Additional troops sent to Garamba
Cross-posted from KnoxJazzforJustice.org:
According to The New Vision, on the heels of the UPDF’s withdrawal from the DRC, 3,000 Congolese troops and 100 MONUC peacekeepers have been deployed to Garamba National Park to take the place of the Ugandan forces.
While the deployment of additional peace keepers is vital for the safety of the residents of eastern DR Congo, additional troops will fail to be beneficial if the same risks of indiscriminate killing of LRA abductors and abductees continue to occur as they did with Operation Lightning Thunder. It’s also imperative that protection is provided to Congolese civilians. Additional troops do far more harm than good when they fail to protect civilians from the violence.
The New Vision goes on to say (bottom of article) that the LRA’s self-appointed spokesperson, David Matsanga, has reached out to UN special envoy, Joachim Chessano, to do what he can to reestablish peace talks with the LRA. Matsanga also claims that Kony has called for a ceasefire in order to reassemble at a neutral location.
While a resumption of the peace talks leading to Kony signing the agreement seem unlikely in the face of history, it’s encouraging to see a move in the direction of peaceful solutions over military means.
