Children as young as 10 years old are being coerced into kidnapping other children, and recruiting them for the Lord’s Resistance Army. At first glance, you would probably think this is the introduction to a “Frontline” documentary – sadly it isn’t.
For more than a decade, the notorious LRA has raped, murdered and displaced thousands from their homes in Uganda and surrounding areas. About 1,300 civilians have been murdered, 1,400 people abducted, and 2 million displaced, according to the BBC and United Nations.
More recently the LRA, which was formed in the late-80s after the country’s civil war, has been on the move, and the war has been spilling out of Uganda into Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
There have been numerous attempts by the Ugandan government to work toward a peace agreement between the LRA and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni. But its efforts have been in vain, and the government has been aloof with other attempts since 2006. That same year, Jan Egeland was the secretary general of the U.N., and he personally met with Joesph Kony, leader of the LRA, to discuss releasing child brides, arrest warrants and a peace treaty, but nothing seemed to prevail.
Kony, while seemingly interested in the needs of the Ugandan people, is more concerned with his own freedom, and it is past time that the U.N., as well as the rest of the world, realizes that as long as they are playing Kony’s game, they are not going to gain any advantage or make any improvement toward alleviating the Ugandan people from suppression.
Kony’s chief negotiator, David Mastsanga, told authorities he was too sick to be present at the peace signing, and again, on April 10, 2009, he delayed negotiations saying he needed to consult Ugandan elders. This was solely an excuse to continue pushing his own political agenda, subsequently denying the Ugandan people freedom.
Kony and several of his top commanders currently have warrants issued for their arrest due to “crimes against humanity,” according to the U.N. Kony has failed to make court appearances in International Criminal Court, and since has replenished his resources; obtaining more child soldiers, child brides and weapons.
It is getting harder for the Ugandan government to keep track of his whereabouts because he an his supporters are constantly moving into tougher terrains. The U.N. should not be waiting to see what Kony’s next move is, or watch the Ugandan government stand with its hands in its pockets. Rather, the U.N. should be making plans to appoint a new government and change the state of Uganda.
The situation is beyond dire, the U.N. is aware of the heinous acts that have, and are, taking place in Uganda, yet they continue to slap him on the wrist and turn the other cheek.
Throughout history we’ve been given examples of what happens when corrupt governments imprison its citizens. However, the U.N. has not made any drastic steps toward improving these peoples lives, and no real effort to imprisoning the people responsible for these crimes against humanity. The U.N. just isn’t doing enough, it continues to mismanage resources that could be used to help the impoverished country and to stop the war.
When tragedy struck America on 9/11 the United States government stood up for its citizens and vowed to not only protect them, but also bring the people responsible to justice. However, the Ugandan government will not stand up for its people – it is the one suppressing the citizens of Uganda. It is allowing the people of Uganda to be mutilated, and their country destroyed by extremists. People are dying before they reach the age of 18, yet people continue to look at the genocide in Uganda as another African tragedy.
The turmoil is sadly similar to the heinous acts of Rwandan genocide. The world stood up after these horrific acts and vowed not to let something like this go unnoticed, but we have. These people are being murdered and the only people who can really make a difference aren’t. Sure, there are countless nonprofit organizations helping fight the cause, but these people don’t have the power to write legislation or to declare war. Other nations should be using the money they pay to the U.N. to help end such an outrage. We are talking about human beings.
Uganda has been consumed by the war and any inkling of normalcy has ceased to exist. School attendance has declined over the years because of the abductions, and the people have resorted to enlisting former rebel soldiers in the Ugandan army to hunt down Kony and his army.
Despite the odds, there is a chance for peace to be restored, but the people of the world are going to have to stand up against it – fight to stop it.
If we do nothing, then we are all sending the message that it is okay for things like this to happen. Many of us have become disengaged and insensitive about the world around us and it is time to take a stand and protect the people of our world.