One of the staples of Invisible Children is turning pipe-dreams into realities.
When we started our work on the LRA conflict a little over a decade ago, one such dream was that a U.S. president would say the words ‘Joseph Kony’, let alone take meaningful action to assist African Union led efforts to end LRA violence. Because of the action of young activists in the U.S. and beyond, Barack Obama has not only repeatedly spoken about this conflict, but the U.S. Government has taken multiple steps to assist African Union led efforts to end the longest running war on the continent. There are now a minimum of 100 and maximum of 300 U.S. military personnel assisting the AU led counter-LRA mission at any one time, who – since the end of March – have been able to use sophisticated (and, frankly, badass) V-22 Osprey aircraft based in the region.
The U.S. Department of State (that’s the arm of government responsible for international relations) gave Invisible Children a shout out recently when talking about weakening the LRA through defection efforts – check it out below. It’s always encouraging to see our work recognised in this way, as well as to know that there are champions for U.S. involvement in counter-LRA efforts in the State Department. One such character is Jon Gandomi, recently profiled in a Washington Post article. He sums up the U.S. involvement in the counter LRA mission well:
“This mission against the LRA has less to do with our national security, and more to do with our national values,” said Gandomi. “It is bringing a tremendous amount of good will to the U.S., but most of all, it is about restoring peace to a region that has been terrorized by the LRA for far too long.”
Well said Jon.
There is still much to do – Kony is under pressure, but he’s still free and committing terrible crimes. There are around 200 LRA combatants and many more captives, but: look how far we’ve come. We are showing that wars can be ended through peaceful action. And we’re not stopping yet.
The State Department article is posted in full below:
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Defections from Kony’s Army Increase
The broad-based effort to weaken Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)—and bring him to justice—continues to make progress. The most effective method for weakening the LRA has been to encourage defections, and there are probably fewer than 200 fighters left, down from 1,000 six years ago. The African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF), U.S. military advisors, and non-governmental organizations produce targeted personal messages from recent LRA returnees, local leaders, and the families and friends of remaining combatants. These messages are aired on local FM and shortwave radio stations and broadcast via helicopter speakers over known LRA locations. Two fighters who recently defected recorded “come home” messages at an April 1 symposium in the Central African Republic (CAR), hosted by U.S. Special Forces and the NGO, Invisible Children.
The interagency counter-LRA effort is also supporting improvements in the “early warning” system in CAR and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On March 25 Marty Regan, the CSO member of the team since March, was in the remote village of Ango, DRC, where a cell phone tower had been erected to increase connectivity, enabling residents to notify authorities of LRA activity more quickly. “This should reduce communities’ isolation and help them share information about heightened threats posed by LRA groups in the area,” Regan explained. At an event marking the construction of the tower, U.S. Ambassador to DRC James Swan served as the keynote speaker.
In March, the U.S. Military deployed CV-22 Ospreys to enable the U.S. to move Ugandan troops further and more quickly to areas of suspected LRA activity. The Ospreys will be deployed for short periods of time to support AU-RTF operations. “The Ospreys provide another tool to disrupt LRA operations, and they demonstrate a greater AU-RTF presence to all in the area,” said Regan.
CSO’s primary role in the c-LRA engagement is to help coordinate the civilian and military efforts of the U.S. government, in addition to conducting outreach with NGOs and civil society. Splitting his time between the U.S. Embassy in Kampala and field locations in the four nations where LRA has been active, Regan helps to drive ground-level implementation of the U.S. strategy and to inform planning, policy implementation, and metrics in Washington.
“While challenging, working as a part of the c-LRA engagement brings a good deal of satisfaction in that you experience firsthand how a coordinated, whole-of-government approach can deliver results,” he explained.
The LRA has terrorized communities for 25 years, killing tens of thousands of people and maiming thousands more. Along the way, the LRA has filled its ranks by abducting tens of thousands of children and forcing them to become soldiers and sex slaves. In 2010, President Obama directed the Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID to find a way to help governments and communities end the LRA’s reign of terror. President Obama called the LRA “an affront to human dignity,” saying that “those abducted must be freed, those wounded must heal, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
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