The Lord's Resistance Army, of Ugandan origin, will be able to hand over its weapons in CAR

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Lord's Resistance Army: Bandits or Military?​

After more than three decades of carrying out atrocities against civilians, the Lord's Resistance Army, of Ugandan origin, will be able to hand over its weapons in CAR. But the victims of the movement demand justice.


LRA "Combatants" in 2006, during negotiations in South Sudan
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) was founded in 1987 in northern Uganda and led by fugitive Joseph Kony, to try to overthrow veteran President Yoweri Museveni and establish a fundamentalist Christian state based on the Ten Commandments of God.
Failed in their actions and expelled from Uganda, the group began to terrorize other neighboring countries such as Sudan and South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and also the south-east of the Central African Republic (CAR).

Ernest Mizedjo, deputy in CAR, recalls the atrocities that the group committed in its region of origin, in the southeast of the country, between 2008 and 2011. "They burned villages and tortured the inhabitants. Farmers could no longer cultivate their fields, hunters could no longer hunt and fishermen could no longer fish. They raped pregnant women and girls". The level of atrocities committed by the LRA in the Central African Republic is enormous, Mizedjo adds, but there are no exact figures on victims.

"I was tortured and today I look much older than I am", says Aubin Kottopinzé, victim of the LRA
Aubin Kottokpinzé, 52, escaped from the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army, who captured him in 2008, when he was 39 years old. "They kidnapped me, abused me and tortured me. It was a bad experience I never recovered from. Look at me: I'm just a shadow of my old self. I look much older today than I am," he recalls.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed by the LRA in various countries. It is also estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 children were kidnapped and used as child soldiers. More than a million people were displaced.

Where is Joseph Kony?
The group's founder, Joseph Kony, remains on the run, despite the fact that, in 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an international arrest warrant.

Several hotlines made up of US agents, UN soldiers, AU officers and members of the official armies of the countries where the LRA operates, look for Joseph Kony.

But it is believed that he is still alive and leading the group from the uncertain part, argues Adolphe Agenonga, a specialist in geopolitics at the University of Kinsangani, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "What is certain is that the LRA is militarily very weakened. The LRA is said to have only 200 to 1000 fighters in small, scattered groups, presumably without close contact with Commander Joseph Kony."

Agenonga further believes that "this militia has lately been carrying out only sporadic attacks, whose only objective is to guarantee the survival of its members. To guarantee its own food."

Joseph Kony, founder of the LRA, is considered one of the most atrocious criminals of all time.
In an interview with DW Africa, Central African MP Ernest Mizedjo accuses the group of having turned into a gang of arms and ivory traffickers. “They smuggle and trade weapons across borders, especially supplying other militias in the northeast of the DRC. They also smuggle and trade in smuggled ivory from Sudan."

Withdrawal from the Central African Republic?
Meanwhile, reports come from the Central African Republic that soldiers of the Army of the Lord have presented themselves to the authorities, suggesting their own demobilization, as confirmed by Judes Ngayakon, governor of the Haut Mbomou region, to DW. "I recently received a delegation from the LRA who told me they were ready to hand over their weapons. Their fighters want to return to civilian life," Ngayakon told DW.

In the capital of the Central African Republic, rumors are growing that Joseph Kony is also ready for a ceasefire agreement. But for that, it requires being involved in a possible peace process and, allegedly, also obtaining the nationality of CAR, as confirmed by the country's Minister of Humanitarian Action.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is now engaged in trafficking arms and ivory, say experts
What are the reasons for this change in attitude on the part of the LRA men? For MP Ernest Mizedjo, it is likely that LRA fighters are already tired. "Possibly they also lost their morale and maybe it's simply the fact that they no longer have a leader directly guiding them. Besides, they just don't have any support. Any rebellion needs a certain amount of support from the population."

Surrender, yes, but combatants must answer for their actions in court, argues Aubin Kottokpinzé, who years ago founded the LRA Victims Association, which he presides, in the Central African Republic.

"Of course, we are in favor of the withdrawal of Ugandan rebels from our country, but our government and the international community must live up to their responsibilities and recognize our suffering, the suffering of the victims. We want the perpetrators of the crimes to be brought to justice. justice. We ask that you support us in our quest for justice at the International Criminal Court," he says.

Exército de Resistência do Senhor: Bandidos ou militares? – DW – 24/01/2022

Depois de mais de três décadas a praticar atrocidades contra civis, o Exército de Resistência do Senhor, de origem ugandesa, poderá entregar as armas na RCA. Mas as vítimas do movimento exigem que se faça justiça.

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