Right Truth

Uganda: Why Now???

... The U.S. has been quietly involved in the war on the LRA [Lord’s Resistance Army] for several years, even helping the Ugandans plan a 2009 raid that missed Kony and sparked a bloody LRA reprisal. So why make such a big deal out of the latest effort? Could the new deployment represent the beginning of another U.S. “shadow war” waged by commandos and killer drones?

And why now? The LRA has been raping and pillaging across Central Africa for 20 years. What, besides a widely-ignored 2010 law, compelled Washington to try again to defeat the group?  (Wired Danger Room)

This is the question Americans are asking, why now, why after all these years? We're told by different sources that the LRA is only 400 members strong.  Why haven't we used drones and missiles to take these people out over all these years?  Yet after two decades or more of raping, killing, torturing, abusing young children, more than 65,000 children over the years, kidnapping tens of thousands of people, forcing them into slavery, the military and prostitution, suddenly we send 100 soldiers?

We're told that the US military already in Uganda and the new members arriving soon -- all combat ready and instructed to fight if attacked -- may further deploy to the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan. According to reports the US is only sending 100 troops, as advisers. (image: VOA)

Here is one possible explanation:

“Multiple reports from former LRA abductees indicate that key members of the LRA command structure gathered in southeast Central African Republic between June and September of 2011,” Ronan [Paul Ronan, from the aid group Resolve] said. The meeting reportedly included Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

“By late September an LRA group of 100 to 200 had split up and was heading into South Sudan and towards Congo, split between four and five groups,” Ronan added. What they’re up to, is anyone’s guess — but it can’t be good. And if their intentions include a large-scale assault on innocent civilians, it could explain why the Pentagon is in a hurry to intervene. (Wired Danger Room)  

So, the 200 (or 400 depending on sources) member group has divided up into four or five groups, approximately 40 bad guys per group spread out over how many miles?  Uganda has a land surface of 241,139 square kilometers (roughly twice the size of the state of Pennsylvania).  It seems to me the goal of taking out the LRA and it's leaders would have been much easier years ago, but that's just me.

Why were troops not sent back in 2009 when congressional permission was given?  I am hesitant to suggest that the Barack Obama administration has any political reason for sending these troops now.  They already have the 'not-war' in Libya which we were told would have no boots on the ground (lie), which would take only a few weeks (lie), where the US would be taking an advisory role (lie).  Outcry from the Left on Libya was nil, same with the announcement on troops to Uganda, unlike the outcry for troops sent by previous presidents.

I'm afraid the answer to the question "why now?" remains unanswered for me.

 

Uganda and the US unlikely partners in the Global War against terror

By Roni Drukan

The last decade was dominated by the war against terror. Throughout the post 9/11 era, Al Qaeda and the threat of Islamic terrorism have played a central role in defining Washington's diplomatic agenda. Terror has become a global concern and the war against terror is wide spread. Just how wide spread is this global anti terror initiative is demonstrated by the recent deployment of US troops in central Africa.

President Barack Obama announced a few days ago he is dispatching about 100 U.S. troops — mostly special operations forces — to central Africa to advise in the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, a guerrilla group accused of widespread atrocities across several countries. While the rebels are quite weak, capturing LRA leader Joseph Kony is of high priority to Uganda's President Museveni. The U.S. contingent will aid local forces fighting Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan

Why does the US intervene in a local crisis in central Africa? Well, apparently President Museveni has committed thousands of troops to the African Union force in Somalia to fight militants from al-Shabab, a group with ties to Al Qaeda.  

So the US helps Uganda fight its local battles while freeing up Uganda's soldiers to deal with Al Qaeda in Somalia.

Al Qaeda presence in northern Africa

America has upped its game in Africa since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, creating its first-ever Africa Command. A particular focus has been on Somolia and North Africa, where Al Queda has established several spin-off groups. Pirating has also become another security headache.

“Our presence on the African continent is part of our network of building partners, of gaining intelligence,” said Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, ".. we have to be networked against the specific threat, and part of that requires our presence in Africa."

While budget cuts may force the US to reduce its involvement in the hotbeds of Al Qaeda, such global cooperation with leading African countries like Uganda can help to contain the threat.

 

(See other articles by Roni Drukan at Right Truth here)