III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 402 

Condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army for committing 

crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supporting ongoing 

efforts by the United States Government and governments and regional 

organizations in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army commanders from the battlefield. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 21, 2012 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 

HATCH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. AKAKA, Mrs. 

MURRAY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. TESTER, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. REED, Mr. MORAN, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. 

LEVIN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. ISAKSON, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. 

BEGICH, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. WICKER, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. COATS, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. 

BLUNT, Mr. ENZI, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. 

JOHANNS, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. HELLER, Ms. AYOTTE, 

Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. JOHNSON of Wisconsin, 

Mr. BENNET, and Mr. CASEY) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 20, 2012 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 

AUGUST 2, 2012 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble and an 

amendment to the title 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army 

for committing crimes against humanity and mass atrocVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:21 Aug 04, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR402.ATS SR402

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SRES 402 ATS 

ities, and supporting ongoing efforts by the United 

States Government and governments and regional organizations in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and 

Lord’s Resistance Army commanders from the battlefield. 

Whereas the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) wreaked havoc 

in northern Uganda for two decades, during which time 

the World Bank estimates that they abducted some 

66,000 youth and forced them to serve as child soldiers 

and sex slaves and commit terrible acts; 

Whereas under increasing pressure, Joseph Kony ordered the 

Lord’s Resistance Army in 2005 and 2006 to withdraw 

from Uganda and to move west into the border region of 

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and what would become the Republic of 

South Sudan; 

Whereas, since September 2008, Joseph Kony has directed 

the Lord’s Resistance Army to commit systematic, largescale attacks against innocent civilians in the Democratic 

Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and the 

Republic of South Sudan that have destabilized the region and resulted in the deliberate killing of at least 

2,400 civilians, many of whom were targeted in schools 

and churches; the rape and brutal mutilation of an unknown number of men, women, and children; the abduction of over 3,400 civilians, including at least 1,500 children, many of them forced to become child soldiers or sex 

slaves; and the reported displacement of more than 

465,000 civilians from their homes, many of whom do 

not have access to essential humanitarian assistance; 

Whereas insecurity caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army 

has undermined efforts by the governments in the region, 


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which have been supported by the assistance of the 

United States and the international community, to consolidate peace and stability in each of the countries affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army; 

Whereas, since December 2001, the Department of State has 

included the Lord’s Resistance Army on its ‘‘Terrorist 

Exclusion List’’ and in August 2008, Lord’s Resistance 

Army leader Joseph Kony was designated a ‘‘Specially 

Designated Global Terrorist’’ by President George W. 

Bush pursuant to Executive Order 13224; 

Whereas, on October 6, 2005, the International Criminal 

Court issued arrest warrants against Joseph Kony and 

four of his top commanders for war crimes and crimes 

against humanity, yet they remain at large; 

Whereas, in May 2010, Congress passed and President 

Barack Obama signed into law the Lord’s Resistance 

Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act 

of 2009 (Public Law 111–172), which made it the policy 

of the United States to work with regional governments 

toward a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the conflict in northern Uganda and other affected areas by providing political, economic, military, and intelligence support for viable multilateral efforts to protect civilians 

from the Lord’s Resistance Army, to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the 

battlefield, and to disarm and demobilize the remaining 

Lord’s Resistance Army fighters; 

Whereas, on November 24, 2010, as mandated by the Lord’s 

Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda 

Recovery Act of 2009, President Obama issued the Strategy to Support the Disarmament of the Lord’s Resistance Army, which provides a comprehensive strategy for 


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supporting regional efforts to mitigate and eliminate the 

threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the 

Lord’s Resistance Army; 

Whereas, on October 14, 2011, President Obama notified 

Congress that he had authorized approximately 100 combat-equipped members of the Armed Forces to deploy to 

central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces 

that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony and 

senior leadership of the Lord’s Resistance Army from the 

battlefield; 

Whereas section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112–81; 22 U.S.C. 

2151 note) authorized the Secretary of Defense, with the 

concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide 

logistical support, supplies, and services for foreign forces 

participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the 

threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army; 

Whereas that section provides that no United States Armed 

Forces personnel, United States civilian employees, or 

United States civilian contractor personnel may participate in combat operations in connection with the provision of support for foreign forces participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the 

Lord’s Resistance Army, except for the purpose of acting 

in self-defense or of rescuing any United States citizen 

(including any member of the United States Armed 

Forces, any United States civilian employee, or any 

United States civilian contractor); 

Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public 

Law 112–74) directed the President to support increased 

peace and security efforts in areas affected by the Lord’s 

Resistance Army, including programs to improve physical 


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access, telecommunications infrastructure, and earlywarning mechanisms and to support the disarmament, 

demobilization, and reintegration of former Lord’s Resistance Army combatants, especially child soldiers; 

Whereas the United Nations and African Union, acting with 

encouragement and support from the United States Government, have renewed their efforts to help governments 

in the region address the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and on November 22, 2011, the African 

Union designated the Lord’s Resistance Army as a terrorist group and authorized a new initiative to help 

strengthen the coordination among the affected governments in the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army; 

Whereas, on March 24, 2012, the African Union formally announced the intent to deploy up to 5,000 troops to advance regional efforts to counter the Lord’s Resistance 

Army, and the next day formally inaugurated the Headquarters of the Regional Task Force in the Republic of 

South Sudan to coordinate efforts to capture Joseph 

Kony and neutralize the Lord’s Resistance Army; and 

Whereas targeted United States assistance and leadership 

can help prevent further mass atrocities and curtail humanitarian suffering in central Africa: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Re3 sistance Army for committing crimes against hu4 manity and mass atrocities, and supports ongoing 

5 efforts by the United States and countries in central 


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1 Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resist2 ance Army commanders from the battlefield; 

3 (2) commends continued efforts by the Govern4 ments of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of 

5 Congo, the Republic of South Sudan, the Central Af6 rican Republic, and other countries in the region, as 

7 well as the African Union and United Nations, to 

8 end the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army; 

9 (3) welcomes the ongoing efforts of the United 

10 States Government to assist regional governments to 

11 bring Joseph Kony to justice and end atrocities per12 petuated by the Lord’s Resistance Army, pursuant 

13 to the comprehensive strategy required by the Lord’s 

14 Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Ugan15 da Recovery Act of 2009; 

16 (4) calls on the President to keep Congress 

17 fully informed of the efforts of the United States 

18 Government and to work closely with Congress to 

19 identify and address critical gaps in the United 

20 States Government’s strategy to support the efforts 

21 of the regional governments to counter the Lord’s 

22 Resistance Army; 

23 (5) commends the Department of Defense, 

24 United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM), 

25 and members of the United States Armed Forces 


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1 currently deployed to serve as advisors to the na2 tional militaries in the region seeking to protect local 

3 communities and pursuing Joseph Kony and top 

4 Lord’s Resistance Army commanders; 

5 (6) commends the African Union for commit6 ting to enhance troop deployments in order to fortify 

7 the military response to the Lord’s Resistance Army, 

8 in coordination with the Governments of Uganda, 

9 the Central African Republic, the Democratic Re10 public of Congo, and the Republic of South Sudan, 

11 and in order to strengthen ongoing efforts to appre12 hend Joseph Kony and senior commanders of the 

13 Lord’s Resistance Army or remove them from the 

14 battlefield; 

15 (7) supports increased collaboration and coordi16 nation between the African Union and the Govern17 ments of Uganda, the Central African Republic, the 

18 Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of 

19 South Sudan in order to apprehend Joseph Kony or 

20 remove him from the battlefield; 

21 (8) supports continued efforts by the Secretary 

22 of State and representatives of the United States to 

23 work with partner nations and the international 

24 community— 


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1 (A) to strengthen the capabilities of re2 gional military forces deployed to protect civil3 ians and pursue commanders of the Lord’s Re4 sistance Army; 

5 (B) to enhance cooperation and cross-bor6 der coordination among regional governments; 

7 (C) to promote increased contributions 

8 from donor nations for regional efforts to ad9 dress the Lord’s Resistance Army; and 

10 (D) to enhance overall efforts to increase 

11 civilian protection to populations affected by the 

12 Lord’s Resistance Army; 

13 (9) calls on the Secretary of State, the Sec14 retary of Defense, the Administrator of the United 

15 States Agency for International Development, and 

16 the heads of other relevant government agencies to 

17 utilize existing funds for ongoing programs— 

18 (A) to enhance mobility, intelligence, and 

19 logistical capabilities for regional partner forces 

20 engaged in efforts to protect civilians and ap21 prehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top 

22 commanders from the battlefield; 

23 (B) to expand physical access and tele24 communications infrastructure to facilitate the 


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1 timely flow of information and access for hu2 manitarian and protection actors; 

3 (C) to support programs to encourage and 

4 help non-indicted Lord’s Resistance Army com5 manders, fighters, abductees, and associated 

6 noncombatants to safely defect from the group, 

7 including through radio and community pro8 grams; and 

9 (D) to support regionally-led rehabilitation 

10 programs for children and youth affected by 

11 war that are tailored to address the specific 

12 trauma and physical and mental abuse these 

13 children and youth may have experienced as a 

14 result of indoctrination by the Lord’s Resist15 ance Army and to serve to reconnect them with 

16 their families and communities; 

17 (10) calls on the President to place restrictions 

18 on any individuals or governments found to be pro19 viding training, supplies, financing, or support of 

20 any kind to Joseph Kony or the Lord’s Resistance 

21 Army; 

22 (11) urges that civilian protection and early23 warning programs led by regional militaries and the 

24 United States Agency for International Development 

25 continue to be prioritized in areas affected by the 


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1 Lord’s Resistance Army and that steps be taken to 

2 inform potentially vulnerable communities about 

3 known Lord’s Resistance Army movements and 

4 threats; 

5 (12) welcomes the recent defections of men, 

6 women, and children from the ranks of the Lord’s 

7 Resistance Army, and calls on governments in the 

8 region and the international community to continue 

9 to support safe return, demobilization, rehabilitation, 

10 and reintegration efforts; and 

11 (13) urges the Governments of Uganda, the 

12 Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of 

13 South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, and the Cen14 tral African Republic to work together to address 

15 the ongoing threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance 

16 Army. 

Æ 


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