The Lord's Resistance Army
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Lucia, Trisha, and Jerry
In want of a new Christian government, the rebel group that calls themselves the Lord’s Resistance Army is doing everything in their power to meet their goal. Using techniques involving slaughtering and terrorizing, the notorious group has abducted not only adults, but children as well. They have ravaged areas in eastern Congo and northern Uganda, and will continue their rampage until their demands are met. Joseph Kony, the LRA’s leader, has forced this abuse upon innocent civilians who are now fearful for their lives. The situation has reached the point in which the people of Congo are desperate for help. Joel Bisubu of Justice Plus, a Congolese rights group, says, “Hundreds of people have been slaughtered and this just goes on and on . . . we need protection” (Rebels Kill at Least 620 in Congo, Group Says 1). Anyone who resists is immediately killed, prompting many to go into hiding, worried for their lives and families. The Lord’s Resistance Army struck again on Christmas day of 2008: “villagers in Faradje, a town near the national park, walked out of church as 50 to 70 armed men emerged from the bushes.” (Gettleman and Schmit 3). About 150 innocent lives were taken in brutal ways. In some cases, body parts were viciously chopped into pieces. The leaders of the group do what they please while actively pursuing their goal.
Even though their strategies are not ideal, the LRA have reason to want a new government in Uganda. The Acholi people of northern Uganda feel subordinate to members of the southern tribes who, for decades, have received positions in the top jobs and universities while the Acholi were left to be farmers and soldiers in the Ugandan army. The Acholi soldiers fought rebel forces led by Yoweri Museveni. In 1986, Mr. Museveni seized power and became president of Uganda. During Museveni’s reign, the Acholi people were marginalized and persecuted (Gettleman 2). Soon after, Joseph Kony founded the LRA, with hopes of ruling Uganda “according to the Bible’s 10 commandments” (McKinley 2). Kony claims to be in “direct contact with God, and that God says it is right to kill in the cause of toppling Mr. Museveni’s evil government” (Lacey 1). This statement is absurd. If the LRA are so focused on Christian beliefs, then why are they killing so many innocent people? Their actions are in obvious violation of the sixth commandment which states, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ However, it is possible that at the start of this conflict, the rebels remained true to their beliefs, and as fighting the government grew more difficult, they drifted farther away from Christian ideals.
The LRA began after Yoweri Museveni rose to power in Uganda in 1986. Since they have been around for over 20 years, they have developed strategies that help them survive. For example, the rebels are “excellent jungle fighters” (Gettleman 2). They usually hide out in the forest when they are not in action. This makes it harder for them to be caught. In recent years, the LRA tend to come out of hiding when they are attacked. The rebel group responds to those who attempt to fight them by intensifying their raids. In one case, “on December 14, 2008 the forces of three countries – Uganda, Sudan, and Congo – attacked LRA bases in Congo . . . The UN and humanitarian agencies estimate the rebels have slaughtered some 900 civilians since Christmas” (Plaut 1). The main reason these unlucky victims are dead is that the rebel bases were attacked. The LRA is usually content to stay in hiding until their group is threatened. They are not powerful enough to go into direct combat with the Ugandan army, so they retaliate by attacking villages. That way, the army is busy defending civilians and is unable to pursue the group’s leaders. Since they are dwindling in support, they feel the need to increase their numbers when they are attacked, usually by kidnapping children. “The rate of [child] abductions has escalated dramatically since early 2002, when a military offensive launched by the Uganda’s People’s defense force resulted in the LRA returning to Uganda from their camps in southern Sudan” (Becker and Tate 1). Child abductions are a problem because the LRA is going to turn their captives into soldiers, which will only result in more violence. If the LRA cannot acquire any more soldiers, they will be finished. This should be brought to attention on a global scale, as a driving force to fuel the effort to hunt down Kony.
The victims of the LRA include children whom they recruit as soldiers in their army, and the civilians they attack along the way. Children as young as 5 are abducted because “few adults want to join [Mr. Kony’s] cultish, bloodthirsty, movement…” (Gettlemen 2). In general, children are much more impressionable than adults, making them an easy target for the LRA. Additionally, “Child soldiers are ideal because they don’t complain, they don’t expect to be paid and if you tell them to kill, they kill” (Polgreen 1). They are beaten, forbidden to cry, threatened with death and forced to participate in murders of other children. Most girls who are imprisoned by the rebel group are forced to be sex slaves after their puberty. Now, children in Acholiland live in fear, but they are not the only ones who suffer. The LRA hurts anyone they would like to demonstrate their domination of power and strength over others. The group slices of the “lips, hands, noses, and breasts of civilians intending that their victims survive as constant warnings to others” (Lacey 1). Another reason why the LRA targets civilians is that “it ties up soldiers in attempting to defending the civilians, reducing the number pursuing Kony and his men across the vast area in which they are operating” (Plaut 2). Through this idea, Kony and his troop members will further cause demolition and perhaps cause even more damages to the lands they are walking on. Now, with this thought that Kony formed, people live in terror of being his next target.
It is inevitable to sleep without a speck of fright in the Congo while the Lord’s Resistance Army is on the hunt. The death toll in eastern Congo and Uganda is in the thousands. The ones lucky enough to have survived the attacks are left traumatized and injured. As one victim remembers, I was abducted at night while preparing myself for sleep. We walked for a long with the rebels . . . The rebels threatened to shoot the children if anyone attempted to escape. My brother was beaten up badly because he had swollen feet and couldn’t move. I still have nightmares about it. (“Hear Our Voices...”1) Such acts are going to carve deep scars into a child’s memories. Fear of being captured changes children’s lives forever. Instead of going to school or playing outside, children spend their lives in hiding. They have a reason to be scared, because the rebel group continues to perform malicious acts – destroying homes and lives without sympathy or guilt and forcing their prey to do ridiculous things. A woman explains the day she was abducted, “’They took me on Christmas’, Mrs. Yebiye said. ‘Sometimes, they liked to dance. The rebels would eat marijuana and then turn up their radios in the middle of the jungle,’ she said. ‘If you didn’t dance with them, you got killed’” (Gettleman 2). The rebel leaders want to display their power over their victims by killing those who do not obey. They seem to enjoy the humiliation and suffering of others. It is as though the leaders feed off the fear of the civilians. The victim’s suffering will never end, given the enjoyment the leaders take in torturing them. The insurgent war in Uganda has raged on now for over 20 years. The Lord’s Resistance Army is not allied with anyone and yet still survives and continues to harass and terrorize the local peoples of Uganda and Congo despite the combined military efforts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, and Uganda. Even though the LRA is not allied with any nation, it is speculated that they receive aid from Khartoum’s regime, possibly as an appeasement act to discourage them from attacking, but also because the LRA in southern Sudan have been attacking Sudanese rebel groups.
The deputy governor of the South Sudanese state of Western Equatoria, Col Joseph Ngere, told the BBC that in his view elements in the Sudanese government in Khartoum were supporting the LRA, as they had in the past. ‘He had Khartoum’s government support in the 1980s,’ said Col Ngere. ‘And I think that continues. There are elements that still, clandestinely support the Kony movement. I don’t have evidence, but this is my belief.’ (Plaut 2) One reason why the government in Sudan is supporting the Lord’s Resistance Army may be that the LRA sometimes attacks Sudanese rebel groups. These groups pose a threat to the Sudanese government; therefore they are quite happy that the LRA is fighting them. However, if Sudan is in fact aiding the rebel’s cause, then this war could continue on for quite some time, costing more civilian lives, and further bolstering the LRA’s ranks as well as increasing the level of threat they pose to neighboring nations.
The LRA also seem to have no intention of solving their problems using a proper diplomatic approach. Almost every offer to sit down and negotiate with Kony has been declined. This behavior is caused by his fear of being captured and tried in the International Criminal Court, as “Mr. Kony said he will stop but only if he is not prosecuted” (Gettleman 1). Or, the LRA might simply have no intention of talking things out.
Though it seems as if the LRA will continue to ravage the villages of central Africa for many years to come, there might be a way to stop them. So far, trying to negotiate with Kony has been unsuccessful, but with a bit of incentive, maybe he will consider it. The Ugandan military is currently trying to track down Kony and is “[flying] in by helicopter on a daily basis to try to hunt down the elusive rebel leader” (BBC 1). Though unsuccessful, “The Ugandan government has pursued a dual approach of military action and mediation to bring peace to the region” (Nyanzi 1). The dual approach does seem self-contradictory, but perhaps a particular mix of various methods will bring Kony to the International Criminal Court.
The quest for peace is far from over, and the efforts to aid those who have been victims of the LRA have enjoyed some victory. Many essentials are arriving into the hands of those in need, courtesy of the United Nations. “The UN World Food Program [sends] food; the UN Children’s Fund [helps] with water and sanitation” (Africa News Service 1). Things are looking hopeful and optimistic for the victims, but the LRA will continue to strike if we give them a free and clear path of destroying villages and hurting innocent civilians. Until we put an end to the murders, there is no guarantee of safety for anyone. Only with international support can the Lord’s Resistance Army be stopped. It is up to us, the privileged upper class of humanity, to offer our help and shelter those who in are desperate need of protection.
So what can you do to help? Unicef has launched a campaign in order to help children who commute nightly just to avoid being abducted by the LRA. They provide the basic necessities as well as shelter for these young kids. Inspire Magazine has already helped by donating, and you can do the same, too. Put aside that unnecessary wish list, and help save lives instead.
Sources: HRW, BBC, NY Times, Amnesty, Gale Group, Relief Web, Mercury News.
We'll keep you updated on what we're doing to save the victims
Lucia, Trisha, and Jerry
In want of a new Christian government, the rebel group that calls themselves the Lord’s Resistance Army is doing everything in their power to meet their goal. Using techniques involving slaughtering and terrorizing, the notorious group has abducted not only adults, but children as well. They have ravaged areas in eastern Congo and northern Uganda, and will continue their rampage until their demands are met. Joseph Kony, the LRA’s leader, has forced this abuse upon innocent civilians who are now fearful for their lives. The situation has reached the point in which the people of Congo are desperate for help. Joel Bisubu of Justice Plus, a Congolese rights group, says, “Hundreds of people have been slaughtered and this just goes on and on . . . we need protection” (Rebels Kill at Least 620 in Congo, Group Says 1). Anyone who resists is immediately killed, prompting many to go into hiding, worried for their lives and families. The Lord’s Resistance Army struck again on Christmas day of 2008: “villagers in Faradje, a town near the national park, walked out of church as 50 to 70 armed men emerged from the bushes.” (Gettleman and Schmit 3). About 150 innocent lives were taken in brutal ways. In some cases, body parts were viciously chopped into pieces. The leaders of the group do what they please while actively pursuing their goal.
Even though their strategies are not ideal, the LRA have reason to want a new government in Uganda. The Acholi people of northern Uganda feel subordinate to members of the southern tribes who, for decades, have received positions in the top jobs and universities while the Acholi were left to be farmers and soldiers in the Ugandan army. The Acholi soldiers fought rebel forces led by Yoweri Museveni. In 1986, Mr. Museveni seized power and became president of Uganda. During Museveni’s reign, the Acholi people were marginalized and persecuted (Gettleman 2). Soon after, Joseph Kony founded the LRA, with hopes of ruling Uganda “according to the Bible’s 10 commandments” (McKinley 2). Kony claims to be in “direct contact with God, and that God says it is right to kill in the cause of toppling Mr. Museveni’s evil government” (Lacey 1). This statement is absurd. If the LRA are so focused on Christian beliefs, then why are they killing so many innocent people? Their actions are in obvious violation of the sixth commandment which states, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ However, it is possible that at the start of this conflict, the rebels remained true to their beliefs, and as fighting the government grew more difficult, they drifted farther away from Christian ideals.
The LRA began after Yoweri Museveni rose to power in Uganda in 1986. Since they have been around for over 20 years, they have developed strategies that help them survive. For example, the rebels are “excellent jungle fighters” (Gettleman 2). They usually hide out in the forest when they are not in action. This makes it harder for them to be caught. In recent years, the LRA tend to come out of hiding when they are attacked. The rebel group responds to those who attempt to fight them by intensifying their raids. In one case, “on December 14, 2008 the forces of three countries – Uganda, Sudan, and Congo – attacked LRA bases in Congo . . . The UN and humanitarian agencies estimate the rebels have slaughtered some 900 civilians since Christmas” (Plaut 1). The main reason these unlucky victims are dead is that the rebel bases were attacked. The LRA is usually content to stay in hiding until their group is threatened. They are not powerful enough to go into direct combat with the Ugandan army, so they retaliate by attacking villages. That way, the army is busy defending civilians and is unable to pursue the group’s leaders. Since they are dwindling in support, they feel the need to increase their numbers when they are attacked, usually by kidnapping children. “The rate of [child] abductions has escalated dramatically since early 2002, when a military offensive launched by the Uganda’s People’s defense force resulted in the LRA returning to Uganda from their camps in southern Sudan” (Becker and Tate 1). Child abductions are a problem because the LRA is going to turn their captives into soldiers, which will only result in more violence. If the LRA cannot acquire any more soldiers, they will be finished. This should be brought to attention on a global scale, as a driving force to fuel the effort to hunt down Kony.
The victims of the LRA include children whom they recruit as soldiers in their army, and the civilians they attack along the way. Children as young as 5 are abducted because “few adults want to join [Mr. Kony’s] cultish, bloodthirsty, movement…” (Gettlemen 2). In general, children are much more impressionable than adults, making them an easy target for the LRA. Additionally, “Child soldiers are ideal because they don’t complain, they don’t expect to be paid and if you tell them to kill, they kill” (Polgreen 1). They are beaten, forbidden to cry, threatened with death and forced to participate in murders of other children. Most girls who are imprisoned by the rebel group are forced to be sex slaves after their puberty. Now, children in Acholiland live in fear, but they are not the only ones who suffer. The LRA hurts anyone they would like to demonstrate their domination of power and strength over others. The group slices of the “lips, hands, noses, and breasts of civilians intending that their victims survive as constant warnings to others” (Lacey 1). Another reason why the LRA targets civilians is that “it ties up soldiers in attempting to defending the civilians, reducing the number pursuing Kony and his men across the vast area in which they are operating” (Plaut 2). Through this idea, Kony and his troop members will further cause demolition and perhaps cause even more damages to the lands they are walking on. Now, with this thought that Kony formed, people live in terror of being his next target.
It is inevitable to sleep without a speck of fright in the Congo while the Lord’s Resistance Army is on the hunt. The death toll in eastern Congo and Uganda is in the thousands. The ones lucky enough to have survived the attacks are left traumatized and injured. As one victim remembers, I was abducted at night while preparing myself for sleep. We walked for a long with the rebels . . . The rebels threatened to shoot the children if anyone attempted to escape. My brother was beaten up badly because he had swollen feet and couldn’t move. I still have nightmares about it. (“Hear Our Voices...”1) Such acts are going to carve deep scars into a child’s memories. Fear of being captured changes children’s lives forever. Instead of going to school or playing outside, children spend their lives in hiding. They have a reason to be scared, because the rebel group continues to perform malicious acts – destroying homes and lives without sympathy or guilt and forcing their prey to do ridiculous things. A woman explains the day she was abducted, “’They took me on Christmas’, Mrs. Yebiye said. ‘Sometimes, they liked to dance. The rebels would eat marijuana and then turn up their radios in the middle of the jungle,’ she said. ‘If you didn’t dance with them, you got killed’” (Gettleman 2). The rebel leaders want to display their power over their victims by killing those who do not obey. They seem to enjoy the humiliation and suffering of others. It is as though the leaders feed off the fear of the civilians. The victim’s suffering will never end, given the enjoyment the leaders take in torturing them. The insurgent war in Uganda has raged on now for over 20 years. The Lord’s Resistance Army is not allied with anyone and yet still survives and continues to harass and terrorize the local peoples of Uganda and Congo despite the combined military efforts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, and Uganda. Even though the LRA is not allied with any nation, it is speculated that they receive aid from Khartoum’s regime, possibly as an appeasement act to discourage them from attacking, but also because the LRA in southern Sudan have been attacking Sudanese rebel groups.
The deputy governor of the South Sudanese state of Western Equatoria, Col Joseph Ngere, told the BBC that in his view elements in the Sudanese government in Khartoum were supporting the LRA, as they had in the past. ‘He had Khartoum’s government support in the 1980s,’ said Col Ngere. ‘And I think that continues. There are elements that still, clandestinely support the Kony movement. I don’t have evidence, but this is my belief.’ (Plaut 2) One reason why the government in Sudan is supporting the Lord’s Resistance Army may be that the LRA sometimes attacks Sudanese rebel groups. These groups pose a threat to the Sudanese government; therefore they are quite happy that the LRA is fighting them. However, if Sudan is in fact aiding the rebel’s cause, then this war could continue on for quite some time, costing more civilian lives, and further bolstering the LRA’s ranks as well as increasing the level of threat they pose to neighboring nations.
The LRA also seem to have no intention of solving their problems using a proper diplomatic approach. Almost every offer to sit down and negotiate with Kony has been declined. This behavior is caused by his fear of being captured and tried in the International Criminal Court, as “Mr. Kony said he will stop but only if he is not prosecuted” (Gettleman 1). Or, the LRA might simply have no intention of talking things out.
Though it seems as if the LRA will continue to ravage the villages of central Africa for many years to come, there might be a way to stop them. So far, trying to negotiate with Kony has been unsuccessful, but with a bit of incentive, maybe he will consider it. The Ugandan military is currently trying to track down Kony and is “[flying] in by helicopter on a daily basis to try to hunt down the elusive rebel leader” (BBC 1). Though unsuccessful, “The Ugandan government has pursued a dual approach of military action and mediation to bring peace to the region” (Nyanzi 1). The dual approach does seem self-contradictory, but perhaps a particular mix of various methods will bring Kony to the International Criminal Court.
The quest for peace is far from over, and the efforts to aid those who have been victims of the LRA have enjoyed some victory. Many essentials are arriving into the hands of those in need, courtesy of the United Nations. “The UN World Food Program [sends] food; the UN Children’s Fund [helps] with water and sanitation” (Africa News Service 1). Things are looking hopeful and optimistic for the victims, but the LRA will continue to strike if we give them a free and clear path of destroying villages and hurting innocent civilians. Until we put an end to the murders, there is no guarantee of safety for anyone. Only with international support can the Lord’s Resistance Army be stopped. It is up to us, the privileged upper class of humanity, to offer our help and shelter those who in are desperate need of protection.
So what can you do to help? Unicef has launched a campaign in order to help children who commute nightly just to avoid being abducted by the LRA. They provide the basic necessities as well as shelter for these young kids. Inspire Magazine has already helped by donating, and you can do the same, too. Put aside that unnecessary wish list, and help save lives instead.
Sources: HRW, BBC, NY Times, Amnesty, Gale Group, Relief Web, Mercury News.
We'll keep you updated on what we're doing to save the victims
Campaign Spotlight
There are millions of people who do not know of the crimes committed in the lands of Congo, Sudan, and Uganda. This article is here to provide you the in depth information of what atrocities are happening and what we can do as a group to prevent further deaths of innocent civilians.
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Ben Stiller is back with his old friends from the museum, and new friends from the Smithsonian, including the lovely Amy Adams. The film, reviewed by Inspire, is enjoyable for all ages and even better than the first!
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02. Fallin' For You - Colbie Caillat
03. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift
04. 1, 2, 3, 4 by Plain White T's
05. Better Together by Jack Johnson
06. Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
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08. Pocket Philosopher by Mandy Moore
09. Please Don't Leave me by P!nk
10. Long Shot by Kelly Clarkson
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