Senate Resolution Condemns Uganda’s Joseph Kony
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Sam Farmar/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — A group of 33 Senators introduced a resolution on Wednesday condemning “the crimes against humanity” committed by Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Joseph Kony’s atrocities in Uganda have been in the headlines since a 30-minute video went viral, produced by the “Invisible Children” campaign to bring Kony to justice.
The resolution calls for “supporting ongoing international efforts to remove Kony from the battlefield,” and for the United States “to continue to enhance its mobility, intelligence and logistical support of regional forces now pursuing the LRA.”
“Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army have burned a path of destruction through Uganda and its neighbors in central Africa for the last 25 years,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, said on Wednesday. “One-third of the United States Senate has joined me in condemning the LRA’s unconscionable crimes against humanity. The broad and bipartisan backing of this resolution demonstrates that we strongly support ongoing efforts to capture or kill Joseph Kony.”
The resolution supports continued efforts by the United States to “strengthen the capabilities of regional military forces deployed to protect civilians and pursue commanders of the LRA,” and calls for cross-border efforts to increase civilian protection and provide assistance to populations affected by the LRA.
The resolution has the support of nine Republican senators, among the 33 Senate supporters.
“In order to combat terror and prevent further devastation caused by the hands of Joseph Kony, it is imperative that he is found and the LRA is finally disarmed,” Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said, “Only then, will we be able to bring stability to Africa.”
The resolution will be considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee first, possibly at its March 27 meeting, Senate aides said.
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