JOSEPH KONY MUST BE VANGUISHED AND QUICKLY SO!

THE NEW VISION
KAMPALA, UGANDA
31st December, 2008

HORROR reigns in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the world celebrates the beginning of the New Year today. Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has continued the campaign of terror he started on Christmas Eve and has to date left over 400 people dead and thousands either displaced or abducted in the Orientale Province of the DRC and parts of Southern Sudan.

The world cannot afford to stand and watch as Kony extends terrorist acts across the region. The allied forces, consisting of troops from Uganda, the DRC and Southern Sudan must therefore, be supported to swiftly end this latest round of LRA massacre of innocent civilians.

Detractors might say Kony is venting his anger because of the joint attacks on him, but why should he target civilians? Moreover, the people he is attacking in the DRC and South Sudan have nothing to do with his conflict with Uganda.

Kony’s actions simply highlight the behaviour of a desperate and cornered terrorist who has no value for human life. With the military net closing in on him, Kony has become a menace to the region and no efforts should be spared to get rid of the monster.

In two years, Kony has promised three times to sign the peace agreement with the Government of Uganda but has not honoured this promise.

This behaviour suggests that the promises of signing the peace agreement has only been a strategy to buy time when he is cornered so that he can reorganise and start all over again.

The allied forces must not relent. How many people must first die before Kony can be recognised for what he really is?

The pursuit must continue until the LRA leader is either captured or killed and this must be done fast before the region witnesses a massacre similar to the 1994 Rwanda genocide.