III 112th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 412 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 29, 2012 Ms. Landrieu (for herself and Mr. Brown of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Commending the African Union for committing to a coordinated military response, comprised of 5,000 troops from Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan, in order to fortify ongoing efforts to arrest Joseph Kony and senior commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army and to stop the crimes against humanity and mass atrocities committed by them.

Whereas the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is one of Africa’s oldest and most violent armed groups, responsible for committing crimes against humanity against civilian populations, including women and children, and believed to be operating since 2006 in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and what would become South Sudan; Whereas the ongoing atrocities committed by LRA members target innocent civilians, including women and children, and include abduction, murder, mutilation, burning and looting of villages, and destruction of communities and livelihoods, causing the massive displacement of human populations and creating a humanitarian crisis; Whereas the abduction of children and their forced conversion into LRA fighters is an LRA hallmark and involves initiating children into combat through brutal methods and brainwashing and subjects girls to forced sexual slavery and servitude; Whereas the governments of those countries most affected by the LRA’s reign of terror for over twenty years, including Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and what would become Southern Sudan, are leading efforts, with international support, to apprehend Kony and neutralize the LRA; Whereas the African Union convened a regional ministerial meeting in October 2010 to bring together countries affected by the LRA, the United Nations, and international partners to address the LRA threat and promote humanitarian assistance and development aid to affected populations, and subsequently authorized, in November 2011, the Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lord’s Resistance Army (RCI–LRA), with a mission to strengthen the operational capabilities of the affected countries and create an environment conducive to stabilizing those areas; Whereas, on March 5, 2012, the nonprofit organization Invisible Children reinvigorated the national and global dialogue on the LRA and Kony by engaging millions of young citizens via creative social media and inspiring them to demand action and accountability of global leaders, which in turn has mobilized leaders within and outside of the United States Government in support of these concerns; Whereas, on March 24, 2012, the African Union’s Special Envoy for the LRA, Francisco Madeira, and Head of the United Nations’ Regional Office for Central Africa, Abou Moussa, launched the operational phase of RCI–LRA by formally announcing the planned deployment of up to 5,000 soldiers to advance anti-LRA and anti-Kony efforts, and the next day formally inaugurated the Headquarters of the Regional Task Force in South Sudan to coordinate efforts to eliminate Kony and neutralize the LRA; Whereas, in December 2008, Operation Lightning Thunder, a multinational effort, failed to capture and kill Kony in northern Congo, and escaping LRA fighters killed more than 800 civilians, abducted at least 160 children, and pillaged villages en route to the Central African Republic in an incident known as the Christmas Massacres, according to Human Rights Watch; and Whereas enhanced international and regional cooperation and coordination are necessary to apprehend Kony and LRA leaders while protecting civilian populations against devastating retaliatory attacks: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)commends the African Union for committing to enhanced troop deployments that will 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, in order to strengthen ongoing efforts to arrest Joseph Kony and senior commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army; (2)supports increasing 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 so that together they may swiftly and effectively implement RCI–LRA and bring Kony’s criminal spree to an end; (3)supports ongoing efforts by members of the United States Armed Forces currently deployed to serve as advisors to and partners of these national militaries and African Union forces; and (4)supports continued efforts by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and other representatives of the United States Government to work with partner nations and the international community to strengthen the operational capabilities of African Union and other regional military forces deployed as part of RCI–LRA to protect civilians and neutralize the leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army.