[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>