By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KAMPALA, Uganda – The UN has urged the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan to protect civilians, especially women and children, by sharing information with the UN. There has been an upsurge of attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group, in these countries.
“The (15) members of the Security Council strongly condemned the continued and recently increasing attacks carried out by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and Sudan,” said a statement by the Security Council.
According to Austrian Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, who holds the council’s rotating presidency this month, the LRA’s attacks “have resulted in the death, abduction and displacement of thousands of civilians.” He also encouraged the regional governments’ full cooperation with the United Nations in order to protect civilians.
The LRA guerilla group first appeared in northern Uganda in 1988 and has since expanded into these three other countries. LRA Chief Joseph Kony is wanted by the The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC). The rebels are known for mutilating and murdering civilians and kidnapping children for fighting and sexual slavery.
The UN Security Council has called on MONUC (UN Mission in the DRC), UNMIS (in the Sudan), MINURCAT (in Chad and the CAR), UNAMID (African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur), and BONUCA (United Nations Peace-Building Office in the CAR) to coordinate strategies for civilian protection.
On Tuesday the Ugandan army killed Lt. Col. Okello Ogutti, a commander of the LRA.
“Okutti used to be the overall commander for LRA operations in Pader district, and he was a senior commander among the groups currently in CAR,” said Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, the Defense and Army spokesman for Uganda. Although they killed Ogutti, he added, “Our unique ideology is that while the targeting of LRA commanders continues, the door for Joseph Kony to sign a peace agreement is still open.”
Currently, Ugandan special forces are seeking out LRA rebels within the DRC, the CAR, and Sudan.
The Security Council has demanded “that the LRA immediately cease all attacks on civilians, and urged them to surrender, assembly [sic] and disarm, as required by the Final Peace Agreement.”
For more information, please see:
AFP – Ugandan Troops Kill Top Rebel in Centr.Africa – 20 November 2009
AllAfrica – America Moves to Make Life Harder for Kony Rebels – 19 November 2009
AFP – UN Condemns Rebel LRA Attacks in Africa – 18 November 2009
Taiwan News – UN Condemns Upsurge in Ugandan Rebel Attacks – 18 November 2009
