1st step a success! This is huge. Read this!
“Dear all –
I just wanted to let you know the LRA Disarmament & Northern Uganda Recovery Act, S.1067, was passed unanimously this afternoon by Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a voice vote. We’ll be sending out a press release soon. This is a huge step forward to getting it past in the Senate and ultimately by all of Congress. Thanks for all your support and help thus far. The next step for us is ramping up the # of cosponsors so we can try to pass it through the whole Senate next month with unanimous consent.
All the best,
Senator Feingold’s office.”
Here is the press release:
SENATE COMMITTEE PASSES FEINGOLD BILL REQUIRING NEW STRATEGY TO CONFRONT THE LRA
Feingold’s Bipartisan Legislation Would Bring New Attention and Support to Ending Africa’s Longest Running Rebel War
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Washington, D.C. – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed bipartisan legislation today authored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and cosponsored by Sam Brownback (R-KS) requiring the Obama administration to develop a new multifaceted strategy to confront one of Africa’s longest running rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). For more than two decades, under the leadership of Joseph Kony, the LRA has kidnapped more than 66,000 children and forced them to fight as child soldiers, wreaking havoc in northern Uganda and southern Sudan, and more recently, northeastern Congo and Central African Republic. Feingold’s bipartisan Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act requires the United States to work with multilateral partners to develop a viable path to disarm the LRA, while ensuring the protection of civilians.
“For too long, Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army have terrorized innocent civilians across four countries of central Africa, kidnapping thousands of children and forcing them to become child soldiers and commit horrific acts,” said Feingold, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, who visited Uganda in 2007. “My bill will commit the United States to develop a proactive strategy to work with regional governments to stop the LRA, while better targeting our assistance to address the conditions in northern Uganda that enabled the LRA to emerge in the first place. I will work with my colleagues to move this important piece of legislation through the Senate.”
“The LRA’s 30-year campaign of violence has scarred communities across central Africa, who have in turn been let down by their governments, the UN and the international donor community,” said Jon Elliott, Africa Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch. “This Bill offers an opportunity to put civilian protection where it should be, at the top of the agenda, and much-needed American leadership to finally bring Joseph Kony and his co-accused to justice. And it will hopefully ensure that victims receive the support and redress they need to rebuild their lives.”
Feingold’s bill authorizes $10 million in additional funding for humanitarian assistance for those areas outside of Uganda now directly affected by the LRA’s brutality. In this year alone, the UN reports that the LRA has killed more than 1,500 people, abducted over 1,800, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Central African Republic, Congo and southern Sudan. Feingold’s bill also authorizes $30 million over three years for transitional justice and reconciliation to encourage and help the Ugandan government to address the grievances and regional divisions that the LRA exploited for nearly two decades. The Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act is cosponsored by Sam Brownback (R-KS) and 25 other senators, including several members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
MSNBC: On her death bed, Joseph Kony’s mother has one wish…
KAMPALA, Uganda – The mother of one of Africa’s most notorious rebel leaders relayed one last wish for her son before her death Wednesday, according to a nurse at her deathbed: Make peace.
Norah Anek, 86, the mother of Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, died after a long illness, said nurse Betty Akello, who was with her when she died. Her son heads the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, which has waged one of Africa’s longest and most brutal rebellions, in northern Uganda.
“Moments before dying she said, ‘Tell Joseph Kony to make peace,’” Anek said, according to Akello.
Kony has led the cult-like LRA for two decades. The rebel group that has been blamed for tens of thousands of murders, mutilations and kidnapping children for use as soldiers and sex slaves.
The government of Uganda has been looking after Kony’s mother for the last 10 years as a way to induce him to stop fighting.
Anek, who sometimes is called Norah Oting, was a religious woman who never wanted her son to fight, said William Okello, a community leader. She believed her son was possessed with evil spirits, he said.
Anek told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview that her son was “costing us peace in northern Uganda.”
In 2006, the government asked Anek to take part in negotiations at Garamba National Park in Congo to persuade Kony to sign a peace agreement with Uganda. Kony had suggested that a meeting with his mother would persuade him to take part in the talks. She went to the park, but the rebel group did not sign an agreement.
Two years later at his remote hideaway on the Congo-Sudan border, Kony stood up a fleet of sweating diplomats who waited for him for three days in the mosquito-infested jungle.
Kony’s armed group has waged a rebellion that has drawn in northern Uganda, eastern Congo and southern Sudan. Kony, who says he is fighting to rule Uganda based on the Ten Commandments, is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes.
Q+A Humanitarian challenges of eastern Congo’s other war
DAKAR (AlertNet) – Ugandan rebels have repeatedly attacked civilian populations in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of a joint Ugandan-Congolese military operation against them almost a year ago. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Haut Uele and Bas Uele districts have fled their homes fearing brutal reprisals from Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) guerrillas, and insecurity is making it difficult for aid groups to reach those in need. Here are some questions and answers about the neglected humanitarian situation in northeastern Congo.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON CIVILIANS? The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF says 1,364 Congolese civilians have been killed, 2,700 others abducted (including 688 children) by the LRA whose fighters are notorious for committing acts of sexual violence against children, raping girls and women, torturing villagers and looting property in the east of Congo since late 2008. There has been a rise in Congolese adolescents joining local vigilante groups to protect their communities from the LRA in areas where the Congolese army has a weak presence.
VIDEO: The LRA in South Sudan
As Enough’s LRA field researcher Ledio recently reported, attacks by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, notorious for its tactic of abducting children, have spiked in Western Equatoria State in southern Sudan. Here’s an excellent video by Time reporter Ed Robbins about the devastating impact of the rebel attacks on the local communities in WES: Time Video
Lobby Days Aftermath
Pictures Provided by Dana Scott
Thousands of you joined us in Washington D.C. on Monday and Tuesday on behalf of the Lords Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. Encouraging speakers and enthusiastic supporters made this a memorable and significant event. Through all of your hard work we currently have 65 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 13 cosponsors in the Senate! We are extremely proud of your efforts and we ask that you please follow up with your representatives and senators whether it be a thank you card or a kind letter of encouragement. Remember…This is How it Begins!
Follow your representatives here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR02478:@@@P
Follow your senators here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SN01067:@@@P
THE RESCUE in UGANDA
Last week, Laren and Jason flew to Gulu, Uganda to be apart of The Rescue in northern Uganda. It was a powerful experience, documented by Erica D’Alessandro, Public Relations Officer in Uganda:
The gathering of university students, already pouring out the doors, continued to grow as many were forced to catch glimpses through the cracked glass windowpanes, shielding their eyes against the harsh sun on typical dry-season afternoon in Gulu.
Four influential community leaders sat onstage in the airy main hall of Gulu University, while the packed audience listened attentively to each member of the debate’s arguments and protestations against opposing opinions. Some governmental leaders supported peace; others supported military intervention. A former LRA delegate to the Peace Talks spoke with wisdom and experience. All sides presented, the intellectual debate was an interactive medium for the youth to respond to the positions of their local leaders on the solution to the conflict that has affected everyone—young and old—in northern Uganda. The discussion served as a starting point to the weekend’s events—and this was just the beginning to THE RESCUE EVENT in Gulu.
THE RESCUE in UGANDA
Last week, Laren and Jason flew to Gulu, Uganda to be apart of The Rescue in northern Uganda. It was a powerful experience, documented by Erica D’Alessandro, Public Relations Officer in Uganda:
The gathering of university students, already pouring out the doors, continued to grow as many were forced to catch glimpses through the cracked glass windowpanes, shielding their eyes against the harsh sun on typical dry-season afternoon in Gulu.
Four influential community leaders sat onstage in the airy main hall of Gulu University, while the packed audience listened attentively to each member of the debate’s arguments and protestations against opposing opinions. Some governmental leaders supported peace; others supported military intervention. A former LRA delegate to the Peace Talks spoke with wisdom and experience. All sides presented, the intellectual debate was an interactive medium for the youth to respond to the positions of their local leaders on the solution to the conflict that has affected everyone—young and old—in northern Uganda. The discussion served as a starting point to the weekend’s events—and this was just the beginning to THE RESCUE EVENT in Gulu.
Child Soldier Prevention Act – Signed!
Two months ago, the blog had a few entries discussing the bill that would go on to become the Child Soldier Prevention Act. After getting some feedback, we saw thousands of supporters get in touch with their senators to show their support of this bill. A few months later, and some long days of pushing this bill forward, it’s finally been passed! Here’s how it will work…
Each year, the Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights identify government forces that recruit or use children in violation of existing international standards. (more…)
The Economic Crisis Doesn’t Hurt Just Us
Over the last few weeks, the world has seen a pretty intense economic slump. But the developing world, including Uganda, is at the mercy of international donors…the very people that are worried about paying their home mortgages and saving for retirement.
Check out the latest Peace & Conflict Update for more info, including some interesting updates from the ICC on the arrest warrants against Joseph Kony.
Senate Bill on Child Soldiers: Update
A big thank you goes out to everyone who got in touch with their senators about the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act discussed last week. Unfortunately, in light of the financial craziness, Feinstein’s staffer was never able to get the bill in front of the Senator to sign on.
However, Feingold wrote a letter to Pres. Museveni (with CA Sen. Boxer and others) – read on after the jump if you’re interested in checking that out.
On a related note, Pres. Bush met with Museveni last week to discuss the situation with the LRA. Read about his meeting at Resolve Uganda’s site. President Bush’s photo is classic.
New Update on the War
The latest Peace and Conflict update is now online to fill you in on what’s happening in the Congo in relation to the recent LRA attacks.
Also in the news today, the British Red Cross just released an online video game about the war in Uganda called Traces of Hope. Kind of a blend of an adventure/detective game, you have to help a boy find his family by discovering clues throughout the internet. Interesting. Haven’t had a chance to play it yet but tell us what you think.
Latest Update on the War: LRA Abduct 90
Check out our latest Peace & Conflict update and find out more about the 90 school-aged kids that were abducted last week by the LRA in the Congo.
Can it be? Kony might sign?
(Photo Credit: Charles Akena/IRIN)
Kony recently called Joaquim Chissano, the UN secretary general’s special envoy for northern Uganda, to tell him he’s ready to sign. Chissano’s heading into Southern Sudan in the next couple of weeks to figure out what’s going on and possibly bring back the signed Final Peace Agreement.
Stalemate Continues in Uganda
(photo credit: Billie O’Kadameri via Vanity Fair)
Check out the latest Peace & Conflict Update here to find out more about what’s going on with the LRA, the opportunity for rebels to return home, and why there’s a panic surrounding the recent ICC indictments against the Sudanese President.
Peace and Conflict Updates 25-28
Invisible Children’s Peace and Conflict Updates is a part of our website to keep you informed on what’s going on during the northern Uganda peace process. Dating back to the end of June, IC’s news section has been feeding articles detailing the US State Dept.’s support of a peaceful end to the war, the LRA’s pullout of the peace talks, and the process of returning home for IDP’s. These articles, and many more, are contained within the updates.
U.S. Supports End of Conflict with LRA
Last week, the U.S. Department of State released this statement:
The United States continues to support a peaceful end to the 22-year-old conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. We call on LRA leader Joseph Kony to sign and adhere to the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) negotiated in talks that have now concluded in Juba, Sudan. The United States will support the Government of Uganda in implementing aspects of the FPA that pertain to reconciliation, reintegration, and development in northern Uganda.
The United States condemns the recent LRA attacks on Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Army forces at Nabanga, Sudan, and elsewhere, as well as the LRA’s abductions and other abuses of innocent civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and southern Sudan. We will continue to support regional initiatives to protect the citizens of these countries.
While you’re at it, check out the latest IC Peace and Conflict Update.
Peace and Conflict Updates 22-24
You’re missing out on some valuable information if you’ve missed any of the recent Peace and Conflict Updates. You will also find the first edition of ‘From The Ground,’ which is our new piece from Ugandan staff members. The latest update (#24) discusses the issues surrounding re-arming, re-igniting and re-settling in northern Uganda.
Peace and Conflict Updates 17-21
Just checking in to remind you to read the Peace and Conflict updates on the main site.
If you haven’t stayed up-to-date, you’ll be able to find the following: the potential for peace in light of Kony’s failure to sign the peace agreement; Kony’s willingness to meet with Acholi leaders; and unrest in the top ranks of the LRA.
One of the ways to support Invisible Children is to stay educated, with the facts, of what’s going on in Uganda.
Sneak Peek – Peace and Conflict Update
Before our next Peace and Conflict Update is released on the IC website, here’s a peek at what will be a main topic:
Dr. Riek Machar, Chief Negotiator of the Peace Talks between Joseph Kony’s LRA and the Ugandan government, had this to say about the negotiations – “The LRA delegation has assured me that Kony is in Ri-Kwangba and he is ready to sign the peace deal on Thursday. As mediators we have done everything that could be done to make sure the two sides agree to sign the final peace agreement. Let us wait and see what happens on Thursday.”
With Kony close to signing the agreement, peace is closer than ever before. We’ll find out tomorrow.
Peace and Conflict Updates 15 & 16
Over the past week, news has continued to roll in regarding the current peace process in northern Uganda. As we approach a peaceful resolution to this 20-year war, there is still much work to be done. Recently, “South African Forces in Uganda,” “U.S. Government Urges Peace Process Forward” and Kony being urged to personally sign the agreement are the headlines dominating the talk on the ground. Stay up-to-date by visiting IC’s Peace & Conflict page.
Peace and Conflict Updates 13 & 14
In case you haven’t been following the Peace and Conlflict section on ic.com, we’re here to guide you back over.
March has seen the aftermath of all five agenda points being agreed to between the Ugandan government and the LRA; including “northern Uganda plea for ICC indictments to be dropped,” “Kony leaving his base” and “the ICC writes Uganda.”
If those headlines grab your attention or leave you curious for what they mean, stay educated on the current situation by reading the latest updates.
Peace and Conflict Updates 11 & 12
Plenty of news has come out in the recent weeks regarding the development of peace in northern Uganda. IC’s Peace and Conflict section has articles dissecting the ceasefire agreement signed by the LRA with the Ugandan government and what this could mean for the future of their nation. Read on.
Uganda Signs Cease-Fire with LRA
The New York Times is reporting on the cease-fire agreement that was signed last Saturday between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. For a break-down of what this means politically, here are Resolve Uganda’s thoughts.
There’s still much to be done though. Today’s the big call-in day that we mentioned yesterday, (202) 224-3121 is the Congressional switchboard. So, get ahold of your Congress man, or women, and let them know that you’re in support of the ongoing peace process.
Call-In Day: Tomorrow!
Are you looking for a way to make Lobby Days a success tomorrow, without even being there? Well, look no further; we have the information you’ve been searching for. It involves you, a phone and your senator’s office. With one phone call, you can play a crucial role alongside IC in pushing along the ongoing peace process in northern Uganda.
Resolve Uganda will be releasing all of the information for you tomorrow morning. Check back with them and find out who your senator is (hopefully that’s already done) and what number you can reach them at.
Fight war.