Ugandan Headlines in the Daily Monitor Newspaper on October 16 -2011

US troops arrive to ‘kill or capture’ Kony

The Reality: President Obama has dispatched 100 US Soldiers as Military Advisers to the Ugandan, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudanese Armies.

Presently - Joseph Kony - at least as of last week Joseph Kony was near Ndjema, in the Central African Republic, there US Troops arrive in Central Africa to assist regional Armies in Hunt for Kony the Ugandan who has been in a regional pursuit of Kony and the LRA (with the permission of the local governments) interrupted a bath he was taken - he was alerted by his heavy security detail and all the Ugandan Army found was a basin full of water and a towel - once again Joseph Kony had escaped.

On Wednesday - October 12 - 2011 - the first contingent of the 100 military advisory personnel arrived and were welcomed by the Ugandan Military - the headline in the Ugandan Newspaper Daily Monitor is erroneous and not in line that President Obama outlined in his letter to House Speaker -John Boehner - the authority that letter being based on the Lord’s Resistance Army and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 passed by Congress and signed into low by President Obama - Lord’s Resistance Army and Northern Uganda Recover Act of 2009 -“These forces will act as advisers to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA. Our forces will provide informative, advice and assistance [to the regional armies,” The US Forces will be combat equipped however they will only act in self defense - their main mission being that of Advisers and not Combatants.

The Actions against Joseph Kony and the LRA will take place outside of Uganda - in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan - these are the countries that the LRA has been operating in since 2006 - since 2006 there have been no LRA activities inside of Uganda and the north of Uganda has been rebuilding since that time - some areas more than other - but it will take a few years for the infrastructure of that region to become comparable to the Central and Western areas of Uganda.

The Ugandan Acting Foreign MinisterHenry Okello Oryem (the foreign minister Mr. Kutesa has resigned over bribe accusations coming from the massive oil finds & development in Uganda) “We welcome this gesture — it has been well overdue,” He went on to say “For 20 years, the government of Uganda has been pleading with our American and European friends to help in the LRA problem, because these are international terrorists,” Oryem said. “We wanted our friends to help in providing technical support — such as intelligence — because they have the best.”

The mostly special operations forces could deploy in Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Democratic
Uganda’s defence spokesman Felix Kulayigye said the first batch of US troops were already in Uganda.

“Some of the forces are already in the country,” Kulayigye said. “Their approach is regional — DR Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Uganda. How far they will go depends on the cooperation arrangements.”

Washington has provided more than $40 million in logistical support, equipment and training to counter-LRA operations by armies in the region since 2008, according to State Department officials.

Hopefully - from the perspective of many Ugandans and other people in the region this will not faintly resemble the failed Operation Lightning Thunder of 2008 - which was totally bungled and yes inspired and mentored by none other than the US military.

Joseph Kony has a trail of tears behind him - 20 years of havoc in Uganda in which thousands of Ugandans lost their lives, thousand were abducted and made in child soldiers and the girls into concubines and so-called wives, millions displaced from their home into squalid refugee camps were girls sold themselves for as little as 20 cents in spite of the fear of AIDS - simply wanting to eat today - education came to a stand still and life was simply in the survival mode. That terror has been transferred the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and the newest nation in Africa - South Sudan - in South Sudan vast areas of the bread basket area of West Equatoria are unfarmed due to insecurity from the LRA.

The US Military action comes as a surprise to many - here is an article from UK Independent Newspaper - October 16, 2011

While the size of the deployment is small, it is a surprising intervention. Although some US troops are based in Djibouti and small groups of soldiers have been deployed to Somalia, the US traditionally has been reluctant to commit forces to help African nations to put down insurgencies. It demonstrates the Obama administration's escalating attention to and fears about security risks in Africa, including terror networks, piracy and unstable nations.

Pentagon officials said the bulk of the deployment will be of special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units. The move raises the profile of US involvement on the continent – and is an apparent victory for administration officials who have argued for more robust intervention in humanitarian crises. A number of high-ranking Obama advisers have been left scarred by the US failure in the 1990s to intervene to stop genocide in Rwanda and the belated action to halt the violence in Bosnia.

Joseph Kony - with his stealth gorilla tactics, his knowledge of lay of the land, the jungles and forests of Central Africa have allowed him to evade his captors for over 24 years - however if the US begins to use Drones and other methods that are unavailable to the military Forces of Uganda and other surrounding nations - his days may be numbered. Joseph Kony is not a hero - but a coward - who never signed a peace agreement with the Ugandan government because of his fear of being arrested because of the outstanding ICC warrant.

Some Nations such as Pakistan have criticized the move by President Obama - still smarting from the raid inside of Pakistan that resulted in the death Osama bin Laden - they wanted a UN resolution - there is however a big difference - not only is President Obama acting on legislation given by Congress but acting upon the invitations of the various governments now suffering from the menace of the LRA. Others are mumbling that the real reason President Obama is sending troops is because of the Oil found both in Uganda and South Sudan - the reality is that most of that oil is being snapped up by an early comer - called China. In regards to the UN - who wants the UN with the track record that they have had in the Democratic Republic of Congo - simply appalling - unable to keep the people safe - involved in smuggling of gold, diamonds, selling guns back to rebels and much more - UN - and its track record in Africa is simply dismal.

One would hope - that for once - there would be a quick resolve of the Joseph Kony and the LRA issue - young people be allowed to return to their home and be assisted on their way back to normalcy of life if that can ever be achieved after the harrowing times they have endured with the LRA...from Kampala...Uganda...jon

A Thought Provoking Article by Scott Morgan that is certainly worth reading regarding the deployment of troops and the Image of the US

Unintended potential Consequences of the deployment of 100 US Soldiers