FN og Den Afrikanske Union fremlægger nu en samlet regional plan for at gøre en ende på den berygtede rebelleder Joseph Kony og hans milits – man er samtidig ved at opbygge en indsatsstyrke på 5.000 mand med hovedkvarter i Sydsudan.
NEW YORK, 26 June 2012: United Nations and African Union envoys Tuesday highlighted a new regional strategy that they hope will bring an end to the activities of Joseph Kony and his notorious rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and help affected populations.
After a lull in LRA raids in the second half of last year, attacks against civilians in LRA-affected areas were again on the rise this year in Central African Republic (CAR) and DR Congo, with 53 incidents reported in the first quarter of 2012, according to a recent UN-report.
“The ultimate objective is to ensure that the LRA is stopped, those who are suffering from these atrocities are assisted and we provide opportunities for affected populations such as infrastructure and long-term development programmes that will ensure that the factors which contribute to the establishment of rebel groups are eliminated.”
This was the conclusion from the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Abou Moussa, at UN Headquarters Tuesday in New York.
Grusomheder uden ende
The LRA carried out the worst of its atrocities in northern Ugandan in the 1990s, but had, by 2004, largely been driven of the area through a sustained military effort.
However, remnants of the insurgent group continued to attack civilians in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and DR Congo.
Led by Joseph Kony, the group is notorious for carrying out massacres in villages, mutilating (lemlæste) its victims and abducting (bortføre) boys for use as child soldiers, while girls are forced into sexual slavery.
In November 2011, the Security Council mandated that UNOCA coordinate the development of a regional strategy to address the LRA threat.
The UN-AU Regional Strategy for the LRA, which will be officially presented to the Council on Wednesday, focuses on five key strategic objectives.
They include provision of support for the full operationalization and implementation of the AU regional cooperation initiative against the LRA, and to enhance efforts to promote the protection of civilians.
The strategy also seeks
* to expand current disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration activities to cover all LRA-affected areas;
* to promote a coordinated humanitarian and child protection response in these areas; and
* to provide support to LRA-affected governments in the fields of peacebuilding, human rights, rule of law and development to enable them to establish State authority across their territories.
Fælles indsatsstyrke fra fire lande på vej
As part of their efforts to counter the LRA threat, the four affected countries launched a joint military task force in March to pursue the rebel fighters.
The AU Special Envoy on the LRA, Francisco Madeira, said that the task force has been authorized and is almost operational.
Its headquarters will be in the South Sudanese town of Yambio, where senior army commanders will be based and coordinate the operations of the force, which is expected to be 5.000 strong at full deployment.
Each contingent will have a sector headquarters in its own country of origin and will be commanded by a national of that country, while the overall commander, who has been appointed by the AU, will coordinate and command the force.
The expected results are “stop Kony, stop his atrocities, neutralize this man and make sure that the populations return to normalcy and experience development and stability,” Mr. Madeira said.
Tilføjelse U-landsnyt.dk: Det har tidligere været fremme, at også specialuddannede amerikanske kommandosoldater vil spille en rolle i jagten på Kony, som ønskes bragt for krigsforbryderdomstolen i Haag eller en domstol i Afrika.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
Se interview med Kony på http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdBcypx1DfE
Se også beretning fra et af Konys og LRAs ofre i telegrammet
http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/26-06-12/offers-fort-lling-15-r-som-milits-slave-og-7-r-som
