IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 542 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

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.