USA Africa Dialogue Series - south sudan statement on lra

Government of South Sudan (Juba)  http://allafrica.com/stories/201111030074.html?mid=51

South Sudan: Region Needs Support to Thrash LRA

Matata Safi

2 November 2011

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Juba — The countries that are worst affected by the terror of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of South Sudan and Central African Republic urgently need the support of a strong military power to root out the rebels from the region.

This view was expressed by Col. Philip Aguer, the Official Spokesperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLA) yesterday during the weekly media forum hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Juba. He said that the intervention of the United States of America in fighting the LRA leader Joseph Kony and his group who have been accused of murder, rape, and abductions of children would be a welcome gesture.

Col. Aguer said the LRA remains a regional threat and ending it calls for the support of the international community. "I believe winning the war against terrorism needs the collective security coordination from across the world", he said. He added that the Great Lakes region and East Africa have seemingly not been successful in eliminating the LRA. He explained this is perhaps because of the region's lack of adequate military surveillance equipment to locate and unravel the rebel group.

He further explained that after refusing to sign the final peace documents with the government of Uganda, the LRA should be eliminated. He also warned that without eliminating Mr Kony, the LRA insurgency will persist.

Hon Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the minister of Information and Broadcasting who is also the Official Spokesperson of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, said the position of the government is that it accepts fully the role of the government of United States of America to assist in eliminating the LRA from the region. He said the United States of America will have a major role in terms of logistical support and in terms of locating the rebels who are hiding in one of the thickest forests in the DRC and the Central African Republic.

He said what is very central here is that the LRA is a terrorist organization that has tormented the whole region. He stressed that the government has the duty to protect the lives of its citizens. "It's our duty to protect our civilians in Western Equatoria in particular and also in Western Bahr el Ghazal but at the same time get into an alliance with any country that we believe can help", he said.

He added that the government will cooperate on this matter with the American government so that the people of South Sudan who have been affected, and continues to be affected, by the barbaric acts of this terrorist group can have peace and engage in nation building.

--  kenneth w. harrow  distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english east lansing, mi 48824-1036 ph. 517 803 8839 harrow@msu.edu