The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NATIONAL WEEK OF PRAYER FOR UGANDA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S692-S695 on Feb. 2, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NATIONAL WEEK OF PRAYER FOR UGANDA
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 366, which was submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 366) affirming the importance of increased international action and a national week of prayer for the Ugandan victims of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, and expressing the sense of the Senate that Sudan, Uganda, and the international community bring justice and humanitarian assistance to Northern Uganda and that February 2 through 9, 2006 should be designated as a national week of prayer and reflection for the people of Uganda.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I want to speak about a matter of urgency and extreme concern to me that is going on right now in Uganda.
As my colleagues may know, I have spent much time in Africa, particularly in Uganda, talking with President Museveni.
The major issue that he and I discussed is the ongoing terrorist tragedy in his country. The Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, is a rebel paramilitary group formed in 1987 operating mainly in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. The group is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan Government in what is now one of Africa's longest-running conflicts.
It is led by a man named Joseph Kony who claims to be a spiritual medium and uses his influence to kidnap and murder thousands of innocent civilians, most of them children. Because of this twisted man and his army, the region has become one of the darkest spots of human atrocities worldwide.
Between 20,000 and 50,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA for use as soldiers and sex slaves.
More than 1.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes, living in Internally Displaced People, IDP, camps. Every week 1,000 people die in the camps from the appalling conditions.
Though the Internally Displaced People camps were meant to provide security against the LRA attacks, they are now where most abductions take place.
It is estimated 40,000 children flee every night to bigger towns, seeking the safety in numbers, sleeping on street corners and in other public spaces. I recently saw a documentary on this titled ``Invisible Children.''
Up to 200,000 people have been killed in the violence, with many more dying from disease and malnutrition as a direct result of the conflict.
The conflict continues to retard Uganda's development efforts, costing the poor country's economy a cumulative total of at least $1.33 billion, which is equivalent to 3 percent of Uganda's GDP.
Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Bush declared we must, ``take the offensive by encouraging economic progress, and fighting disease, and spreading hope in hopeless lands.'' He is absolutely right. We can no longer allow these atrocities in Uganda to go unnoticed and unaddressed; we must become more involved.
To that end I am supporting a resolution, S. Res. 366.
Further, I will include for the Record a letter to Secretary of State Rice signed by 34 organizations. This letter urges high-level attention to the situation in northern Uganda.
I will also include the text of United Nations Security Council, UNSC, Resolution 1653 dated January 27, 2006. This resolution
``strongly condemns'' the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army. The Resolution also reiterates the Security Council's demand ``that all such armed groups lay down their arms and engage voluntarily and without any delay or preconditions in their disarmament and in their repatriation and resettlement.''
UNSC Resolution 1653 ``[r]equests the Secretary-General to make recommendations to the Council, as appropriate, on how best to support efforts by States in the region to put an end to the activities of illegal armed groups, and to recommend how United Nations agencies and missions--the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), MONUC and ONUB--can help, including through further support for the efforts of the governments concerned to ensure protection of, and humanitarian assistance to, civilians in need.''
These words are long overdue, and are only the beginning. Thus far the action of the United Nations has been woefully inadequate. Words are not nearly enough. We need more action from the UN. If the United Nations is to be useful for the peoples of the world, this sort of problem is its highest and best use.
As for the role of the United States, I suggest that Secretary Rice and Permanent Representative Bolton actively engage in drafting the aforementioned recommendations to the Security Council.
I also strongly suggest to President Bush and our administration that they examine every aspect of his executive authority to relieve this suffering, including the new authorities Congress provided under Section 1206 of Public Law 109-163, the train-and-equip legislation.
I believe these will be significant steps toward shedding light into the darkness that has cloaked the ongoing Ugandan tragedy, ending the conflict, and drawing the region into a positive future. I ask members for their support and thank the dozens of Senators who have joined me as cosponsors of this bipartisan resolution.
Let us pray for a cessation of the horrors and evils in Uganda and the Sudan.
I ask unanimous consent to print the above-referenced documents in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
January 30, 2006.Re Crisis in Northern Uganda
Dr. Condoleezza Rice,Secretary of State, Department of State,Washington, DC.
Dear Secretary Rice: We, the undersigned organizations call on the U.S. government to dedicate high-level attention to the situation in northern Uganda in order to help bring an end to the intractable conflict and catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
As you know, for the past 20 years, the people of northern Ugandan have endured a conflict involving the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda. More than 1.7 million people--eighty percent of the population--are displaced and forced to live in squalid internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. These camps remain largely unprotected and vulnerable to LRA attacks and abductions. The LRA has kidnapped more than 30,000 children from their homes--holding them hostage as soldiers, sex slaves, and bondservants. An estimated 35,000 children commute nightly to sleep in town centers in order to avoid violence and abduction. Nonetheless, these children, known as ``night commuters'', remain vulnerable to exploitation and sexual and physical abuse.
This deplorable humanitarian and human rights situation is the result of an ongoing conflict that continues to be a cause of instability in southern Sudan and, now, the broader Great Lakes. Threats to regional security are growing: the LRA has expanded its area of operation deeper into southern Sudan and, for the first time, into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). LRA attacks against southern Sudanese civilians threaten implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and recent LRA incursions into the DRC have heightened existing tensions between the Ugandan and Congolese governments. Within this context of increasing regional instability, multiple actors regrettably continue to provide covert support to the LRA.
Establishing a secure environment requires urgent leadership from the U.S. Government to put in place a comprehensive regional approach that addresses LRA cross-border movements and prioritizes a resolution to the conflict, while simultaneously ensuring civilian protection, humanitarian access, and the reintegration of former combatants. To reduce civilian suffering, help consolidate peace in Sudan, and prevent further destabilization of the region, our organizations recommend the following actions:
United Nations Security Council Action
The continued presence of the Lord's Resistance Army in southern Sudan and its recent expansion into the DRC underscores the urgency for United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) engagement. Under Secretary-General Jan Egeland's December 19, 2005 briefing on the humanitarian situation and the passage of UNSC Res. 1653 are welcome first steps towards engaging the Security Council on this issue, but greater action is required. We urge the US to take a leadership role at the United Nations to place northern Uganda on the UNSC agenda. The February 2006 US presidency of the UNSC would be an opportune time to galvanize action on this important issue. Specifically, the UN should do the following:
Continued encouragement and support for a regional solution to disarming groups within eastern DRC, Uganda, and southern Sudan. With the UNMIS mandate up for renewal in March, the United States should call on all relevant actors to accelerate the deployment of UNMIS and ensure that threats to civilians and disruption of humanitarian aid addresses the destabilizing presence of the LRA. Continued consideration should be given to the recommendations of the regional Tripartite Commission on Disarming groups in eastern DRC.
Appoint a Special UN Envoy for Northern Uganda who will work collaboratively with all local, regional, and international stakeholders to help mediate between all parties to end the conflict.
Create a panel of experts to investigate and monitor the activities of the LRA, as well as the networks supporting the LRA, and its impact on regional peace and security.
Call on all parties to declare an immediate ceasefire; encourage greater international diplomatic and financial support for on-going mediation efforts, while ensuring a coordinated response to LRA activity in the area.
Call on the government of Uganda, in accordance with its national IDP policy, to adopt a security strategy that focuses on protection rather than confrontation, prioritizes civilian and aid convoy protection, and holds protection personnel accountable for crimes they commit.
Direct U.S. Support for Mediation
After 20 years of conflict, military victory is unlikely. Recent overtures made by the LRA leadership to negotiate are promising and greater international political pressure on all parties is needed to explore a peaceful solution. Approximately ninety percent of the LRA is comprised of children; further military aggression against the LRA only serves to inflict more violence upon these children. Former Ugandan Government Minister Betty Bigombe's mediation efforts deserve greater U.S. support. Accordingly, we strongly recommend that the State Department appoint a senior level advisor to coordinate efforts within the U.S. government, among the donors, and ensure that greater resources and material support are available for Bigombe as a negotiation strategy is developed.
Protection for Civilians and Humanitarian Workers
Efforts to protect civilians have languished and high-level involvement by the international community is needed. Eighty percent of the population is displaced and primarily dependent on limited international food assistance and services. The delegation of civilian protection and humanitarian worker security to local defense units (LDUs) both hinders humanitarian access and leaves IDPs vulnerable to LRA attacks. For example, at times LDU personnel have been inebriated while escorting humanitarian agencies, or sometimes have refused to provide escort unless provided with food. This gap in protection significantly hinders relief efforts and the population's ability to access employment, basic healthcare and education. Through US leadership, donor governments must work with the Ugandan government to devise a security strategy that prioritizes civilian protection instead of confrontational operations. This strategy must expand the area of protection around IDP camps to allow for greater civilian movement, so that the displaced can gain access to basic services and income generating opportunities.
Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration (DDR) Enhancement
In coordination with the government of Uganda, donors must develop and enact a comprehensive plan to draw LRA fighters out of this conflict and back into the community. Donors must provide adequate funding for DDR, including support for communities and children abducted by the LRA.
To conclude, we firmly believe that high-level engagement and sustained leadership by the United States will help bring an end to this conflict, which traps millions of children and families in despair and threatens ongoing peaceful transitions in Sudan and the DRC. We look forward to hearing from you about the Administration's plans to address this conflict.
Sincerely,
Africa Action, Africa Faith and Justice Network,
Africare, Air Serv International, American Refugee
Committee, CARE USA, Christian Children's Fund, Comboni
Missionaries, Concern Worldwide US, Credo
International, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America,
Washington Office, Franciscans International, Friends
Committee on National Legislation (Quakers), Gulu Walk
International, Human Rights Watch, International
Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Joan B.
Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San
Diego, Lutheran WorId Relief, MAP International,
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Mercy Corps,
Missionary Oblates, The NAME Campaign, National
Association of Evangelicals, National Jesuit
Conference, Oxfam America, Refugees International, Save the Children, Today's Urban Renewal Network, Uganda
Cpnflict Action Network, US Catholic Mission
Association, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and
Children, World Vision.
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Resolution 1653 (2006)--Adopted by the United Nations Security Council at Its 5359th Meeting, on 27 January 2006
The Security Council, Recalling its resolutions and the statements by its President on the Great Lakes region of Africa and concerning the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Burundi, and in particular resolutions 1649 and 1650 of 21 December 2005,
Recalling its resolution 1625 (2005) on strengthening the effectiveness of the Security Council and the role of civil society in the prevention and resolution of armed conflict, particularly in Africa,
Further recalling its resolution 1631 (2005) on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations and General Assembly resolution 59/213 (2004) on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union,
Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of all States in the region, and recalling the importance of the principles of good-neighbourliness, non-interference and cooperation in the relations among States in the region,
Reiterating its condemnation of the genocide in Rwanda of 1994 and the armed conflicts which have plagued the Great Lakes region of Africa in the past decade and expressing its profound concern at the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law resulting in wide scale loss of life, human suffering and destruction of property,
Aware that the link between the illegal exploitation of natural resources, the illicit trade in those resources and the proliferation and trafficking of arms is one of the factors fuelling and exacerbating conflicts in the Great Lakes region of Africa, and especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Expressing its deep concern at the devastating impact of conflict and insecurity on the humanitarian situation throughout the Great Lakes region and their implications for regional peace and security, especially where arms and armed groups move across borders, such as the long-running and brutal insurgency by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda which has caused the death, abduction and displacement of thousands of innocent civilians in Uganda, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Welcoming the efforts undertaken by the Tripartite Plus Joint Commission comprising Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda as a significant contribution to heightened dialogue between the countries of the Great Lakes,
Recalling its previous resolutions that reaffirmed the importance of holding an international conference on peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes region and recognizing the continued ownership of the process by the countries of the region with the facilitation of the United Nations, the African Union, the Group of Friends and all others concerned,
Taking note with satisfaction of the holding of the First International Conference on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region, in Dar es Salaam, on 19 and 20 November 2004,
Recognizing the ``Good Neighbourly Declaration'' of September 2003 by the representatives of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda and the Dar es Salaam Declaration of 2004 adopted by the first Summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region,
Recognizing the significant achievements and progress in the peace processes in the Great Lakes region, the recent installation of a democratically elected government in Burundi and progress in the transition to democratic institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Expressing its gratitude to the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and to the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) for their significant contribution to peace in the region,
Paying tribute to the donor community for the assistance it is providing to the countries in the region, and encouraging it to maintain that assistance,
Welcoming General Assembly resolution 60/1 on the 2005 World Summit Outcome and in particular the commitment to address the special needs of Africa,
1. Commends the positive role played by the Secretary-General, the African Union, the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes region and other stakeholders in organizing and participating in the First Summit of the International Conference on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region of Africa;
2. Urges the countries of the Great Lakes region to continue in their collective efforts to develop a subregional approach for promoting good relations, peaceful coexistence, peaceful resolution of disputes as envisaged in the Dar es Salaam Declaration and encourages them, in partnership with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and other stakeholders, to finalize the preparations for the second Summit to be held in Nairobi, including a clear focus on peace and security issues, with a view to adopting a Security, Stability and Development Pact for the countries of the Great Lakes region;
3. Calls upon the countries of the region to agree on confidence-building measures based on effective and concrete actions;
4. Encourages and supports the countries of the Great Lakes region, individually and collectively, to strengthen and institutionalize respect for human rights and humanitarian law, including respect for women's rights and protection of children affected by armed conflict, good governance, rule of law, democratic practices as well as development cooperation;
5. Encourages the development of the prevailing goodwill and relations among the countries of the region which have positively influenced the successful transition in Burundi and the course of the ongoing democratic transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
6. Urges all States concerned to take action to bring to justice perpetrators of grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and to take appropriate measures of international cooperation and judicial assistance in this regard;
7. Expresses its support for the efforts by States in the region to build independent and reliable national judicial institutions in order to put an end to impunity;
8. Strongly condemns the activities of militias and armed groups operating in the Great Lakes region such as the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), the Palipehutu-Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which continue to attack civilians and United Nations and humanitarian personnel and commit human rights abuses against local populations and threaten the stability of individual States and the region as a whole and reiterates its demand that all such armed groups lay down their arms and engage voluntarily and without any delay or preconditions in their disarmament and in their repatriation and resettlement;
9. Stresses the need for the States in the region, within their respective territories, to disarm, demobilize and cooperate in the repatriation or resettlement, as appropriate, of foreign armed groups and local militias, and commends in this regard the robust action of MONUC, acting in accordance with its mandate, in support of the Forces Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo
(FARDC) in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
10. Underscores that the governments in the region have a primary responsibility to protect their populations, including from attacks by militias and armed groups and stresses the importance of ensuring the full, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian workers to people in need in accordance with international law;
11. Calls upon all States in the region to deepen their cooperation with a view to putting an end to the activities of illegal armed groups, and underlines that these States must abide by their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of their neighbours;
12. Urges the international community, non-governmental organizations and civil society to increase humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by displacements and violence from years of protracted conflicts in the Great Lakes region;
13. Commends the efforts of the United Nations Organization Missions in the region in accordance with their respective mandates, to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel, to enable delivery of humanitarian aid and to create the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons;
14. Requests the Secretary-General to make recommendations to the Council, as appropriate, on how best to support efforts by States in the region to put an end to the activities of illegal armed groups, and to recommend how United Nations agencies and missions--the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), MONUC and ONUB--can help, including through further support for the efforts of the governments concerned to ensure protection of, and humanitarian assistance to, civilians in need;
15. Calls upon the countries of the region to continue in their efforts to create conducive conditions for voluntary repatriation, safe and durable integration of refugees and former combatants in their respective countries of origin. In this regard, calls for commensurate international support for refugees and reintegration and reinsertion of returnees, internally displaced persons and former combatants;
16. Calls upon the countries of the region to reinforce their cooperation with the Security Council's Committee and with the Group of Experts established by resolution 1533
(2004) in enforcing the arms embargo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to combat cross-border trafficking of illicit small arms, light weapons and illicit natural resources as well as the movement of combatants, and reiterates its demand that the Governments of Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi take measures to prevent the use of their respective territories in support of the activities of armed groups present in the region;
17. Urges the governments concerned in the region to enhance their cooperation to promote lawful and transparent exploitation of natural resources among themselves and in the region;
18. Welcomes the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission and underlines its potential importance to the work of the Security Council in this region;
19. Invites the international community, including regional organizations, international financial institutions and relevant bodies of the United Nations system, to support and complement the peacebuilding and development initiatives required to sustain peace, security and stability in the countries of the Great Lakes region;
20. Decides to remain seized of the matter.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 366) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 366
Whereas, Joseph Kony has led the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) since 1987, terrorizing the region of Northern Uganda;
Whereas, up to 200,000 people have been killed in violent conflict and from disease and malnutrition;
Whereas, 80 to 90 percent of Kony's fighters are enslaved children--brutalized and brainwashed to kill;
Whereas, sources estimate that between 20,000 and 50,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since 1987;
Whereas, these children are sexually abused, raped, beaten, taunted and traumatized by older soldiers in the LRA;
Whereas, these children are maliciously coerced to mutilate, rape, and murder others, even their own family members and friends;
Whereas, LRA leaders often force the friends and siblings of unsuccessful escapees to carry out vicious punishments to further the LRA's culture of fear, intimidation and guilt;
Whereas, even those children who do manage to escape are unspeakably traumatized, often infected with sexually transmitted diseases, and stigmatized by society;
Whereas, approximately 40,000 children in rural Uganda trek miles into towns each night to sleep under the protection of soldiers and attempt to avoid capture;
Whereas, more than 1.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes;
Whereas, the conflict has slowed Uganda's development efforts, costing the country at least $1.33 billion, or 3 percent of its GDP;
Whereas, starting in October 2005, the Sudan government gave Joseph Kony a three month grace period to surrender;
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
(1) That the government of Sudan continue to prosecute LRA terrorists within its borders and aid Uganda in ending the conflict;
(2) That Uganda use every available resource to end the atrocities of the LRA and bring its members to justice;
(3) That the United States and international community recognize the atrocities occurring daily in Uganda and provide necessary humanitarian assistance;
(4) That the week of February 2 through 9, 2006 should be designated as a National Week of Prayer and Reflection for the people of Northern Uganda.
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