III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 237 

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

to perpetrate crimes against humanity, war crimes, and mass atrocities, 

and supporting ongoing efforts by the United States Government, the 

African Union, and governments and regional organizations in central 

Africa to remove Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army commanders 

from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery of affected 

communities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2015 

Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. 

ROUNDS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. PETERS, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. HATCH) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army 

for continuing to perpetrate crimes against humanity, 

war crimes, and mass atrocities, and supporting ongoing 

efforts by the United States Government, the African 

Union, and governments and regional organizations in 

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

protection and recovery of affected communities. 

Whereas the Lord’s Resistance Army, which first formed in 

northern Uganda, continues its reign of terror in the 

Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African 


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•SRES 237 IS 

Republic, and South Sudan, destabilizing the region and 

deliberately killing at least 2,400 civilians since 2008, 

many of whom were targeted in schools and churches; 

Whereas atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army 

have resulted in the rape and brutal mutilation of countless men, women, and children; the abduction of over 

70,000 civilians, including at least 30,000 children, many 

of whom were forced to become child soldiers or sex 

slaves; the continued displacement of more than 200,000 

civilians from their homes, many of whom do not have 

access to essential humanitarian assistance; and the general deterioration of governance and security in affected 

areas; 

Whereas insecurity caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army 

has undermined efforts by the African Union and governments in the region, which have been supported by 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 the Lord’s Resistance Army engages in elephant 

poaching and the violent pillaging of natural resources in 

the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central 

African Republic, using the profits from its sales of ivory, 

gold, and diamonds to fund its operations and the purchase of munitions; 

Whereas the senior core command structure of the Lord’s Resistance Army remains functional and the 2005 arrest 

warrant issued by the International Criminal Court 

against Joseph Kony for war crimes and crimes against 

humanity remains pending, as testimony to the continued 

threat faced by the region; 


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Whereas the Senate remains dedicated to the commitment established in the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament 

and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 (Public Law 

111–172; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) by working with regional 

governments toward a comprehensive and permanent resolution to the conflict in northern Uganda and other affected areas through the provision of political, economic, 

military, and intelligence support to protect civilians, apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders 

from the battlefield, and disarm and demobilize the remaining Lord’s Resistance Army fighters; 

Whereas, in June 2012, the United Nations Security Council 

endorsed the Regional Strategy of the United Nations to 

bring an end to the Lord’s Resistance Army by focusing 

on the implementation of the Regional Cooperation Initiative of the African Union and to support the governments affected by the ongoing conflict; 

Whereas, on September 18 and 19, 2012, the Governments 

of the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the 

Republic of Uganda dedicated contingents of their armed 

forces to a unified African Union Regional Task Force 

mandated to permanently end the Lord’s Resistance 

Army threat, with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo following suit on February 14, 2013; 

Whereas Joseph Kony remains a Specially Designated Global 

Terrorist and, on January 15, 2013, the Department of 

State under its Rewards for Justice Program announced 

a reward for information leading to Kony’s arrest or conviction; 

Whereas, on December 10, 2014, the United Nations Security Council issued a presidential statement welcoming 

the continued advisory and logistical support provided by 


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the United States to the African Union Regional Task 

Force, while noting continued reports of the presence of 

senior Lord’s Resistance Army leaders in the disputed 

Kafia Kingi enclave and reports of opportunistic collaboration between the Lord’s Resistance Army and ex-Seleka 

forces in the Central African Republic; 

Whereas, on March 25, 2014, President Barack Obama notified Congress of the increased commitment of approximately 250 members of the United States Armed Forces 

to the Regional Task Force to assist regional forces in 

their efforts to protect civilians, encourage defections 

from the Lord’s Resistance Army, and bring Joseph 

Kony and his senior leadership to justice; 

Whereas reports from nongovernmental organizations operating on the ground indicate that local communities and 

civil society leaders in the region have welcomed and continue to support the presence and continued assistance of 

United States military advisors; 

Whereas, due to the continued efforts of the Regional Task 

Force of the African Union and United States military 

advisors, killings carried out by the Lord’s Resistance 

Army have dropped 90 percent since 2011 and approximately 25 percent of the core fighting force of the Lord’s 

Resistance Army has defected or been otherwise removed 

from the battlefield since January 2013; 

Whereas over 120 women and children held in long-term captivity by the Lord’s Resistance Army escaped from the 

rebel group in 2014; 

Whereas reports from nongovernmental organizations and the 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs demonstrate an increase in attacks and abVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:25 Jul 31, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR237.IS SR237

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ductions by the Lord’s Resistance Army in 2014 compared to 2013, as well as an increase in internally displaced persons in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2014; 

Whereas the African Union Regional Task Force reported in 

January 2015 that Okot Odhiambo, a senior Lord’s Resistance Army officer indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against 

humanity, was killed in battle in 2013; 

Whereas, on January 5, 2015, Dominic Ongwen, a senior 

Lord’s Resistance Army officer indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and 

crimes against humanity, defected to forces from the 

United States and African Union Regional Task Force; 

Whereas the inability of the Central African Republic and the 

Democratic Republic of the Congo to defuse violence, establish legitimate and effective governance, or achieve 

basic development objectives throughout their countries 

has provided safe haven for the Lord’s Resistance Army 

and the failure to immediately de-escalate and resolve the 

broader national crisis risks eclipsing gains made by 

United States efforts to prevent atrocities in the southeastern region of the Central African Republic; and 

Whereas targeted United States assistance and leadership 

has made a significant impact on preventing further mass 

atrocities and curtailing humanitarian suffering in central Africa and must be reinforced to maintain these 

gains: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Re3 sistance Army for continuing to perpetrate crimes 


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1 against humanity and mass atrocities, and supports 

2 ongoing efforts by the United States, the African 

3 Union, the international community, and govern4 ments in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and 

5 Lord’s Resistance Army commanders from the bat6 tlefield and promote protection and recovery for af7 fected communities; 

8 (2) commends the continued efforts by the Afri9 can Union, the United Nations, and regional part10 ners to end the threat posed by the Lord’s Resist11 ance Army; 

12 (3) supports efforts to provide the Regional 

13 Task Force with the logistics support and authoriza14 tions needed to access all areas of suspected Lord’s 

15 Resistance Army activity in the Central African Re16 public and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 

17 (4) urges the President to reauthorize the de18 ployment of United States Armed Forces personnel 

19 in support of Operation Observant Compass until 

20 senior Lord’s Resistance Army commanders are re21 moved from the battlefield and the group no longer 

22 poses a significant threat to civilians; 

23 (5) urges the Secretary of State and the Sec24 retary of Defense to support the African Union and 

25 the Regional Task Force, as well as regional partVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:25 Jul 31, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR237.IS SR237

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1 ners, in their efforts to deny the Lord’s Resistance 

2 Army safe haven in Sudan and in the disputed Kafia 

3 Kingi enclave, by expanding defection messaging ini4 tiatives, urging the African Union to engage more 

5 proactively in diplomatic outreach to the Govern6 ment of Sudan, and removing Joseph Kony and his 

7 top commanders from the battlefield through the 

8 sharing of intelligence and other military assistance; 

9 (6) urges the African Union and the Regional 

10 Task Force, with the support of the European 

11 Union, as well as the Governments of Uganda, 

12 South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the 

13 Democratic Republic of the Congo, to implement the 

14 Regional Strategy of the United Nations by— 

15 (A) fully implementing the Regional Co16 operation Initiative developed by the African 

17 Union to bring an end to the Lord’s Resistance 

18 Army; 

19 (B) enhancing efforts to promote the pro20 tection of civilians in all areas in which the 

21 Lord’s Resistance Army operates; and 

22 (C) broadening current efforts of disar23 mament, demobilization, repatriation, resettle24 ment, and reintegration to all areas affected by 


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1 the Lord’s Resistance Army, as well as humani2 tarian and child protection efforts; 

3 (7) welcomes the continued defections of men, 

4 women, and children from the Lord’s Resistance 

5 Army, and calls on governments in the region and 

6 the international community to support their demo7 bilization and safe return; 

8 (8) calls on the Secretary of State, the Sec9 retary of Defense, the Administrator of the United 

10 States Agency for International Development, and 

11 the heads of other relevant United States Govern12 ment agencies to utilize authorized and appropriated 

13 funds— 

14 (A) to continue efforts to enhance intel15 ligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sup16 port to the African Union Regional Task Force, 

17 and specifically to encourage additional enablers 

18 and actionable intelligence to increase the effec19 tiveness of partner operations; 

20 (B) to work with the United Nations, the 

21 African Union, and regional government part22 ners to encourage and help non-indicted Lord’s 

23 Resistance Army members, abductees, and non24 combatants to defect safely from the group 

25 through the distribution of aerial leaflets, the 


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1 broadcast of ‘‘come home’’ radio programs, and 

2 the continuation of flights utilizing helicopter3 based speaker systems over known areas of 

4 Lord’s Resistance Army operation; 

5 (C) to expand efforts to prevent the Lord’s 

6 Resistance Army from funding its operations 

7 through the theft and trade of illicit ivory, gold, 

8 and diamonds; and 

9 (D) to support rehabilitation and re10 integration programs led by nongovernmental 

11 organizations and regional government partners 

12 for children, youth, and adults that have been 

13 abducted and indoctrinated by the Lord’s Re14 sistance Army; 

15 (9) commends those members of the United 

16 States Armed Forces previously or currently de17 ployed to serve in support of Operation Observant 

18 Compass for their critical contributions to efforts to 

19 remove Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army 

20 commanders from the battlefield, protect civilians, 

21 and encourage members of the Lord’s Resistance 

22 Army to peacefully defect; and 

23 (10) urges the President, with input from 

24 United States Government agencies, regional govern25 ments, multilateral partners, and nongovernmental 


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1 organizations, to develop a strategy aimed at sup2 porting sustainable recovery and security within 

3 areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army, with 

4 existing resources, and in partnership with other do5 nors and multilateral bodies, including the World 

6 Bank, the European Union, and others. 

Æ 


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