[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 12, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3409-H3416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY DISARMAMENT AND NORTHERN UGANDA RECOVERY ACT OF
2009
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 1067) to support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda
and areas affected by the Lord's Resistance Army through development of
a regional strategy to support multilateral efforts to successfully
protect civilians and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's
Resistance Army and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief and
reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1067
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lord's Resistance Army
Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) For over 2 decades, the Government of Uganda engaged in
an armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in
northern Uganda that led to the internal displacement of more
than 2,000,000 Ugandans from their homes.
(2) The members of the Lord's Resistance Army used brutal
tactics in northern Uganda, including mutilating, abducting
and forcing individuals into sexual servitude and forcing a
large number of children and youth in Uganda, estimated by
the Survey for War Affected Youth to be over 66,000, to fight
as part of the rebel force.
(3) The Secretary of State has placed the Lord's Resistance
Army on the Terrorist Exclusion list pursuant to section
212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(a)(3)), and LRA leader Joseph Kony has been designated a
``specially designated global terrorist'' pursuant to
Executive Order 13224.
(4) In late 2005, according to the United Nations Office
for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Lord's
Resistance Army shifted their primary base of operations from
southern Sudan to northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo,
and the rebels have since withdrawn from northern Uganda.
(5) Representatives of the Government of Uganda and the
Lord's Resistance Army began peace negotiations in 2006,
mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba, Sudan,
and signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on August
20, 2006, which provided for hundreds of thousands of
internally displaced people to return home in safety.
(6) After nearly 2 years of negotiations, representatives
from the parties reached the Final Peace Agreement in April
2008, but Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance
Army, refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement in May 2008
and his forces launched new attacks in northeastern Congo.
(7) According to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Relief and the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, the new activity of the
Lord's Resistance Army in northeastern Congo and southern
Sudan since September 2008 has led to the abduction of at
least 1,500 civilians, including hundreds of children, and
the displacement of more than 540,000 people.
(8) In December 2008, the military forces of Uganda, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan launched a
joint operation against the Lord's Resistance Army's bases in
northeastern Congo, but the operation failed to apprehend
Joseph Kony, and his forces retaliated with a series of new
attacks and massacres in Congo and southern Sudan, killing an
estimated 900 people in 2 months alone.
(9) Despite the refusal of Joseph Kony to sign the Final
Peace Agreement, the Government of Uganda has committed to
continue reconstruction plans for northern Uganda, and to
implement those mechanisms of the Final Peace Agreement not
conditional on the compliance of the Lord's Resistance Army.
(10) Since 2008, recovery efforts in northern Uganda have
moved forward with the financial support of the United States
and other donors, but have been hampered by a lack of
strategic coordination, logistical delays, and limited
leadership from the Government of Uganda.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is 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--
(1) 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 in the continued absence of a negotiated
solution, and to disarm and demobilize the remaining Lord's
Resistance Army fighters;
(2) targeting assistance to respond to the humanitarian
needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan,
and Central African Republic currently affected by the
activity of the Lord's Resistance Army; and
(3) further supporting and encouraging efforts of the
Government of Uganda and civil society to promote
comprehensive reconstruction, transitional justice, and
reconciliation in northern Uganda as affirmed in the Northern
Uganda Crisis Response Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-283) and
subsequent resolutions, including Senate Resolution 366,
109th Congress, agreed to February 2, 2006, Senate Resolution
573, 109th Congress, agreed to September 19, 2006, Senate
Concurrent Resolution 16, 110th Congress, agreed to in the
Senate March 1, 2007, and House Concurrent Resolution 80,
110th Congress, agreed to in the House of Representatives
June 18, 2007.
[[Page H3410]]
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF A STRATEGY TO SUPPORT THE DISARMAMENT
OF THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.
(a) Requirement for Strategy.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President
shall develop and submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a strategy to guide future United States support
across the region for viable multilateral efforts to mitigate
and eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability
posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.
(b) Content of Strategy.--The strategy shall include the
following:
(1) A plan to help strengthen efforts by the United Nations
and regional governments to protect civilians from attacks by
the Lord's Resistance Army while supporting the development
of institutions in affected areas that can help to maintain
the rule of law and prevent conflict in the long term.
(2) An assessment of viable options through which the
United States, working with regional governments, could help
develop and support multilateral efforts to eliminate the
threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.
(3) An interagency framework to plan, coordinate, and
review diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military
elements of United States policy across the region regarding
the Lord's Resistance Army.
(4) A description of the type and form of diplomatic
engagement across the region undertaken to coordinate and
implement United States policy regarding the Lord's
Resistance Army and to work multilaterally with regional
mechanisms, including the Tripartite Plus Commission and the
Great Lakes Pact.
(5) A description of how this engagement will fit within
the context of broader efforts and policy objectives in the
Great Lakes Region.
(c) Form.--The strategy under this section shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
SEC. 5. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS OUTSIDE UGANDA
AFFECTED BY THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.
In accordance with section 491 of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and section 2 of the Migration
and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), the
President is authorized to provide additional assistance to
the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, and Central
African Republic to respond to the humanitarian needs of
populations directly affected by the activity of the Lord's
Resistance Army.
SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE FOR RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION IN
NORTHERN UGANDA.
(a) Authority.--It is the sense of Congress that the
President should support efforts by the people of northern
Uganda and the Government of Uganda--
(1) to assist internally displaced people in transition and
returnees to secure durable solutions by spurring economic
revitalization, supporting livelihoods, helping to alleviate
poverty, and advancing access to basic services at return
sites, specifically clean water, health care, and schools;
(2) to enhance the accountability and administrative
competency of local governance institutions and public
agencies in northern Uganda with regard to budget management,
provision of public goods and services, and related oversight
functions;
(3) to strengthen the operational capacity of the civilian
police in northern Uganda to enhance public safety, prevent
crime, and deal sensitively with gender-based violence, while
strengthening accountability measures to prevent corruption
and abuses;
(4) to rebuild and improve the capacity of the justice
system in northern Uganda, including the courts and penal
systems, with particular sensitivity to the needs and rights
of women and children;
(5) to establish mechanisms for the disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants and
those abducted by the LRA, including vocational education and
employment opportunities, with attention given to the roles
and needs of men, women and children; and
(6) to promote programs to address psychosocial trauma,
particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.
(b) Future Year Funding.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development should work with the
appropriate committees of Congress to increase assistance in
future fiscal years to support activities described in this
section if the Government of Uganda demonstrates a commitment
to transparent and accountable reconstruction in war-affected
areas of northern Uganda, specifically by--
(1) finalizing the establishment of mechanisms within the
Office of the Prime Minister to sufficiently manage and
coordinate the programs under the framework of the Peace
Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP);
(2) increasing oversight activities and reporting, at the
local and national level in Uganda, to ensure funds under the
Peace Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda
framework are used efficiently and with minimal waste; and
(3) committing substantial funds of its own, above and
beyond standard budget allocations to local governments, to
the task of implementing the Peace Recovery and Development
Plan for Northern Uganda such that communities affected by
the war can recover.
(c) Coordination With Other Donor Nations.--The United
States should work with other donor nations to increase
contributions for recovery efforts in northern Uganda and
better leverage those contributions to enhance the capacity
and encourage the leadership of the Government of Uganda in
promoting transparent and accountable reconstruction in
northern Uganda.
(d) Termination of Assistance.--It is the sense of Congress
that the Secretary of State should withhold non-humanitarian
bilateral assistance to the Republic of Uganda if the
Secretary determines that the Government of Uganda is not
committed to reconstruction and reconciliation in the war-
affected areas of northern Uganda and is not taking proactive
steps to ensure this process moves forward in a transparent
and accountable manner.
SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE FOR RECONCILIATION AND TRANSITIONAL
JUSTICE IN NORTHERN UGANDA.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that,
despite reconstruction and development efforts, a continued
failure to take meaningful steps toward national
reconciliation and accountability risks perpetuating
longstanding political grievances and fueling new conflicts.
(b) Authority.--In accordance with section 531 of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346), the
President is authorized to support efforts by the people of
northern Uganda and the Government of Uganda to advance
efforts to promote transitional justice and reconciliation on
both local and national levels, including to encourage
implementation of the mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to
the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between
the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army/
Movement, signed at Juba February 19, 2008, namely--
(1) a body to investigate the history of the conflict,
inquire into human rights violations committed during the
conflict by all sides, promote truth-telling in communities,
and encourage the preservation of the memory of events and
victims of the conflict through memorials, archives,
commemorations, and other forms of preservation;
(2) a special division of the High Court of Uganda to try
individuals alleged to have committed serious crimes during
the conflict, and a special unit to carry out investigations
and prosecutions in support of trials;
(3) a system for making reparations to victims of the
conflict; and
(4) a review and strategy for supporting transitional
justice mechanisms in affected areas to promote
reconciliation and encourage individuals to take personal
responsibility for their conduct during the war.
SEC. 8. REPORT.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the
submission of the strategy required under section 4, the
Secretary of State shall prepare and submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the progress
made toward the implementation of the strategy required under
section 4 and a description and evaluation of the assistance
provided under this Act toward the policy objectives
described in section 3.
(b) Contents.--The report required under section (a) shall
include--
(1) a description and evaluation of actions taken toward
the implementation of the strategy required under section 4;
(2) a description of assistance provided under sections 5,
6, and 7;
(3) an evaluation of bilateral assistance provided to the
Republic of Uganda and associated programs in light of stated
policy objectives;
(4) a description of the status of the Peace Recovery and
Development Plan for Northern Uganda and the progress of the
Government of Uganda in fulfilling the steps outlined in
section 6(b); and
(5) a description of amounts of assistance committed, and
amounts provided, to northern Uganda during the reporting
period by the Government of Uganda and each donor country.
(c) Form.--The report under this section shall be submitted
in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 9. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FUNDING.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) of the total amounts to be appropriated for fiscal year
2011 for the Department of State and foreign operations, up
to $10,000,000 should be used to carry out activities under
section 5; and
(2) of the total amounts to be appropriated for fiscal year
2011 through 2013 for the Department of State and foreign
operations, up to $10,000,000 in each such fiscal year should
be used to carry out activities under section 7.
SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on
Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Great lakes region.--The term ``Great Lakes Region''
means the region comprising Burundi, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, southern Sudan, and Uganda.
(3) LRA-affected areas.--The term ``LRA-affected areas''
means those portions of northern Uganda, southern Sudan,
northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and
[[Page H3411]]
southeastern Central African Republic determined by the
Secretary of State to be affected by the Lord's Resistance
Army as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill and
yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Senate bill under consideration today is a companion
to H.R. 2478, legislation authored by the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. McGovern). I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Mr.
McGovern, for championing the cause of the people of northern Uganda
who have been victimized for over two decades by the Lord's Resistance
Army, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the Secretary
of State.
Mr. Speaker, it is almost impossible to describe the horrors that the
Lord's Resistance Army, also known as the LRA, has perpetrated on the
people of northern Uganda and, more recently, in several neighboring
countries.
Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, has led a militia group responsible for
the slaughter of thousands of people and the displacement of over 2
million others since it was formed in 1986.
The LRA is most notorious for abducting young children, an estimated
30,000, over the past two decades, and forcing them into armed service
and sexual servitude. While claiming to represent the legitimate
grievances of the Ocholi people of northern Uganda, Kony has exploited
those grievances to justify what only can be described as madness in
his pursuit of power.
The Ugandan war is now the longest running war in Africa, longer than
the conflict in Sudan. During the course of this war, the LRA has been
responsible for widespread human rights violations, including murder,
abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement of women and children, and
forcing children to participate in killing of Ugandans, often family
members and neighbors.
The LRA shows no mercy for the young. Boys are kidnapped and turned
into soldiers. Girls are kidnapped and used as sex slaves. And to
terrorize communities, the LRA often amputates limbs and disfigures
bodies as so-called lessons learned for those willing to resist.
The Ugandan government and the LRA began peace negotiations in 2006,
and signed an agreement in August of that year which provided for
hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people to return home in
safety. A final peace agreement was reached in 2008, but Kony refused
to sign, and the LRA subsequently launched new attacks on civilians in
eastern Congo.
Despite the LRA leader's refusal to sign the agreement, the Ugandan
government has made a commitment to carry out reconstruction plans for
northern Uganda, and to implement those mechanisms of the final peace
agreement not conditioned on the compliance of the LRA.
Mr. Speaker, the United States Government is a friend to the people
of northern Uganda, and it is in our interest to help rid Uganda and
central Africa of the LRA. This bill authorizes the President to
provide additional assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of
populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, and
Central African Republic affected by LRA activity.
It further authorizes the President to support efforts by the people
of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to promote transitional
justice and reconciliation on both local and national levels.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we pass this legislation today to
draw attention to the LRA's reign of terror and to demonstrate our
support for the people of Uganda. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my
colleagues to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I strongly support the policy objectives of Senate Bill 1067, the
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
For nearly 27 years, the Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, has been
terrorizing civilians, leaving a trail of death and despondency in its
wake. The LRA's leader is a soulless mass murderer who has perpetrated
some of the most deplorable human rights atrocities known to man.
The LRA is a predatory guerrilla force. They mutilate, torture, rape,
and murder with impunity. They have abducted tens of thousands of
civilians, mostly children, to serve as soldiers or sex slaves.
Abducted children are forced to the front lines. And those who manage
to escape find it difficult, if not impossible, to return home after
being forced to commit atrocities in front of their very own families.
While the LRA has withdrawn from northern Uganda and security
conditions there have improved, it continues to wreak havoc on
neighboring southern Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
the Central African Republic.
Recent reports indicate that, rather than being weakened, the LRA
today is stronger and strategically more sophisticated than it was just
last year. The bill before us seeks to change that.
It requires the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal
with the LRA. It offers political, economic, military, and intelligence
support for viable multilateral efforts to protect civilians, to
apprehend or eliminate top LRA commanders, and disarm and demobilize
the remaining LRA fighters.
It then expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should
support humanitarian efforts in LRA-affected areas, as well as programs
to advance transitional justice in northern Uganda.
I appreciate the chairman's efforts to ensure that this language does
not represent an earmark in funding which would conflict with
Republican Members' commitment to the American taxpayer to exercise
fiscal restraint and discipline.
I also appreciate that the bill conditions future assistance to the
government of Uganda upon transparency and a substantial commitment of
Uganda's own resources to support reconstruction efforts in the North.
Mr. Speaker, the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs has said that
this conflict is ``characterized by a level of cruelty seldom seen, and
few conflicts rival it for its sheer brutality.''
Even so, it remains one of the most overlooked humanitarian and human
rights crises in the world today. The fact that we are even debating
this topic today is largely due to the tireless efforts of young
advocates throughout the United States, including in my own
congressional district, who have passionately taken up the cause of
those whose lives have been destroyed by the LRA. I urge my colleagues
to join them in supporting the objectives of this important bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to
the gentleman from Massachusetts, the vice chairman of the Rules
Committee, Mr. McGovern.
Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important day for U.S. policy in Africa.
Just about 1 year ago, on May 19, my friend and colleague from
California and the champion of human rights, Congressman Ed Royce, and
I introduced H.R. 2478, the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and
Northern Recovery Act. In the Senate, Senators Russ Feingold and Sam
Brownback sponsored the same bill, S. 1067, which is the bill before us
for consideration today. Today, H.R. 2478 has 200 bipartisan
cosponsors.
When the House passes S. 1067 today, it will be sent directly to the
President's desk for his signature, and for the first time the U.S.
will be required to design and implement a comprehensive strategy with
our multilateral and regional partners to address the violence of the
LRA; protect the victims of LRA violence in Uganda, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, southern
[[Page H3412]]
Sudan, and the Central African Republic; strengthen state presence and
capacity in these regions to the benefit of the vulnerable civilian
populations; and advance the recovery of northern Uganda from decades
of violence.
Mr. Speaker, a great deal has happened across the country to ensure
that this bill is before the House Chamber today in scarcely 1 year. I
want to especially recognize and thank the national networks,
organizations, and grassroots activists of Invisible Children, Resolve
Uganda, the ENOUGH! Project, and many other religious and human rights
groups who have rallied in support of the people and especially the
children of this region of Africa.
These Americans, thousands of them high school and college students,
understood that the children and people of northern Uganda, the DRC,
the southern Sudan, and the CAR have no voice in Washington.
{time} 1845
So they were determined to become their voice. They realized that
these African children and families were invisible to Washington
policymakers. So they decided to make them visible. They realized there
is too much suffering, too much pain, too much destruction, too much
killing in this region of Africa, so many thousands of miles away, and
that there was just too much silence here in Washington. So they built
a grassroots national movement of hope for peace, for justice, for
reconciliation, for reconstruction, for the recovery of the human
spirit. They believe that the people of northern Uganda, the children
of Uganda, the DRC, Southern Sudan, and the CAR, have a right to
protection and to have a voice in their own destiny.
So today is a good day, a very good day, Mr. Speaker, because today
these hundreds of thousands of voices have brought this bill to the
House floor today for final passage. The unresolved crisis with the
Lord's Resistance Army is one of Africa's longest running and most
gruesome militia-driven conflicts. It has morphed into a sadistic
force, wreaking terror on the local populations, filling its ranks with
abducted child soldiers and slaves.
Now, at this critical juncture in the conflict's history and when the
terror once focused in northern Uganda is spreading throughout the
region and surrounding countries, we must ensure that the United States
commits to a proactive strategy to help see this conflict to its end,
protect vulnerable populations, and support and strengthen recovery
efforts in northern Uganda and the region.
I thank the many Americans, especially the young people, who have
supported this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of final
passage of S. 1067. I thank the gentleman from New York, again, for his
leadership.
Human Rights, Humanitarian, and Faith-Based Groups Back Landmark U.S.
Legislation To Help Protect Civilians From the Lord's Resistance Army
Washington, DC, 21 May 2009.--The introduction of
legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives
earlier this week to commit the United States to
comprehensive efforts to help civilians threatened by one of
the world's longest-running and brutal insurgencies is a
crucial step forward for U.S. policy in the region, a
coalition of twenty-two human rights, humanitarian, and
faith-based groups said today.
If passed, the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and
Northern Uganda Recovery Act would require the Obama
Administration to develop a regional strategy to protect
civilians in central Africa from attacks by the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) and enforce the rule of law and ensure
full humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas. The Act
additionally commits the United States to increase support to
economic recovery and transitional justice efforts in Uganda.
The coalition of supporting organizations includes groups in
Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Uganda, where
communities are currently threatened by the LRA.
``We continue to live in fear of LRA attacks and of our
children being abducted,'' said Father Benoit Kinalegu of the
Dungu/Doruma Justice and Peace Commission in DR Congo. ``We
are praying for help and protection and hope U.S. lawmakers
will hear our cries.''
Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) and
Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Brad Miller (D-NC), and
Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced the bill. It affirms the need for
U.S. leadership to help bring an end to atrocities by the
Lord's Resistance Army and to advance long-term recovery in
the region.
``The LRA has long posed a terrible threat to civilians,''
said Georgette Gagnon, Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.
`` This bill will help the U.S. government support for
comprehensive multilateral efforts to protect civilians in
LRA-affected areas and to apprehend or otherwise remove the
group's leader, Joseph Kony, and his top commanders from the
battlefield.''
For more than twenty years, northern Ugandans were caught
in a war between the Ugandan military and the rebel group.
The violence killed thousands of civilians and displaced
nearly two million people. Kony and his top commanders
sustain their ranks by abducting civilians, including
children, to use as soldiers and sexual slaves. Though the
rebel group ended attacks in northern Uganda in 2006, it
moved its bases to the northeastern Democratic Republic of
Congo and has committed acts of violence against civilians in
Congo, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. In December
2008, Sudan, Uganda and Congo began a joint military
offensive, ``Operation Lightening Thunder,'' against the
rebel group, with backing from the United States. As a
result, the Lord's Resistance Army has dispersed into
multiple smaller groups and has brutally murdered more than
1,000 civilians and abducted over 400 people, mostly
children.
``Given the catalytic involvement of the U.S. military in
Operation Lightning Thunder--and the horrific aftermath of
this operation--the U.S. government now has a responsibility
to help end the threat posed by Joseph Kony once and for
all,'' said John Prendergast, Co-Founder of the Enough
Project. ``One man should not be allowed to terrorize
millions of people in four Central African countries. The
bill is a crucial first step in galvanizing immediate and
effective U.S. action.''
The legislation also aims to help secure a lasting peace in
Uganda by supporting measures to assist war-affected
communities in northern Uganda and to help resolve
longstanding divisions between communities in Uganda's north
and south. It authorizes increased funding for recovery
efforts in northern Uganda, with a particular focus on
supporting transitional justice and reconciliation. It also
calls on the Ugandan government to reinvigorate its
commitment to a transparent and accountable reconstruction
process in war-affected areas.
``Smart investment in long-term recovery is essential if
the people of northern Uganda are to live with peace and
dignity,'' said Annalise Romoser, Lutheran World Relief
Associate Director for Advocacy. ``Transitional justice
initiatives and the development of basic infrastructure such
as food and water systems are crucial elements to lasting
peace and reconciliation in Uganda. Such investment from the
United States will support the inspiring efforts of northern
Ugandans to return home and rebuild after decades of war and
displacement.''
With questions, please contact:
Michael Poffenberger, Resolve Uganda: 202.548.2517 /
[email protected]; Eileen White Read, Enough Project:
202.741.6376 / [email protected]; and Maria Burnett,
Human Rights Watch: 917.379.1696 / [email protected].
Supporting organizations include:
Human Rights Watch, Enough Project, Resolve Uganda,
International Rescue Committee, Invisible Children, Refugees
International, AVSI, Global Action for Children, Lutheran
World Relief, United States Fund for UNICEF, Women's Refugee
Commission.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Genocide
Intervention Network, Refugee Law Project, Uganda, Gulu NGO
Forum, Uganda, Dungu/Doruma Justice and Peace Commission,
Democratic Republic of Congo Azande Community World-wide
Organisation, UK-South Sudan, Mbomu Charitable Organization,
Sudan; Ibba Charitable Organization, South Sudan, Azande
Women Organization, South Sudan, Hope Sudan Organization,
South Sudan, Eso Development Organization, South Sudan.
Added after 21 May 2009: Nabanga Development Agency, South
Sudan, Comboni Missionary Sisters, South Sudan.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the
ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global
Health, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
(Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the condemnation of the Lord's
Resistance Army expressed in S. 1067 and the bill's goal of supporting
civilian protection and development in northern Uganda. Four years ago,
I chaired a hearing of the Africa, Global Human Rights and
International Operations Subcommittee on: The Endangered Children of
Northern Uganda. A courageous young woman named Grace Akallo testified
about her abduction at the age of 15, together with 138 classmates at a
boarding school, by the LRA. They and approximately 30,000 other
children have endured horrifying atrocities as
[[Page H3413]]
child soldiers and sex slaves. Ms. Akallo eventually escaped, and her
remarkable story was recounted in a book entitled, ``Girl Soldier: A
Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children,'' that she coauthored
with human rights activist Faith McDonnell. I highly recommend the book
to my colleagues and anyone who wants to learn more about these
incredible human rights violations and how we can all work together to
address and to stop them.
Ms. Akallo stated back in 2006 that, unfortunately, her story was not
uncommon. And I sadly add that, unfortunately, it is still not
uncommon. Joseph Kony continues to lead the LRA in the commission of
outrageous abuses and atrocities, including the abduction, rape, and
killing of innocent civilians, not only in northern Uganda, but also in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and
Southern Sudan. Although Kony has been indicted by the International
Criminal Court for these and other crimes against humanity, he and his
cohorts have yet to be brought to justice.
Mr. Speaker, we must do everything possible to stop the widespread
suffering that he is inflicting and to help those who have survived
these atrocities to recover. In her testimony, Ms. Akallo specifically
asked for more resources to help people suffering because of this
conflict, emphasizing that ``it will be important for the Government of
Uganda and the international community to provide returnees with
adequate resettlement assistance and support in restoring and
developing community infrastructure so that people can begin to rebuild
their lives.'' She went on to say, ``I ask for your help and the help
of others to take action to end this war so that my sisters and
brothers and all children of northern Uganda can sleep in peace.'' Mr.
Speaker, I ask that all of my colleagues respond to Ms. Akallo's
heartfelt request, and I do hope that this bill will pass.
Finally, I would like to engage my good friend and colleague, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) in a very short colloquy.
I would like a clarification that neither the term ``reproductive
health'' as it appears in the Peace Recovery and Development Plan for
Northern Uganda, referenced in sections 6(b) and 8(b) of S. 1067, nor
the term ``sexual reproductive health and rights'' in the Uganda
Ministry of Health's Sector Strategic Plan II referenced in the Peace
Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda, nor any other
references in this Act, include access to abortion for purposes of S.
1067.
I yield to my friend.
Mr. ENGEL. The gentleman from New Jersey is correct.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I appreciate that.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to a member of the
Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Miller).
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of
the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. As other
Members have already said, for more than 20 years, the LRA has
terrorized the Great Lakes region of Africa and continues to commit
atrocities and abduct children across areas of northern Uganda, South
Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic,
often targeting schools and churches. If the LRA ever sought to right
some supposed wrong, if there was ever a grievance or cause that
motivated the LRA, that has all long since been forgotten. The LRA's
atrocities are barbarism for barbarism's own sake.
The United Nations estimates that 90 percent of the LRA's combatants
are abducted children, often as young as 10. When the horrific conflict
finally ends, those children must somehow return to civilized society
after learning as children to kill innocent human beings without
hesitation or remorse. Since the brutal Christmas Day massacres of 2008
in the Congo, the LRA has killed more than 1,000 people, abducted
almost 2,000 others, and forced more than 300,000 others to flee their
homes in vulnerable areas.
The LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act would support
multilateral efforts to bring stability and peace to northern Uganda
and to protect civilians from the Lord's Resistance Army. This
legislation authorizes humanitarian funding for communities across
central Africa victimized by the LRA and assistance to help with
recovery and reconciliation efforts in northern Uganda. This bill will
help end permanently the LRA's campaign of brutality and terror and
help families rebuild their lives.
Please join me in supporting this legislation.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the ranking
member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism,
Nonproliferation, and Trade, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation to end
the atrocities of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, and I am an
original cosponsor of the House version of this legislation. From my
view, with the passage of this bill, which now goes to the President's
desk, we now are in a situation where I think Kony's removal won't
guarantee peace, but it certainly will make it possible in the region.
I would also just add that the fact that this legislation has made it
this far is really a tribute to a group of young people, young
professionals who have come up here on their own time and gone to the
universities around this country to organize in order to make people
aware of the plight of these children in Africa. I really thank them
for that work.
Mr. Speaker, Joseph Kony is perhaps the most wanted man in Africa. He
is an indicted war criminal. He is a designated terrorist. Many
Americans don't know his name but the children of Uganda and Central
East Africa certainly do. He is a very sadistic figure. He has a
charismatic appeal to some. He heads a group called the Lord's
Resistance Army, and under his two decades of tyrannical leadership
that group has conscripted some 30,000 children into this killing
squad. I can tell you as the former chairman of the Africa
Subcommittee, if you talk to parents in Uganda or the Congo or South
Sudan or the Central African Republic, the fear they have is the fear
inspired by what he has been able to do.
Human rights groups report that this LRA remains powerful. It has
still the ability to kill and to capture children. It may be even
accelerating its program of fear and mind control over children. I'm
reminded of the words of a recent researcher who interviewed a boy who
escaped from the group. He reported that he was forced to kill eight
other children who disobeyed Kony's rules in a 5-week time span. Those
victims were surrounded in a circle. Children were forced to take turns
bashing them with a bat in a ``collective kill.'' That's eight times in
5 weeks.
The LRA's objective remains the same as it's been for a couple
generations now: kill, capture, and resupply for its next pillage.
There is no other reason for its being. Most experts agree that the
removal of Kony and his top leadership would decapitate this group.
Kony has long fought the government of Uganda. He has had the support
of the Islamist government in Sudan for that war, which wanted to hit
back at Uganda's leader for his support of Christians and animists in
southern Sudan. Former LRA commanders report that Khartoum, Sudan, has
provided ``ammunition'' and provides ``intelligence training'' for
Kony's group. More recently, there have been credible reports of the
LRA gaining sanctuary in Darfur. A referendum on Southern Sudan is
looming next year. Unless the LRA is permanently dealt with now, you
can bet that Khartoum will put this killing squad back to use again
next year in Southern Sudan.
Mr. Speaker, this civil war, originally contained within Uganda's
borders, is now a regional crisis in four countries. This bipartisan
legislation aims to spur the administration into devising a strategy to
remove Joseph Kony and remove his top commanders from the battlefield.
Some targeted assistance from the U.S. could make a world of
difference.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 additional
minute to the gentleman from California.
Mr. ROYCE. I thank the gentlelady.
The world's problems can seem overwhelming at times. It is
fashionable to blame conflict in Africa on poverty and other
environmental factors. But sometimes just getting rid of one person
does make a big difference. History is
[[Page H3414]]
full of captivating leaders with bad ideas who do great damage. It's a
lesson I learned as chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, when Liberian
president Charles Taylor ran a gangster regime in West Africa that
brought havoc to neighboring Sierra Leone, where he pioneered this idea
of using child soldiers and using amputations and using the techniques
that Joseph Kony does now. After the hard-fought removal of Charles
Taylor, and after his imprisonment, that region is peaceful.
Mr. Speaker, it isn't an exaggeration to say that the fate of
hundreds of thousands of people--certainly of 30,000 children--rests in
the hands of a few men. Kony's removal won't guarantee peace, but it
will make it possible.
I urge the passage of this legislation.
{time} 1900
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Davis).
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons that we
have this worthy legislation before us--and it certainly is that--is
due to a group of young people who have dedicated their voices and
energy to getting the heart-wrenching situation in Uganda the attention
it demands. The Invisible Children Organization, which has its
headquarters in my district, has brought the awful acts of the Lord's
Resistance Army to light.
The group has galvanized an entire generation of young people here to
care about children halfway around the world. Their activism has
painted for many people in our country the grim, intense reality that
is faced by so many Ugandans, especially the children abducted by the
LRA and forced to become child soldiers. The volunteers have traveled
to our cities, our schools, our businesses, probably even to many of
our offices here in Washington to show their films and speak out
against Joseph Kony and his army's brutality.
These young members of the Invisible Children Organization know that
no child should live in fear of being abducted, mutilated or killed.
With that belief, they have helped make the children of Uganda visible
to us. And now with this legislation, we have the chance to truly join
in this cause. This bill will require the President to devise an
interagency strategy to address this crisis and heighten our country's
level of support for stopping the LRA.
Last August, I had the privilege of speaking with members of the
Invisible Children Organization who had come to San Diego for their
training as what they called them, ``roadies.'' I cannot do justice to
their passion, their commitment, and their dedication to do what is
right. Their energy absolutely ignites the room. Mr. Speaker, we cannot
let them down, and more importantly, we cannot let down the suffering
children this legislation will help.
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2478--
the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act
of 2009. This legislation calls for the end of the reign of terror
perpetrated by Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and
beginning the work of reconstruction and reconciliation efforts across
northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and
Central African Republic.
This predatory rebel group has been allowed to roam unchecked across
Central Africa for nearly a quarter century, leaving behind a wake of
communities ravaged by their senseless violence and barbaric means of
recruitment. Since 1986, the LRA has abducted tens of thousands of
children to be used as soldiers or sex slaves in one of the worst and
most neglected humanitarian crises on the planet.
On December 14, 2009, the LRA initiated a series of attacks in the
Makombo region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where over the
course of 4 days, the LRA massacred at least 10 villages, killing over
321 civilians and abducting over 250 civilians--80 of whom were
children. In a continuation of the LRA's 24-year history of brutal,
unchecked violence, the terrorist rebel group forced children to kill
other children, raped girls as young as 11 years old, and gave a
warning of silence to the local population by cutting off a number of
villagers' ears and lips. Out of the over 321 civilians whose lives
were lost, only two died from gunshot wounds, as LRA combatants are
known to conserve ammunition by killing with clubs and machetes.
Despite the horrific nature of the attack and the sheer number of
causalities, the outside world did not receive word of the massacre
before Human Rights Watch released their report almost three months
later.
But ultimately there is hope in seeing an end to this crisis. For
more than a year, American youth across the country have called for
U.S. leadership in ending the conflict; Congress has listened, and in
turn, taken concrete action in seeing an end to this war. The LRA
Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act stands today as the most
cosponsored piece of legislation on an Africa-related policy issue in
modern congressional history; 65 Senators and 197 of my colleagues in
the House of Representatives have put their names on this crucial human
rights legislation.
This legislation requires that the administration deliver a strategy
to Congress within 180 days of the enactment of this legislation that
outlines a multilateral, interagency plan for the apprehension of top
LRA commanders and protection of civilians in LRA affected areas. This
budget neutral bill also sets a priority within existing State
Department funding for transitional justice mechanisms in northern
Uganda, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former child
soldiers, and immediate emergency humanitarian relief to communities
devastated by the LRA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
Central African Republic, and Southern Sudan.
Most importantly, this bill gives a mandate to the President from
Congress and the American people in taking proactive steps to bring an
end to the violence of the LRA and restoring peace and stability to
Central Africa. By the end of the year, I and my colleagues will look
forward to seeing a robust strategy submitted from President Obama and
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and we will continue tirelessly
fighting for its successful implementation. I ask of my colleagues to
support this bill.
Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, as I travel across Kansas, I
frequently visit classrooms to speak with high school and college
students about the importance of civic engagement and to let young
people know that their thoughts and opinions matter.
Today, the House of Representatives is considering legislation that
in many ways is the result of civic engagement among young people,
including hundreds of Kansans. We have before us S. 1067, the Lord's
Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. It is
important legislation that requires the President to create a strategy
to deal with the 24-year-old conflict in central Africa that has killed
thousands and disrupted the lives of an entire generation.
Many young Kansans have passionately advocated for vulnerable
children and defenseless communities in Africa. They have participated
in events like the Rescue and met with government officials. They have
signed petitions, written letters to the editor, and educated others
about the terrible violence committed by the LRA. They have done all of
this and more knowing that they will not benefit in any material way--
they have done it simply because it is the right thing to do.
The hundreds of thousands of young Americans that have advocated for
this cause demonstrate to their peers and those younger than them that
the voices of young people matter, that young people can make a
difference.
I commend the concerned young people in Kansas and across the country
for their hard work and dedication. You have reason to be proud today
that your efforts are paying off.
As a sponsor of the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern
Uganda Recovery Act, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this
important bill. Let's do the right thing and bring an end to the LRA
violence in central Africa.
Ms. HIRONO. I rise in support of S. 1067, the Lord's Resistance Army
Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
As a cosponsor of the House version of this legislation, I am
grateful that the Senate passed S. 1067 by unanimous consent in March
and that the House leadership has given this body the opportunity to
vote on it today. I would also like to recognize the thousands of
activists across the country, including students at Kalani High School
and those affiliated with Invisible Children (Project Hope) in Hawaii,
who have spoken out passionately about the need to act on this issue.
This bill provides a critically needed mandate for the United States
to develop a comprehensive regional strategy that targets the LRA
threat. For too long, the LRA has committed unspeakable atrocities
throughout Uganda, including murder, mutilation, and the sexual
enslavement of women and children. In addition to displacing an
estimated two million Ugandans, the LRA has abducted about 66,000
children, forcing them to fight and commit human rights violations on
behalf of this terrorist group. The violence has since spread beyond
Uganda's borders to parts of Sudan, Central African Republic, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in increased instability
throughout the region.
S. 1067 requires a plan to strengthen efforts by the United Nations
and regional governments to protect civilians from attacks, support
[[Page H3415]]
the rule of law, and prevent conflict over the long term. S. 1067 also
calls for the United States to develop an interagency strategy and an
assessment of options to lead in multilateral efforts to eliminate the
threat posed by the LRA, protect children and families from further
attacks, enhance efforts to help LRA abductees return home safely, and
bring those wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity to
justice.
Enactment of this legislation will give us the tools necessary to
respond to the humanitarian needs of those affected by this crisis and
begin to support reconciliation efforts in Uganda. I urge my colleagues
to vote in support of S. 1067.
Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has
devastated communities in northern Uganda for more than 20 years and is
now killing and abducting men, women, and children across areas of
southern Sudan, Democratic Republic Congo, and Central African
Republic. Following the brutal massacre of more than 800 Congolese
villagers attending holiday worship celebrations on Christmas Day 2008,
the rebel group led by Joseph Kony continued its rampage throughout the
region. Under his leadership, the LRA went on to kill more than 1,000
people, abduct nearly 2,000 others and force more than 300,000
villagers to flee their homes during the weeks surrounding the
Christmas holiday. In another horrific massacre just months ago, the
LRA killed 321 people and abducted 250 more, many of whom were
children. This particular rebel army's violence far outpaces other
violent conflicts in the region, yet it tragically gets little
attention.
Thousands of Americans, especially our nation's youth, have
recognized the urgency of this conflict. In my hometown of Chattanooga,
I participated in an event last year called the Rescue, organized by
college students as part of a national movement to raise awareness for
the Invisible Children organization. I rescued a group that
``abducted'' themselves for a night and stayed at Coolidge Park
symbolizing the thousands of Ugandan children that have been kidnapped
and forced to become LRA soldiers. At that Rescue, I committed to doing
what I could to help their cause. Several months later, I met with
three students from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., who
walked 800 miles from their college campus to Washington, D.C., as a
symbolic journey similar to the ``night commute'' that children in
Uganda make into the cities to hide in schools, churches or hospitals
in groups to be less susceptible to kidnappers from the LRA, then
return home during the day.
Today, I remain committed to bringing awareness to these atrocities
as a cosponsor of the LRA Disarmament & Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
The tremendous public and Congressional support behind this legislation
calls on the Obama Administration to take robust steps to lead
multilateral efforts to permanently stop the rebel group's brutal
violence, protect these innocent children and families from LRA attacks
and help rebuild the lives of those affected. I urge the President to
devise an interagency strategy to address this crisis which has gone on
far too long. Alongside my colleagues who support this legislation and
the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have advocated for its
passage, I look forward to seeing decisive action by President Obama
and U.S. Department of State Secretary Hillary Clinton to bring about
the U.S. leadership needed to see an end to this urgent and intolerable
humanitarian tragedy.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the passage of the Lord's
Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
Since 1987, The Lord's Resistance Army has conducted mass killings,
mutilation, and forced recruitment of children. It has terrorized the
citizens and families of Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic
of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
This legislation calls for serious action to protect and heal victims
of Joseph Kony's LRA--Lord's Resistance Army.
For more than two decades over 20,000 boys and girls have been
abducted and over 1.5 million people have been displaced.
Survivors of these horrors are haunted by medical, psychological and
social consequences. We must help the abducted return home, where they
can receive treatment.
This tremendous humanitarian crisis involving young boys as child
soldiers and girls as reward for combatants has almost completely
destroyed a generation, in a post holocaust era, when we warn ``never
again.''
This legislation calls for the capture of LRA leader Joseph Kony to
be tried for crimes against humanity. It is imperative he is removed
from society to pave the way for reintegration and reconciliation.
The United States and the appropriate agencies must assist in ending
LRA violence and help the people of this region rebuild their lives.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of the House version of
this resolution, I stand in strong support of S. 1067. This measure
expresses the frustration of many members of Congress who feel that
efforts to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army and to bring its members
to justice are progressing too slowly.
The LRA is currently branded a terrorist organization by the U.S.
government for perpetrating two decades of violence in Uganda, Sudan,
Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Led by
Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself the ``spokesperson'' of God and a
spirit medium, the LRA is responsible for the deaths of thousands of
people in northern Uganda and Congo and the displacement of 2,000,000
more.
This resolution requires the president to develop a comprehensive
strategy to guide future U.S. support across the region to mitigate and
eliminate the threat posed by the LRA. It requires that the strategy
include a plan to bolster the efforts of the United Nations and
regional governments with the goal of protecting civilians and
strengthening regional institutions. Additionally, the resolution
recommends that an interagency framework be developed to plan,
coordinate and review the diplomatic, economic, intelligence and
military elements of U.S. policy across the region. Finally, the
measure expresses the sense of Congress that $10 million should be
provided in FY 2011 for assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo,
southern Sudan, and Central African Republic to help them respond to
the humanitarian needs of populations directly affected by the activity
of the Lord's Resistance Army.
For 20 years, the LRA has led a bloody campaign of murder, abduction,
sexual enslavement and mutilation across central Africa. I ask my
colleagues to join me in helping to establish a stable and lasting
peace in northern Uganda and other areas affected by the LRA.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1067, the
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Recovery Act, which recently
passed the Senate and is under consideration today by the House of
Representatives. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) formed in Uganda has
committed countless atrocities. The LRA is responsible for the
abduction of thousands of children from southern Sudan, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. These children
have been forced to become soldiers of the LRA, and more than a
thousand have died. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced
because of the LRA's actions.
The LRA Leader, Joseph Kony, is wanted for war crimes and crimes
against humanity. Leaders who commit war crimes and other atrocities
can not be allowed to stay in power and obstruct the peace process that
is necessary for the Ugandan people to live without the threat of
abduction, violence, or death. That is why I am a cosponsor of H.R.
2478, the House companion to S. 1067, which calls upon President Obama
to devise a strategy that will remove Mr. Kony from power and allow
Ugandans to rebuild their lives. The U.S. should show leadership by
working with international partners to bring stability to Uganda and
surrounding areas. We must work to end this reign of violence in
Uganda, which is why I encourage my colleagues to support S. 1067.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of H.R. 2478,
the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act
of 2009. The legislation has the kind of broad support necessary for
unanimous passage and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
I signed on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 2478 in November of last year. I
am pleased to see that since that time, many of my colleagues have
joined me in supporting this critical legislation. Unfortunately, the
LRA's pattern of violence and intimidation in Uganda has shown no signs
of slowing down. Joseph Kony, the LRA's leader, is overseeing
atrocities and abductions in South Sudan, the Congo, and Central
African Republic. Schools, churches, and community gathering places are
often targeted by the LRA. Kony and two of his commanders are wanted by
the International Criminal Court. The brutal and despicable nature of
the LRA's crimes is unprecedented. We must act and we must act now.
H.R. 2478 would be a crucial step in ending the LRA's reign of terror
and provide assistance to the victims of the violence in rebuilding
their lives. The legislation is of paramount importance and I hope my
colleagues join me and provide the leadership necessary to show our
disapproval of Joseph Kony and the LRA.
I learned about this legislation when four young people came into my
district office last year to urge me to support H.R. 2478. I was--and
still am--incredibly impressed with their passion and knowledge. I have
no doubt those young individuals will soon lead our nation forward; in
fact, they already are. I hope this House will support their passion
and knowledge and pass H.R. 2478.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
[[Page H3416]]
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 1067.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________