[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 542 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 542
Condemning the ongoing attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
which have affected innocent civilians in Uganda, South Sudan, Central
African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 12, 2009
Mr. Garrett of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mr.
Kissell, and Mr. McGovern) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the ongoing attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
which have affected innocent civilians in Uganda, South Sudan, Central
African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and for other
purposes.
Whereas for over two decades, the Government of Uganda has been engaged in an
armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) that resulted in as
many as 200,000 civilian deaths from violence and disease, as well as
the displacement of more than 1,600,000 people from eastern and northern
Uganda;
Whereas the LRA has also occupied and caused severe insecurity and humanitarian
crises in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan,
and abducted innocent civilians in southeastern Central African
Republic;
Whereas Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, and several of his top commanders
have been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes
and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, enslavement, and
sexual enslavement, and have forcibly recruited tens of thousands of
children;
Whereas in April 2008, after nearly two years of peace negotiations mediated by
the Government of South Sudan, Joseph Kony refused to sign the Final
Peace Agreement with the Government of Uganda;
Whereas Joseph Kony subsequently refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement in
May, September, and November of 2008 despite continued efforts by
mediators and civil society leaders to meet with him and clarify the
terms of the agreement;
Whereas in March of 2008, despite being engaged in negotiations to finalize the
Final Peace Agreement, the LRA raided several villages in southeastern
Central Africa Republic and southern Sudan, abducting 150 people,
including 23 children;
Whereas since September 2008, Joseph Kony has directed the LRA to engage in
systematic, large-scale violence against innocent civilians in the
Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan that has resulted in the--
(1) deliberate killing of over 1,000 Congolese and Sudanese civilians
until January 2009, which, according to research done by Genocide
Intervention Network, constitutes the deadliest violence in Africa during
that time period;
(2) deaths of over 200 Congolese civilians on December 25, 2008, in a
series of coordinated rebel attacks that targeted civilians gathering to
celebrate Christmas, according to Human Rights Watch;
(3) displacement of 150,000 Congolese and 36,000 Sudanese civilians
from their homes, many of whom do not have access to essential humanitarian
assistance; and
(4) abduction of over 450 children;
Whereas military forces and United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Sudan have been unable to protect civilians from
LRA attacks;
Whereas the Ugandan military, working in conjunction with the militaries of the
Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, launched a regional
military offensive, ``Operation Lightning Thunder'', against LRA bases
in Congolese territory on December 14, 2008;
Whereas ``Operation Lightning Thunder'' did not adequately protect civilians in
the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan from LRA attacks, which
dramatically increased in frequency and brutality after December 14,
2008, and did not result in the capture of Joseph Kony nor pressure him
to sign and abide by the Final Peace Agreement; and
Whereas the United States military's Africa Command provided logistical and
technical support to regional militaries involved in ``Operation
Lightning Thunder'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the decision by Joseph Kony, the leader of the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), to not sign the Final Peace
Agreement with the Government of Uganda and to instead order
LRA rebels to resume large-scale attacks against innocent
civilians;
(2) expresses the support of the citizens of the United
States for civilians in central Africa who have suffered from
LRA attacks and abductions;
(3) urges Joseph Kony to sign the Final Peace Agreement and
ensure the LRA takes concrete, genuine steps to abide by its
terms, including halting all attacks on civilian populations;
(4) urges the military forces of Uganda, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan,
as well as United Nations peacekeeping forces in the region, to
protect civilians from further LRA attacks, ensure all
offensive operations target only top LRA commanders and avoid
endangering abducted children and noncombatants, and strengthen
ongoing efforts to facilitate the demobilization and
reintegration of lower-level combatants, captives, and
noncombatants; and
(5) calls for President Barack Obama to appoint a senior
diplomat dedicated to addressing the destabilizing impact of
LRA atrocities in the region, improving civilian protection,
and working with regional and international governments to find
a permanent solution to the crisis.
<all>