Fight against the LRA continues in CAR’s dense forests

 The fight against the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the hunt for its leader Joseph Kony continues in the bush of the Central African Republic. With the support of the U.S. Army and the national army of the CAR, Ugandan forces get as far as the dense forests of the CAR.

Since the American government sent 100 Special Forces to support the Ugandan army with their fight against the LRA, the rebels’ presence in the neighboring CAR lead into 20.000 people being internally displaced. The US forces for their do not have a mandate to fight actively but only fight back aimed rebel attacks. Their main task is supporting Ugandan soldiers with logistics and trainings.

Meanwhile recent reports state that the LRA group around Joseph Kony dwindled to approximately 300 fighters. But still the hunt remains really difficult and as long as rebel forces are spread in Uganda’s neighboring country, the population needs to fear their attacks.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Donald Yamamoto said on 24 April in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs:

Effectively ending the LRA threat requires simultaneously removing the top leadership from the battlefield and addressing the conditions that leave communities so vulnerable to predatory groups such as the LRA.