COIN case: LRA Lords Resistance Army

[carl]

The Ugandan Army reports that Bok Abudema was killed recently by the UPDF in the Central African Republic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8437886.stm

This seems another in a slow but steady stream of LRA commanders being killed or captured. It is interesting they appear to be going down alone or with only one or two followers. Perhaps the UPDF has figured out what to do and is doing it.

[davidbfpo]

I caught this BBC radio report AM today and it is bad: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/8444884.stm

Item is at 0743hrs and is four minutes long:

Ritual killings of children in Uganda may be more common than previously thought, a BBC investigation has found. Tim Whewell reports from northern Uganda.

I hope this is available beyond the UK.

[davidbfpo]

The earlier BBC item featured Thursday night on BBC Newsnight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ht_07_01_2010/ and since there are often problems with viewing - this item has text and an IPOD radio broadcast:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ht/8441813.stm

Cross-reference made on another thread where issue has appeared, from Post No.22 onwards, amidst an exchange:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...?t=2038&page=2

[carl]

The quote below is from this story

http://allafrica.com/stories/200912300068.html

in allafrica.com. I thought it interesting because it may shine a little light on how the UPDF is going after the the LRA.

Samuel Obali, who surrendered in November, said they were also forced to surrender because of the constant pursuit by the UPDF forces in the CAR, DR-Congo and Southern Sudan. We had no food, water, medicine and lacked communication with the central command. We had to organise ourselves and surrender to the Congolese Armed Forces in order to survive.

[davidbfpo]

Evidence of the massacre (by the LRA) of at least 321 people in Democratic Republic of Congo has been uncovered by the BBC.

Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8587305.stm

[Rex Brynen]

DR Congo: Lord’s Resistance Army Rampage Kills 321
Regional Strategy Needed to End Rebel Group’s Atrocities and Apprehend Leaders

Human Rights Watch
MARCH 28, 2010
Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher

(Kampala) - The rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) killed at least 321 civilians and abducted 250 others, including at least 80 children, during a previously unreported four-day rampage in the Makombo area of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2009, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

"The Makombo massacre is one of the worst ever committed by the LRA in its bloody 23-year history, yet it has gone unreported for months," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The four-day rampage demonstrates that the LRA remains a serious threat to civilians and is not a spent force, as the Ugandan and Congolese governments claim."

The 67-page report, "Trail of Death: LRA Atrocities in Northeastern Congo," is the first detailed documentation of the Makombo massacre and other atrocities by the LRA in Congo in 2009 and early 2010. The report, based on a Human Rights Watch fact-finding mission to the massacre area in February, documents the brutal killings during the well-planned LRA attack from December 14 to 17 in the remote Makombo area of Haute Uele district.

[Michael F]

I've been reading this report and a few things AMAZE me:

First, it took 12 weeks for MONUC to send an enquiry team. They say it was because of the remoteness of the killings grounds but it seems like a STUPId excuse: The FARDC and UPDF had troops there 2 days after the massacre (and they went on foot, MONUC has helicopters), refugees from this area have been flooding the city of Niangara (2 days of walk from the killing grounds)...so MONUC can't do with helicopters or on foot what FARDC, UPDF or civilians can do ?????

Second, MONUC knew end Dec 09, UPDF, FARDC a few days before,....and they kept on saying the LRA was "neutralized", with Rudia II being a "mop up" operation. These were overoptimistic statements despite knowing the truth ? a Lie thus ?????

Finally, the LRA now has some 200 new recruits via this operation and has proven to be able to do a lot of damage in a very short time. The months before, they were walking around in the same area without being hindered by any UPDF-FARDC actions (despite UPDF or FARDC forces never more than 50 Km from them).

My conclusion, everybody kept on saying the LRA was neutralized in DRC but knew it was false. Rudia II failed completely and MONUC, FARDC, UPDF (AFRICOM?) refused to admit it publicly.

Knowing the LRA, their next attack would be even more violent to make sure no "cover up" is possiblle.