“I am sure it will happen one day but the man is a coward and he just keeps on running and running.”

These are the words of Private Feni, a member of the Ugandan  army (UPDF) who is in pursuit of Joseph Kony. Max Delany, for CSM, spoke with Feni and his squadron, 77-Juliet, made up of 61 men. 77-Juliet is only one of the “hunting squads” in the region focused on stopping LRA violence. Similar to the rebel force, they move quickly and on foot as the terrain only allows. The squads travel many miles for hours every day in an effort to keep the LRA from settling and prevent any sort of regroup or re-arming.

Since 2008 the LRA has been operating in isolated splinter cells and because of the incredibly dangerous terrain they travel and the skill and speed with which they cover it, pursuit is very difficult. In October of last year, President Obama sent 100 U.S. special forces to aid the Ugandan army in their attempts and bring Kony to justice. While the forces are combat equipped, they are ordered not to engage except in self-defense. They act in an advisory role, mainly helping with logistics and intelligence. Though the deployment of the advisers was a “time-limited mission,” yesterday Obama extended the deployment of the advisers in the region in a renewal of his commitment to seeing an end to LRA violence.

The announcement came at an important time as Human Rights Watch is reporting a rise in LRA attacks. As a result of this surge of violent activity, experts are worried about the possibility of the LRA spreading further in the region. Over the weekend UN and AU envoys warned the Chadian government of this possibility in an effort to avert any expansion. These envoys will also be meeting with Sudan’s government with the same goal.

The hunt for Joseph Kony is ongoing, but with the upsurge in interest and support, an end may be in sight.

Read full articles:
Christian Science Monitor: Into the jungle on the hunt for Joseph Kony
AU and UN envoys

(Photo credit: AP and Reuters)