[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 402 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 402

 Condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army for committing 
  crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supporting ongoing 
 efforts by the United States Government and governments and regional 
   organizations in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord's 
            Resistance Army commanders from the battlefield.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2012

 Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Menendez, Mr. 
Hatch, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Akaka, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
   Whitehouse, Mr. Tester, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Franken, Ms. 
Landrieu, Mr. Reed, Mr. Moran, Mr. Graham, Mr. Levin, Ms. Collins, Mr. 
   Isakson, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. McCain, Mr. Begich, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Wicker, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Coats, Mr. 
 Cardin, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Enzi, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Shaheen, 
Mr. Boozman, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Heller, Ms. 
Ayotte, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, 
 Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Casey) submitted the following resolution; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                             June 20, 2012

   Reported by Mr. Kerry, with an amendment and an amendment to the 
                 preamble and an amendment to the title

                             August 2, 2012

  Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble and an 
                         amendment to the title

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army for committing 
  crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supporting ongoing 
 efforts by the United States Government and governments and regional 
   organizations in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord's 
            Resistance Army commanders from the battlefield.

Whereas the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) wreaked havoc in northern Uganda for 
        two decades, during which time the World Bank estimates that they 
        abducted some 66,000 youth and forced them to serve as child soldiers 
        and sex slaves and commit terrible acts;
Whereas under increasing pressure, Joseph Kony ordered the Lord's Resistance 
        Army in 2005 and 2006 to withdraw from Uganda and to move west into the 
        border region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central 
        African Republic, and what would become the Republic of South Sudan;
Whereas, since September 2008, Joseph Kony has directed the Lord's Resistance 
        Army to commit systematic, large-scale attacks against innocent 
        civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African 
        Republic, and the Republic of South Sudan that have destabilized the 
        region and resulted in the deliberate killing of at least 2,400 
        civilians, many of whom were targeted in schools and churches; the rape 
        and brutal mutilation of an unknown number of men, women, and children; 
        the abduction of over 3,400 civilians, including at least 1,500 
        children, many of them forced to become child soldiers or sex slaves; 
        and the reported displacement of more than 465,000 civilians from their 
        homes, many of whom do not have access to essential humanitarian 
        assistance;
Whereas insecurity caused by the Lord's Resistance Army has undermined efforts 
        by the governments in the region, which have been supported by the 
        assistance of the United States and the international community, to 
        consolidate peace and stability in each of the countries affected by the 
        Lord's Resistance Army;
Whereas, since December 2001, the Department of State has included the Lord's 
        Resistance Army on its ``Terrorist Exclusion List'' and in August 2008, 
        Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony was designated a ``Specially 
        Designated Global Terrorist'' by President George W. Bush pursuant to 
        Executive Order 13224;
Whereas, on October 6, 2005, the International Criminal Court issued arrest 
        warrants against Joseph Kony and four of his top commanders for war 
        crimes and crimes against humanity, yet they remain at large;
Whereas, in May 2010, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed into law 
        the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act 
        of 2009 (Public Law 111-172), which made it the policy of the United 
        States to work with regional governments toward a comprehensive and 
        lasting resolution to the conflict in northern Uganda and other affected 
        areas by providing political, economic, military, and intelligence 
        support for viable multilateral efforts to protect civilians from the 
        Lord's Resistance Army, to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top 
        commanders from the battlefield, and to disarm and demobilize the 
        remaining Lord's Resistance Army fighters;
Whereas, on November 24, 2010, as mandated by the Lord's Resistance Army 
        Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, President Obama 
        issued the Strategy to Support the Disarmament of the Lord's Resistance 
        Army, which provides a comprehensive strategy for supporting regional 
        efforts to mitigate and eliminate the threat to civilians and regional 
        stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army;
Whereas, on October 14, 2011, President Obama notified Congress that he had 
        authorized approximately 100 combat-equipped members of the Armed Forces 
        to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces 
        that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony and senior leadership 
        of the Lord's Resistance Army from the battlefield;
Whereas section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
        2012 (Public Law 112-81; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) authorized the Secretary 
        of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide 
        logistical support, supplies, and services for foreign forces 
        participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat of the 
        Lord's Resistance Army;
Whereas that section provides that no United States Armed Forces personnel, 
        United States civilian employees, or United States civilian contractor 
        personnel may participate in combat operations in connection with the 
        provision of support for foreign forces participating in operations to 
        mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army, 
        except for the purpose of acting in self-defense or of rescuing any 
        United States citizen (including any member of the United States Armed 
        Forces, any United States civilian employee, or any United States 
        civilian contractor);
Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-74) directed 
        the President to support increased peace and security efforts in areas 
        affected by the Lord's Resistance Army, including programs to improve 
        physical access, telecommunications infrastructure, and early-warning 
        mechanisms and to support the disarmament, demobilization, and 
        reintegration of former Lord's Resistance Army combatants, especially 
        child soldiers;
Whereas the United Nations and African Union, acting with encouragement and 
        support from the United States Government, have renewed their efforts to 
        help governments in the region address the threat posed by the Lord's 
        Resistance Army, and on November 22, 2011, the African Union designated 
        the Lord's Resistance Army as a terrorist group and authorized a new 
        initiative to help strengthen the coordination among the affected 
        governments in the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army;
Whereas, on March 24, 2012, the African Union formally announced the intent to 
        deploy up to 5,000 troops to advance regional efforts to counter the 
        Lord's Resistance Army, and the next day formally inaugurated the 
        Headquarters of the Regional Task Force in the Republic of South Sudan 
        to coordinate efforts to capture Joseph Kony and neutralize the Lord's 
        Resistance Army; and
Whereas targeted United States assistance and leadership can help prevent 
        further mass atrocities and curtail humanitarian suffering in central 
        Africa: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army for 
        committing crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and 
        supports ongoing efforts by the United States and countries in 
        central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord's Resistance Army 
        commanders from the battlefield;
            (2) commends continued efforts by the Governments of 
        Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of South 
        Sudan, the Central African Republic, and other countries in the 
        region, as well as the African Union and United Nations, to end 
        the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army;
            (3) welcomes the ongoing efforts of the United States 
        Government to assist regional governments to bring Joseph Kony 
        to justice and end atrocities perpetuated by the Lord's 
        Resistance Army, pursuant to the comprehensive strategy 
        required by the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern 
        Uganda Recovery Act of 2009;
            (4) calls on the President to keep Congress fully informed 
        of the efforts of the United States Government and to work 
        closely with Congress to identify and address critical gaps in 
        the United States Government's strategy to support the efforts 
        of the regional governments to counter the Lord's Resistance 
        Army;
            (5) commends the Department of Defense, United States 
        Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM), and members of the United States 
        Armed Forces currently deployed to serve as advisors to the 
        national militaries in the region seeking to protect local 
        communities and pursuing Joseph Kony and top Lord's Resistance 
        Army commanders;
            (6) commends the African Union for committing to enhance 
        troop deployments in order to fortify the military response to 
        the Lord's Resistance Army, in coordination with the 
        Governments of Uganda, the Central African Republic, the 
        Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of South Sudan, 
        and in order to strengthen ongoing efforts to apprehend Joseph 
        Kony and senior commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army or 
        remove them from the battlefield;
            (7) supports increased collaboration and coordination 
        between the African Union and the Governments of Uganda, the 
        Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 
        the Republic of South Sudan in order to apprehend Joseph Kony 
        or remove him from the battlefield;
            (8) supports continued efforts by the Secretary of State 
        and representatives of the United States to work with partner 
        nations and the international community--
                    (A) to strengthen the capabilities of regional 
                military forces deployed to protect civilians and 
                pursue commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army;
                    (B) to enhance cooperation and cross-border 
                coordination among regional governments;
                    (C) to promote increased contributions from donor 
                nations for regional efforts to address the Lord's 
                Resistance Army; and
                    (D) to enhance overall efforts to increase civilian 
                protection to populations affected by the Lord's 
                Resistance Army;
            (9) calls on the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
        Defense, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development, and the heads of other relevant 
        government agencies to utilize existing funds for ongoing 
        programs--
                    (A) to enhance mobility, intelligence, and 
                logistical capabilities for regional partner forces 
                engaged in efforts to protect civilians and apprehend 
                or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the 
                battlefield;
                    (B) to expand physical access and 
                telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate the 
                timely flow of information and access for humanitarian 
                and protection actors;
                    (C) to support programs to encourage and help non-
                indicted Lord's Resistance Army commanders, fighters, 
                abductees, and associated noncombatants to safely 
                defect from the group, including through radio and 
                community programs; and
                    (D) to support regionally-led rehabilitation 
                programs for children and youth affected by war that 
                are tailored to address the specific trauma and 
                physical and mental abuse these children and youth may 
                have experienced as a result of indoctrination by the 
                Lord's Resistance Army and to serve to reconnect them 
                with their families and communities;
            (10) calls on the President to place restrictions on any 
        individuals or governments found to be providing training, 
        supplies, financing, or support of any kind to Joseph Kony or 
        the Lord's Resistance Army;
            (11) urges that civilian protection and early-warning 
        programs led by regional militaries and the United States 
        Agency for International Development continue to be prioritized 
        in areas affected by the Lord's Resistance Army and that steps 
        be taken to inform potentially vulnerable communities about 
        known Lord's Resistance Army movements and threats;
            (12) welcomes the recent defections of men, women, and 
        children from the ranks of the Lord's Resistance Army, and 
        calls on governments in the region and the international 
        community to continue to support safe return, demobilization, 
        rehabilitation, and reintegration efforts; and
            (13) urges the Governments of Uganda, the Democratic 
        Republic of Congo, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of 
        Sudan, and the Central African Republic to work together to 
        address the ongoing threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.
                                 <all>