Major Shaitan Singh
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American special forces arrive in Uganda to help tackle group led by bloodthirsty Christian mystic The Lords Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, has been terrorising parts of Uganda and neighbouring countries for 24 years.
In a highly unusual move, the United States is venturing into one of Africas bloodiest conflicts, sending special forces to central Africa to support a decades-long fight against a guerrilla group accused of horrific atrocities. President Barack Obama said the troops will assist local forces in a long-running battle against the Lords Resistance Army, considered one of Africas most ruthless rebel groups, and help to hunt down its notorious leader, Joseph Kony.
The first of the troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday,the White House said, and others will be sent to South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Obama administration said the troops ñ special forces believed to number about 100 ñ will advise, rather than engage in combat, unless forced to defend themselves.
While the size of the deployment is small, it is a surprising intervention. Although some US troops are based in Djibouti and small groups of soldiers have been deployed to Somalia, the US traditionally has been reluctant to commit forces to help African nations to put down insurgencies. It demonstrates the Obama administrations escalating attention to and fears about security risks in Africa, including terror networks, piracy and unstable nations.
Pentagon officials said the bulk of the deployment will be of special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units. The move raises the profile of US involvement on the continent ñ and is an apparent victory for administration officials who have argued for more robust intervention in humanitarian crises. A number of high-ranking Obama advisers have been left scarred by the US failure in the 1990s to intervene to stop genocide in Rwanda and the belated action to halt the violence in Bosnia.
The Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has waged a 24-year campaign of rebellion, rape and murder in northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. Aid agencies say its atrocities have left thousands dead, and have put caused as many as 300,000 people to flight flee from their homes. They say the group deliberately recruits children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forces them to become sex slaves. Estimates of children abducted range from 20,000 to more than twice that number with many, according to the Refugee Law Project, made to kill their parents.
Last November, the US announced a new strategy to counter the LRAs attacks on civilians. US legislation passed last year with huge bipartisan support called for the co-ordination of US diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military efforts against the LRA. Thats one reason, Mr Brown said, why Mr Obama may be sending in advisers. He said that regional stability is also good for US interests. It doesnt take that many US resources, Mr Brown said. Youve got 100 troops to go in and take care of the LRA problem once and for all.
In a highly unusual move, the United States is venturing into one of Africas bloodiest conflicts, sending special forces to central Africa to support a decades-long fight against a guerrilla group accused of horrific atrocities. President Barack Obama said the troops will assist local forces in a long-running battle against the Lords Resistance Army, considered one of Africas most ruthless rebel groups, and help to hunt down its notorious leader, Joseph Kony.
The first of the troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday,the White House said, and others will be sent to South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Obama administration said the troops ñ special forces believed to number about 100 ñ will advise, rather than engage in combat, unless forced to defend themselves.
While the size of the deployment is small, it is a surprising intervention. Although some US troops are based in Djibouti and small groups of soldiers have been deployed to Somalia, the US traditionally has been reluctant to commit forces to help African nations to put down insurgencies. It demonstrates the Obama administrations escalating attention to and fears about security risks in Africa, including terror networks, piracy and unstable nations.
Pentagon officials said the bulk of the deployment will be of special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units. The move raises the profile of US involvement on the continent ñ and is an apparent victory for administration officials who have argued for more robust intervention in humanitarian crises. A number of high-ranking Obama advisers have been left scarred by the US failure in the 1990s to intervene to stop genocide in Rwanda and the belated action to halt the violence in Bosnia.
The Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has waged a 24-year campaign of rebellion, rape and murder in northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. Aid agencies say its atrocities have left thousands dead, and have put caused as many as 300,000 people to flight flee from their homes. They say the group deliberately recruits children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forces them to become sex slaves. Estimates of children abducted range from 20,000 to more than twice that number with many, according to the Refugee Law Project, made to kill their parents.
Last November, the US announced a new strategy to counter the LRAs attacks on civilians. US legislation passed last year with huge bipartisan support called for the co-ordination of US diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military efforts against the LRA. Thats one reason, Mr Brown said, why Mr Obama may be sending in advisers. He said that regional stability is also good for US interests. It doesnt take that many US resources, Mr Brown said. Youve got 100 troops to go in and take care of the LRA problem once and for all.
