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4/29/2006
Uganda's Defense Minister Presents Testimony on 'Counterfeit Christian' Terrorists WASHINGTON, April 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- In written testimony presented on Wednesday to the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations, Ugandan Minister of Defense Amama Mbabazi explained the terrorist threat faced by his country and its neighbors from the Lord’s Resistance Army: "The Lords Resistance Army (LRA) is one of the most brutal terrorist organizations the world has known in recent history. Under the diabolical direction of Joseph Kony, a self-proclaimed, counterfeit Christian ‘prophet’ who claims allegiance to the Ten Commandments but who transgresses each one of them, this criminal group has orchestrated a terror campaign against the people of Northern Uganda for the last 19 years. Atrocities meted out by this group; large scale massacres, abductions, maiming, mutilation, looting of properties, rape and defilement of young girls caused untold human suffering.... Women and children bore the brunt of this LRA terror campaign." The hearing topic was "The Endangered Children of Northern Uganda." Minister Mbabazi said that the Ugandan government has responded to the threat both militarily and through humanitarian programs designed to rescue and rehabilitate the children who have been victimized by the terrorists. "Today," he said, "over 20,000 children have been rescued from the LRA by the Ugandan Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF)." Minister Mbabazi testified that, as a result of UPDF efforts, "between August 2003 and April 2006, a total of 3,098 LRA [terrorists] have been killed, 570 captured, 2,457 surrendered, 2,830 assorted weapons captured and 5,698 abductees rescued." Due to pressure from the Ugandan defense forces, leaders of the LRA have fled across the border. The Minister added that the Government has on several occasions initiated channels of communication with the LRA, encouraging dialogue to resolve the conflict peacefully, and has offered amnesty for those who surrender their arms and promise to reintegrate themselves constructively into society. Noting that the conflict in northern Uganda is often characterized as "a forgotten war," the new Ugandan Ambassador to the United States, Perezi Kamunanwire, commended Subcommittee Chairman Christopher Smith "for investigating this important but often overlooked issue," adding: "Increased attention can only result in the channeling of greater resources to address the conflict and to deal with the rehabilitation of the region when the terrorist threat has been eliminated." For more information, visit http://www.ugandaembassy.com/ .
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