Ashley Benner's blog

The trial of former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo took a new turn but did not conclusively end yesterday when the High Court of Uganda ordered that Kwoyelo be granted amnesty.  Read More »

The United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo submitted its final report last month, which includes several points about the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, worth noting.  Read More »

While many people are preparing for holiday festivities, the Lord’s Resistance Army could be planning another large-scale “Christmas massacre.” During the holiday season in 2008 and 2009, the LRA conducted widespread attacks, killing and abducting hundreds of people. Some analysts have cautioned that the LRA may do so again this year.  Read More »

Just days after Enough Project and partner organizations Resolve and Invisible Children issued the third installment of our report card grading the efforts of the Obama administration to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army, the U.S. Secretary of State released its self-assessment—a report to Congress. The administration’s report highlights that the U.S. has increased its engagement on the LRA, particularly with the recent deployment of U.S. military advisors to assist regional efforts. However, more robust and sustained involvement is needed to avoid a repeat of previous, failed military operations–particularly Operation Lightning Thunder–and a continuation of the current foundering efforts.  Read More »

The White House’s move to send military advisors to Central Africa has renewed attention to the LRA crisis in a potentially game-changing way. Taken together with the current negotiations over a possible new African Union-led mission to stop the rebel group, we could be witnessing a turning point in the way the international community addresses this brutal group – hopefully leading to its demise once and for all.

A new paper released by Enough today hones in on what it will take for these current initiatives to succeed and put an end to the LRA once and for all.  Read More »

Uganda’s Constitutional Court has issued an important ruling that will significantly affect the future of the crisis caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. The court upheld the Ugandan Amnesty Act as constitutional and ruled that it should be applied to the trial of former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, the first former LRA member to be prosecuted.  Read More »

The controversial trial of former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo has taken a discouraging turn. The first former LRA rebel to stand trial, Kwoyelo has applied for amnesty through Uganda’s Amnesty Act of 2000 but has not been granted it. Furthermore, the Ugandan government is now attempting to strike down the Amnesty Act – a vital tool for encouraging LRA commanders and rank-and-file fighters to leave the group – by contending that the law is unconstitutional.  Read More »

The commander of U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, recently spoke about the commitment of the United States to apprehending Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and acknowledged that there is “a lot of work yet to do.” Meeting with Ugandan reporters at AFRICOM headquarters, Commander General Carter F. Ham said that the priority is stopping Kony. “The preferred way to do this is to capture him and bring him to justice,” Ham said.  Read More »

In an uncommon show of interest, the U.N. Security Council held a private meeting late last week to discuss the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. It was the first time in nearly two years that the Council discussed the LRA as a stand-alone issue in an official meeting.  Read More »

Efforts to end the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, show further signs of slowing, at a time when they are urgently needed. While LRA violence is increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the group’s leader Joseph Kony and the majority of his fighters are now in Congo likely regrouping and reorganizing, efforts to apprehend the LRA senior leadership, protect civilians, and promote the defection of its fighters continue to falter. Here’s a sketch of some recent developments.  Read More »