and has killed thousands of people. For years, in Uganda and neighboring countries, it has resisted efforts by African forces to curb its violence. Inspired by a combination of mysticism and eccentric Christian rhetoric, Kony, who is about 50, is on the U.S. terrorist list and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity committed in a two-decade war in northern Uganda between rebels and government soldiers. Kony signed a peace deal in 2006, but continued to operate in neighboring countries. The Lord’s Resistance Army has since cut a swath across Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. The head of the U.S. Africa command, Gen. Carter Ham, said this month that he believed Kony and other commanders were hiding in the Central African Republic. Addressing the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank in Washington, he said the rebel group was still committing atrocities, kidnapping people and killing, Over the last three years, the U.S. has provided more than $40 million in equipment and training to armies in the region to combat the rebel group and target Kony, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. ALSO: U.N. rights chief: Syria risks 'full-blown civil war' Israel unveils new housing project on disputed Jerusalem land Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi narrowly wins confidence vote -- Brian Bennett in Washington and Robyn Dixon in Johannesburg
U.S. sends troops to Uganda to help fight Lord's Resistance Army
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 17.
#4. To: Happy Quanzaa (#0)
Wow, all of 100 troops. BTW, these are the guys you assholes are supporting. "LRA victim: 'I cannot forget and forgive' Following recent comments from Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader Joseph Kony in which he denied committing atrocities, Ugandan John Ochola, 25, responds by telling his story. He was abducted by rebels from his village, Namkora in northern Uganda, which was attacked in February 2002. During the attack 50 people were axed to death and he was one of 35 abductees." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5129350.stm
Neither could the 800,000 Tutsis that were massacred by the Hutus in Rwanda. Bill Clinton wisely stayed out of that mess.
Ping to above. This is none of our business and we shouldn't be involving ourselves.
Just as an FYI - In 2009 Congress unanimously approved a bill called the "Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009." The bill "specifically states that it is US policy to support efforts to protect civilians from the Lord's Resistance Army, to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield in the continued absence of a negotiated solution. It also requires a strategy from President Obama that includes viable options to eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army." (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1067) Obama is doing what both Republicans and Democrats ordered him to do.
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#15. To: Skip Intro (#4)
"LRA victim: 'I cannot forget and forgive'
#16. To: All, g065 (#15)
#17. To: jwpegler, skip intro, a k a stone, war (#16)
Ping to above. This is none of our business and we shouldn't be involving ourselves.
Replies to Comment # 17.
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