Passage of the Northern Uganda Recovery Act Blocked

For over 20 years now the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group of northern Uganda have terrorized the central African region, striking out into eastern Congo, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Raping women, burning people alive, and kidnapping children to fight in the militia are just a few of the war crimes that have been committed by the LRA.

Until only the last few years, defeating the LRA had been solely the responsibility of the Ugandan government, which did not have the financial, military, or logistical resources to bring peace to the troubled northern region.

However, now with growing support in the U.S. Senate, the new LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, if passed, will be one of the first major international support efforts to hunt down LRA fighters and capture their elusive leader Joseph Kony. Senator Infoe recently spoke on the importance of passing the bill:

Sen. Tom Coburn Blocking Peace for Uganda

Yet despite multiple efforts by Senators and activists, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is currently refusing the passage of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. Coburn has expressed support for ending the LRA’s horrific reign, but does not like the idea of pulling funds from other areas of the national budget to pay the $40 million to launch the bill into action.

But the facts point out that the $40 million needed for the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act adds up to merely less than $1 a day from every American over the next few years. In short, the Act costs practically nothing compared to other government expenditures and can easily be worked into the budget, whether funding is pulled from elsewhere or a new project is created for it.

In a speech on the Senate floor last week, Senator Inhofe called for funding of the bill to come from existing U.S. State Department funds.

How You Can Help

Time is of the essence and this bill needs to be passed if there is ever to be peace in Uganda and central Africa. Right now, Senator Coburn stands in the way of that. Whether you live in Oklahoma or not, you are a U.S. citizen and Coburn works for you. If you want peace for northern Uganda, this is our chance!

Click here to sign a petition telling Coburn to support the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act!

Live in Oklahoma? Click here to learn how you can help!

Photo Courtesy of Invisible Children.