[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 13223-13224]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           BOMBINGS IN UGANDA

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I join President Obama, Secretary 
Clinton, and people around the world in condemning the horrific 
bombings in Uganda last Sunday. These attacks killed scores of innocent 
people and wounded many others who had peacefully gathered to watch the 
World Cup final.
  I was particularly saddened to learn that Nate Henn, an American who 
worked as a volunteer with Invisible Children to help children affected 
by war in Uganda's northern region, was among those murdered in this 
cowardly act. I have worked closely with members of the Invisible 
Children team to bring attention to the atrocities committed by the 
Lord's Resistance Army, and I know their passion and dedication. I 
offer my deepest condolences to the Henn family and the whole Invisible 
Children family, as well as to all the other victims and their 
families.
  The United States has close ties and a strong working partnership 
with the people and Government of Uganda, and we stand with them in 
this difficult moment. I strongly support efforts by the U.S. 
Government to assist Ugandan authorities to investigate these attacks 
and bring the perpetrators to justice. And given the news of another 
attempted attack on Tuesday, we should also help the government take 
enhanced security measures.
  At the same time though, we should encourage the government to avoid 
any actions that could be seen as broadly targeting Somalis or the 
Muslim community more generally in Uganda. These communities in Uganda 
have not been known for violent or extremist activity in the past, and 
it would be counterproductive to alienate them. They should be allies 
in seeking to identify and apprehend those individuals behind these 
heinous attacks.
  Al Shebaab, the Somali terrorist group whose leaders have links to 
al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for this attack. Al Shebaab has 
been threatening for months to carry out attacks in Kenya, Uganda, and 
Burundi, and if their claim is true, this would be the first time that 
they have carried out a major attack outside Somalia's borders. It 
would underscore the threat that this terrorist group poses not only to 
neighboring countries but throughout Africa and potentially even to the 
United States.
  For years, I have drawn attention to the continuing conflict in 
Somalia and its direct ramifications for our national security. As I 
mentioned, al Shebaab's leadership has links to al-Qaida and has 
indicated a desire to work with al-Qaida affiliates worldwide, 
particularly al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula in Yemen. In addition and 
perhaps even more disconcerting, al Shebaab has recruited a number of 
Americans to travel to the region and fight. In October 2008, a Somali-
American blew himself up in Somalia as part of a coordinated attack by 
al Shebaab.

[[Page 13224]]

The Justice Department has since brought terrorist charges against more 
than a dozen people for recruiting and raising funds for Americans to 
fight with al Shebaab.
  These developments have not gone unnoticed by our national security 
leaders, and the Obama administration has rightly put greater focus on 
Somalia. But our policy toward the country still lacks a strategic, 
long-term vision, and sufficient resources. The Obama administration is 
providing some support to the Transitional Federal Government and to 
the AU peacekeeping force in Mogadishu, but this support has done 
little to change the fundamental dynamics of the situation. We need to 
go back to the drawing board and develop a strategy that directly 
targets the conflicts and conditions that are bolstering al Shebaab 
and, by extension, al-Qaida. That strategy may entail greater support 
for the TFG and AMISOM, but we may also need to explore alternative 
options.
  To carry out such a strategy, we need a diplomatic effort equal to 
the challenges we face in Somalia. We need an increased, strengthened 
team with the necessary resources, access, and mandate to engage with 
actors in Somalia and across the wider region. I have called on the 
President and Secretary of State to appoint a senior envoy to help 
oversee such a diplomatic effort toward Somalia. Such an envoy could 
also advance much needed public diplomacy efforts to address the high 
level of suspicion and resentment with which many Somalis continue to 
view the United States. And finally, this person could help ensure that 
we are connecting the dots among all the other countries affected by 
the Somalia crisis and al Shebaab.
  Mr. President, there are no easy or quick solutions to Somalia's 
troubles, and attempts by external actors to impose solutions have 
failed. But as the tragic events in Uganda this week should make clear, 
the current situation in Somalia is intolerable--for the region and the 
international community, not to mention the Somali people who continue 
to suffer one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. We cannot 
afford to just continue with our current halfhearted efforts and hope 
for the best. Working with our regional partners and others in the 
international community, we need to get serious about a new push for 
peace and stability in Somalia.

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