5 Reasons To Be Suspicious About the US Search For Kony In Uganda

Joseph Kony Has Not Been In Uganda Since 2006 Joseph Kony is the leader of a militant rebel group operating in central Africa called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He was brought under fire by the global community when his brutal practice of capturing thousands of children to be trained as soldiers in the LRA and exploiting children as sex slaves was revealed. The United States government used this information to justify its role in an Ugandan insurgency in 2011. However, Kony has not been in Uganda since 2006. After failed peace talks and a successful Ugandan military show of force, Kony and the LRA were pushed out of Uganda. Since then, he and his rebellion have been operating throughout neighboring countries including the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the rebel leader's absence from Uganda for five years, U.S. President Barack Obama sent 100 troops to Uganda in 2011 to search for him. Uganda is Rich in Natural Resources Uganda is one of the most resource-rich countries in Africa. Lush forests, an abundance of oil and natural gas and mineral ores make up a substantial part of Uganda's landscape. The United States has an ongoing challenge with depletion of natural resources, and the government is constantly seeking solutions to correct the scarcity. Often, the key to obtaining natural resources involves an American military insurgency and economic warfare. US Threatened to Freeze Aid But Offered to Ramp Up Military Assistance In December 2013, the Ugandans approved the "Anti-Homosexual Act," which criminalize homosexuality, including life imprisonment for homosexual intercourse between HIV-positive individuals, underage children and the disabled. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the bill as "morally wrong" and drew parallels between the Ugandan government and homosexuals, and Nazi Germany and Holocaust victims. On March 20, 2014, the Obama administration announced that nearly $10 million in aid would be redirected to nongovernmental organizations in Uganda. While the U.S. government sought to punish the Ugandan people for their views on sexual orientation, they were eager to offer several CV-22 Osprey aircraft, along with 150 Air Force Special Operations forces and other airmen, to join the American troops already in the region to help the Ugandan government find Mr. Kony. LRA Numbers Have Decreased Initial reports stated that more than 66,000 children were forced into military service under Kony's leadership; however, that number reflects the number of children abducted by the LRA over the span of 30 years. In 2012, the number of Kony's Lord's Resistance Army was reported to have dwindled to a few hundred soldiers in total. Invisible Children and the Kony 2012 Documentary "Kony 2012" was a documentary produced by the American charity, Invisible Children. Since its YouTube release on March 5, 2012, the film has amassed almost 10o million views. "Kony 2012" went viral. Not only did the film shine light on the exploitation of the children abducted by the LRA, the film also rallied support to stop the rebel leader, from millions of people around the world. Unfortunately, the film misinformed the masses with reports that Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army was still unleashing terror on Ugandans at the time of its release. Many Ugandans were outraged by the deceptions portrayed in Kony 2012. Dr. Beatrice Mpora, director of Kairos, a community health organization in Gulu, Uganda, stated, "What that video says is totally wrong, and it can cause us more problems than help us." She added: "There has not been a single soul from the LRA here since 2006. Now we have peace, people are back in their homes, they are planting their fields, they are starting their businesses. That is what people should help us with.” "Kony 2012" was released less than five months after the Obama administration initially sent troops to Uganda on October 12, 2011, to allegedly provide military support against the LRA. Source: http://abcnews.go.com http://invisiblechildren.com http://www.telegraph.co.uk http://www.theguardian.com http://blog.foreignpolicy.com http://www.reuters.com http://newsone.com http://rt.com http://www.nation.co.ke http://www.grida.no

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