COIN case: LRA

[Dayuhan]

Originally Posted by M-A Lagrange

http://www.starafrica.com/fr/actuali...la-239777.html

Let say we are lucky Kony is an idiot.

Is that a uranium mining operation, or processing? Not much Kony's guys could do with raw uranium ore, and I don't think any refinement to a degree that would produce a dangerous product would be going on in CAR...

[M-A Lagrange]

Hello Dayuhan,

Thats right, Kony can do nothing with uranium ore. And anyways, he is too dum to do anything with refined uranium.

LRA hunt is quite well engaged. And it just demonstrates that what is problematic in this part of the world are not the armed group but rather the absence of political will to effectively fight against them.
After 20 years of terror, LRA is going to be wipped out just because someone committed ressources and and sticked to the objective...

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to CFC for this unexpected update:

AU force to co-ordinate soldiers from regional armies hunting Lord's Resistance Army, but troops still lack resources....AU's special envoy on the LRA, Francisco Madeira, said the DRC had still not contributed troops but some commitments had been made and said the force required assistance to help it function properly.

"We need more support, I don't have to elaborate on these because my predecessor has done this so well. We need support in terms of means of transport, communication, medicine, combat rations and uniforms for the troops tracking the LRA. This is particularly important and critical and most urgent for the central African troops who handed over their contingent despite the challenges facing them.....

Link:http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa...754887151.html

[davidbfpo]

A harsh review on FP:

The African Union Regional Task force -- envisioned as a 5,000-strong regional expeditionary force tasked with hunting down Kony's Lord's Resistance Army over a 115,000 square mile area -- has never mustered all the troops needed for the mission, nor formed into a real mobile force capable of mounting a cross border chase.

"The [task force] is not close to realizing the vision of a multinational force conducting effective offensive operations against the LRA and protecting civilians....It exists only on paper and cannot be considered operational."

Link to article:http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/p...h_kony_stalled

Link to cited report:http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb...nce%20Army.pdf

One wonders if the social media campaign on the LRA will pick this up and re-start their campaign. As it is Africa and the UN even if they did I have m' doubts anyone would do anything beyond "grandstanding".

[davidbfpo]

Little by little.

The rebel, known as Brigadier Binani, was killed on Friday in a clash with Ugandan troops in the dense jungles of eastern Central African Republic close to the border with South Sudan....We got intelligence that the group was there and the squads were inserted to pursue them... the clash took place some 170 miles north of the remote settlement of Djema.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rd-killed.html

[davidbfpo]

Pointer to a SWJ article, the full title being 'Youth Lost: Ugandan Child Soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army':http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...esistance-army

An interesting article on a quick glance, written IMHO by someone who has not been "boots on the ground" in the region - from a short bio.

Step forward an anonymous commentator:

I would like to add some perspective from someone who has personally participated in tactical operations during Operations Observant Compass (OOC), AFRICOM’s mission to assist the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) in eradicating the LRA.