COIN case: LRA Lords Resistance Army

[davidbfpo]

Seleka, a mainly Muslim rebel group in the Central African Republic, said it captured Dominic Ongwen, a leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army militants, on Jan. 3 and handed him to U.S. forces (in CAR) two days later. A U.S. officer offered Seleka a monetary reward, General Antime, a Seleka official, said in a phone interview today

Link:www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-08/central-african-republic-s-seleka-says-it-captured-ongwen.html?

Events in France pushed this matter into the background, although on searching others have covered the story - so for a little more detail:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30705649

[davidbfpo]

Ho-hum, the Seleka haven't had their money or a thank you.

A Seleka commander said he was captured after a 25-minute battle, after which they informed US forces in the area. A US official had said that Mr Ongwen had defected, before being handed over to their forces.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30743647

[davidbfpo]

the story of the man as I know it, and what his defection might mean to the future of the LRA. More so than Joseph Kony, the founder and leader of the LRA, Ongwen is sadly typical of the LRA rank and file. His example refutes the erroneous but morally and sometimes legally convenient definitions of LRA members as either helpless victims or violent perpetrators. Abducted as a child, indoctrinated and forced into committing unspeakable acts before he had even hit puberty, Ongwen is clearly a victim, but he is also a perpetrator.

Which ends with:

The only thing clear from Ongwen’s surrender is that the LRA crisis is still not over.

Link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...child-soldier/

[davidbfpo]

A senior militia commander wanted for war crimes has been handed over to Ugandan troops in the Central African Republic (CAR), the US says.

Rebels in the CAR said he was captured but US officials say he defected.
Uganda has said he will face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30810501

[davidbfpo]

Pending an official statement by Uganda the NYT reports:

The bullet-scarred remains of the No. 2 commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army, the guerrilla group that once terrorized central Africa, have been positively identified after having been exhumed three months ago in a Uganda-led military expedition, a person involved in the recovery operation said Monday.....only Mr. Kony, a warlord and self-described prophet, remains at large.

Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/wo...n-uganda.html?

[davidbfpo]

The small US mission has attracted a WaPo report, with a lurid headline and these two opening passages:

As their mission stretches into a fifth year, however, U.S. troops have turned to some unsavory partners to help find Kony’s trail. Working from a new bush camp in the Central African Republic, U.S. forces have begun working closely with Muslim rebels — known as Seleka — who toppled the central government two years ago and triggered a still-raging sectarian war with a campaign of mass rapes and executions. The Pentagon had not previously disclosed that it is cooperating with Seleka and obtaining intelligence from the rebels. The arrangement has made some U.S. troops uncomfortable.

As previous posts from January 2015 show this cooperation is hardly new.

Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...19_story.html?

[davidbfpo]

A short article, no doubt part of the publisher's advertising; caveat aside maybe it helps to explain:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...memoir-extract