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UGANDAN OFFICIALS ARE renewing a claim made with some frequency over the years: that rebel leader Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army are receiving backing from the government of Sudan.
Ugandan forces commander Gen. Aronda Nyakairima said Monday he found credible a recent report from a captured LRA fighter saying that Kony was recently in the southern region of Sudan.
Col. Felix Kulayigye, the military’s spokesman, said some of the LRA rebels captured by the Ugandan military wore “new uniforms” supplied by Sudan, though Nyakairima said military officials have not found LRA fighters with weapons supplied by Sudan.
President Barack Obama sent 100 US forces into Central Africa last year to help regional militaries track Kony, and an online campaign this year by the advocacy group Invisible Children made Kony a YouTube sensation.
“Kony has always been a pawn in the Khartoum chess game over South Sudan. They have used him before and they hope to use him again to destabilise South Sudan,” Kulayigye said.
Abdulla Ali Masar, Sudan’s information minister, denied his government has ever supported the LRA.
“We have no relationship, whatsoever, with this Ugandan rebel and we have not supported and are not supporting him now,” Masar said. He said Kony “is nearer to South Sudan than to us and, in any case, we have no reason to support him. We rely on our own forces and we do not need anybody to support us in defending our country and ourselves.”
The accusations by Uganda that Sudan is aiding Kony come as the threat of war between Sudan and South Sudan has increased. The two sides have launched multiple cross-border attacks and Sudan has launched airstrikes in recent weeks.
Ugandan officials have long accused Khartoum of supporting the LRA in retaliation for Uganda’s support of the rebel movement known as the SPLA, which is now South Sudan’s military. South Sudan broke away from Sudan last year after voting for independence.
Okello Oryem, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister, told The Associated Press on Monday the LRA would have been long ago eliminated had it not been backed by Sudan.
“It’s been universally known that the LRA has been receiving support from elements within the Khartoum government or the Sudan Armed Forces,” Oryem said. He said Khartoum still gives Kony medicine, guns and uniforms — “the kinds of things a rebel wants.”
Kulayigye said that last week there were reports of Kony’s presence in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi told three US lawmakers who visited with him in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, in early April that Kony may still be getting supplies from Sudan.
“The original plan of Sudan was to use Kony to destabilise the region,” he said. “They wanted to use the LRA to attack Chad. Kony was central to this plan … . Kony still has some assistance, not much; it’s covert assistance. ”
Ugandan officials are concerned that Kony, whose brutal group has navigated the region’s porous borders in a highly successful campaign of murder and the abduction of children, could exploit renewed border tensions between Sudan and South Sudan to get back near Ugandan territory.
Some analysts say the conflict between the north and south is just what the LRA needs: the opportunity to be courted and then used in a proxy war.
Angelo Izama, a Kampala-based political analyst with the security think tank Fanaka Kwawote, said it was “the perfect time” for Kony to be influential again within the region.
“I have no doubt in my mind that it is the intention of the north (to use the LRA),” he said. “The LRA has always been a beneficiary of the fight between the north and the south.”
The US troops helping hunt Kony are in four regional countries affected by the LRA.
The Ugandan military has since 2008 focused on the Central African Republic, and the top Ugandan commander there insists the warlord is hiding somewhere in the vast jungle. Col. Joseph Balikuddembe told an AP reporter on Sunday that Kony is in the Central African Republic. US officials believe he is likely there as well.
Ugandan foot soldiers said they rarely encounter LRA rebels. Some complained of boredom, saying they were tired of spending their days looking for a phantom enemy, and others said the endless search through treacherous jungle was frustrating. The rank-and-file soldiers said they would like to be deployed in the Congo, where most of the attacks by suspected LRA have been reported in recent times.
Ugandan army officials say there are no more than 200 LRA fighters and that the rebels move in very small groups to avoid being detected. There is no LRA presence in Uganda, where the group’s rebellion started out as a popular uprising by northerners against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s southern-dominated government.
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If you don’t agree with KONY 2012; don’t donate! No one is forcing you to. If you don’t want to read an article about Kony; don’t click it! It’s very, very simple. Plus, this article is about Joseph Kony and what his army is doing; it is not directly about Invisible Children/KONY2012.
Ah stop with this kony crap,we should be more concerned with the whereabouts of bertie ahern,seanie fitz and co.
The man was and is responsible for mass murder, rape, psychological torture (of communities who live every day in fear of his return) and abduction plus forced enslavement of children…think you need to get a bit of perspective in your life…
It usually takes a while before the completely obscure and out of context references to ‘bertie’ and ‘the banks’ are made. Well done on contributing nothing, Michael.
Oisín. Do not always just readily believe what people tell you, or what is popular.
After the International Criminal Court issued an indictment against Joseph Kony, Northern Sudan cut off his funding. Joseph Kony has disappeared, and is probably no longer in Uganda. Many believe he is hiding in the African bush, probably in Congo. The fact is – Kony is no longer leading an army or kidnapping child soldiers.
So, here’s the big question: Why does Invisible Children want the United States and the United Kingdom focused on a retired rebel leader, Joseph Kony, when there are still many other active child armies in other countries?
Joseph Kony has been kidnapping children since 1986 (over 26 years) why should we care now? What has changed?
OIL.
In 2005, oil was discovered in Uganda. Tullow Oil has been planning to pump 200,000 barrels of oil per day, but the Marxist President Yoweri Museveni’s administration is now very unstable and reeling from bribery scandals. The political instability and existence of the Lord’s Resistance Army, has slowed the plans to produce oil.In 2008, the United States military assisted financially and logistically during the unsuccessful Operation Lightning Thunder to stop Kony.
In May 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act that made it American policy to kill or capture Joseph Kony and to crush his rebellion.
In October 2011, Obama authorized the deployment of approximately 100 combat-equipped U.S. troops to central Africa. Their goal is to help regional forces remove Kony and senior LRA leaders from the battlefield.
JP Morgan, Chase Bank, and Exxon Mobil. Chase Bank contributed $1 million to Invisible Children to help them produce the KONY 2012 campaign, among other programs. AND JP Morgan Chase is also a major investment banker of Tullow Oil.. That’s right, the oil company that needs US military help to pump oil out of Uganda.
Exxon Mobil is now a major partner in the oil drilling operation in Uganda. JP Morgan and Chase Bank are intimately tied to Exxon Mobil through the Rockefeller family with corporate board members sharing positions in both companies.
Gary; people keep brining up the point that Kony is no longer in Uganda. WE KNOW. Invisible have said it over and over.
On to your other point (Joseph Kony has been kidnapping children since 1986 (over 26 years) why should we care now? What has changed?). Invisible Children focus on Kony/LRA. That is their “area”. Jason Russell went to Uganda and saw this. That is why he set up IC to try DO SOME GOOD, which includes KONY2012. IC have said that their issue isn’t the only thing wrong in the world, they have said that you don’t have to donate or anything! I am sure if you look hard enough, you will find a charity that deals with child armies and warlords else where.
Also (unrelated); when people say Kony is dead I wonder. The UN, EU, AU and ICC all seem to think he IS alive and they are actively pursuing him. There must be evidence enough that he IS alive and out there for the UN of all organizations to be trying to get him.
@Gary and Michael,
Did a masters in International Relations in 2008. Did my thesis on the long term effect of the LRA on communities in the north of Uganda.
Even in 2008 Kony was no longer based in north Uganda. However kids were still sleeping in communal areas in urban centres for fear that Kony was going to come back.
I agree it may be strange that America et al are getting interested in Kony now. However Tullow Oil had – as early as 2009 when I visited the country come to agreement with Yuseveni in relation to the oil fields and the purchase of Heritage Oil’s portion of those fields.
However, even in 2009 Invisible Children were in operation in the country. Please do not get me wrong but the fact is that the impact that Kony had in Uganda is very real and is continuing to this day with local militia’s which were set up to defend against the LRA using similar tactics against one and other.
In addition, the fact that Kony has only 200 followers is not an issue. He had at the start of the very justified uprising of the Acholi people against Yoweri Museveni’s Banyankoli tribe – due to their being isolated from the army and all decent jobs in the country – up on 30 – 40,000 supporters.
Following the main ceasefire that occured in 2006 that dwindled to circa 200 – 300 people with the Acholi (who were being traumatised by Kony) returning from IDP camps. However following this and the LRA departing to the Congo – the size of the army increased again to the 1000′s – hence everyone’s concern – as long as he is free people will fear his return.
This is the fact of the matter. And to be honest, whether the reason that the Americans and everyone else is getting interested now is because of Oil or not – it is totally irrelevant.
The reason it is irrelevant is that by capturing Kony will improve the lives of literally hundreds of thousands of people who still live in fear of Kony returning – be they in Congo, Sudan, or the Central African Republic (where it is believed he has been located for over a year now).
Anyway, that is my tuppance worth. Not disagreeing about the oil – just letting you know that I am not “believing all the hype” but basing what I say on my own research and personal experience.
To be honest though – regardless whether
At
Scam
He’s got to goooo!!
More propaganda from Uganda I would imagine, no?
Not necessarily Diarmaid.
Sudan have used proxy “fighters” for years to hide the fact that the army was not able to carry out these actions by themselves.
Far easier to arm local units who have grudges with their neighbours – either in Darfur or Chad or elsewhere rather than having to mobilise huge amounts of personnel and shift them long distances – far easier to provide weapons and uniforms and ariel bombardment support…
No offence but while Yoseveni is no saint – he did afterall employ the same tactic of supporting rebels in other countries – namely Sudan and Rwanda, it is not like Omar – al Bashir is a saint either – look at what he is doing to his own people in Darfur and what he has done to South Sudan for years and years.
He is an absolute disgrace and lets face it wanted by the ICC – therefore he has nothing to lose. A bit like Syria – if he loses the fight he is a dead man – therefore there is only one option and that is to keep stirring up trouble to ensure he maintains complete control at home…
But it was revealed that this whole thing was a scam and he doesn’t even exist. So surely this story should be in the Daily Edge section.
The people who replied negatively to my comment were obviousły gullible people who probably ‘shared’ it on facebook!! If you cared so much go to uganda and help find kony,the leader of Some kind of army with less members than a rural gaa club
Sudan and Somalia – the nations (?) from hell.
Diarmaid, can you explain why you think that?
Just research it yourself, type in Kony 2010 scam or fraud, into google, and start educating yourself by seeing ALL sides of the story. The world is not what the victors of WW2 say it is.
have your say