U.S. Reps. McGovern, Fortenberry Comment on Efforts to Combat LRA in Central Africa

Press Release

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry and Congressman Jim McGovern today commented on the announcement from the White House this morning concerning the Department of Defense's new effort to combat the Lord's Resistance Army in central Africa.

"Through over 20 years of civil war, the brutal insurgency has created a humanitarian crisis that has displaced over 1.5 million people in one of the world's most difficult ungoverned spaces," said Fortenberry. "Tens of thousands of children have been abducted, and many forced into child soldiering or sex slavery. The steps being taken by the Department of Defense today may help save innocent lives and begin to bring the LRA to justice for the immense human tragedy that has fallen across central Africa at its hands."

"I'm very pleased with today's announcement," said McGovern. "For far too long, innocents have suffered at the hands of the LRA. I also continue to call on the Administration to ensure the non-military assistance called for under the Comprehensive Strategy is provided for civilian protection; assistance for victims and communities of LRA-violence, especially children and women; and recovery and reconstruction."

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TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE - October 14, 2011

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) For more than two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa. The LRA continues to commit atrocities across the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan that have a disproportionate impact on regional security. Since 2008, the United States has supported regional military efforts to pursue the LRA and protect local communities.

Even with some limited U.S. assistance, however, regional military efforts have thus far been unsuccessful in removing LRA leader Joseph Kony or his top commanders from the battlefield. In the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, Public Law 111-172, enacted May 24, 2010, the Congress also expressed support for increased, comprehensive U.S. efforts to help mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the LRA to civilians and regional stability.

In furtherance of the Congress's stated policy, I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield. I believe that deploying these U.S. Armed Forces furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy and will be a significant contribution toward counter-LRA efforts in central Africa.

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