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BOSTON What will it take to catch Joseph Kony and bring an endto the scourge of his Lord s Resistance Army in Central Africa? Kony is now a household word in the US and much of the world thanksto the Kony 2012 video released in early March that has beenviewed by more 100 million people. The video campaign has raisedawareness and helped to boost the military campaign to track downKony. But more effort is needed. The 100 American military advisers are working closely with armytroops from Uganda and the Central African Republic to catch Kony.But that has not stopped the LRA s violence, so far this yearthere have been 50 attacks, nine deaths and 90 abductions,according to a new field report Mission in the Balance: Challenges for US Advisers in Helping toend the LRA, issued by the Enough Project. Kony s LRA is reduced to about 200 to 300 fighters that havebroken up into small groups, according to Michael Poffenberger,executive director of Resolve , an anti-Kony pressure group in Washington. The relatively small number of LRA fighters have had adisproportionate impact across central Africa where their attacks,killings and abductions have caused more thatn 400,000 people to bedisplaced, Poffenberger told GlobalPost. More needs to be doneto reduce the violence and to allow people to return to productivelives. The small bands of LRA are spread out among the thick jungle of theCentral African Republic, Sudan and the Democratic Republic ofCongo. Kony himself is suspected to be in Sudan, and there isspeculation that he is getting support from Sudan President Omaral-Bashir. It s no accident that Kony and other LRA fighters are operatingin these areas. They are some of the most remote areas on theplanet, said Poffenberger. The government administrations areweak to non-existent, they heavy forest makes it difficult to trackthem. These areas do not have paved roads, bridges and FM radionetworks. Uganda has that kind of infrastructure which helped theUgandan army to pursue and push the LRA out of their territory. In addition to Kony himself there are about five to 10 senior LRAcommanders who run marauding bands, said Poffenberger. One of Kony s top commanders, Caesar Acellam, was captured on May12 in the Central African Republic. He was Kony's intelligencechief and the most senior LRA commander to be taken captive. It ishoped Acellam will provide strategic information that will boostthe campaign against Kony. Small units of the Ugandan army had been tracking the movements of Major General Acellam for at least a month. Laying siegethroughout the day and night, Acellam was finally apprehended whenhe walked into a dragnet along the Mbomou River that marks theborder between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the aCentralAfrican Republic, reported the Ugandan Observer. In order to avoid detection, Acellam was reportedly dressed likethe ordinary cattle keepers that roam the jungles of the CentralAfrican Republic with their herds. Despite his modest education,having completed high school in northern Ugdanda, Acellam was oneof the most meticulous and dangerous LRA commanders. Acellam s capture was welcomed by the Commander of the UnitedStates Africa Command (AFRICOM) Gen. Carter F. Ham. "I am confident Joseph Kony will be brought to justice. I am notconfident when it will happen,' said Ham in an interview with Uganda s New Vision newspaper . 'It is looking for a small group in a vast rugged area. Thecapture of Acellam is a good step. The questions that will be askedAcellam will help the forces learn about the status of LRA,' hepointed out. Ugandan authorities are debating whether Acellam will be eligiblefor amnesty, if he informs against Kony, or if he must be chargedfor the LRA violence, according to AP . The success in catching Acellam highlights the need for more suchmeasures to capture Kony. The mission of the US troops will fail in its objective ofcapturing Kony and ending the LRA unless some serious enhancementsare added to the overall effort, said John Prendergast, EnoughProject co-founder. What a waste of taxpayers money it willhave been t send US forces to the region and then not have ensuredthat sufficient elements are in place for the mission to succeed. So what can be done to close the net on Kony and restore peace incentral Africa? 1) More troops and better coordination. Currently the backbone ofthe anti-Kony drive is a contingent of 800 Ugandan army soldiers.More troops are needed to cover the huge area. And they need betterregional agreements that will permit them to pursue the LRA acrossthe borders Central African Republic and Congo and Sudan. 2) More airpower. Airplanes and especially helicopters can bestsurvey the vast tracts of land where the LRA roam. Helicopters canbest transport army troops to areas where they can go after theLRA. 3) Better communications and community relations. Not all theeffort against Kony is military. Community radio broadcasts andleaflets dropped by air can help reach out to Kony s men andencourage them to surrender. They can be assured that they canreturn to their home communities and a peaceful way of life. Thiscould be an important way to reduce Kony s support. The disturbing fact is that the LRA continues to operate freelyin the border areas of the Congo, South Sudan and the CentralAfrican Republic, said Kasper Agger, Enough s field researcherwho is based in Kampala. Only a multi-faceted approach, includingincreased troops and air power on the military side and increasedcommunications encouraging LRA members to surrender, will succeedin bringing and end to the more than 20 years of violence andatrocities that Kony and LRA have spread across central Africa. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Mens Stainless Steel Pendants , Cotton Cord Bracelet Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Leather Wrist Bracelets.
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