Annan says States must deal with Uganda-based rebel group, but UN can assist

Governments in the region beset by the human rights abuses of the Uganda-based rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have both the responsibility and the capability to deal with the scourge, but United Nations missions in the region can assist them, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report released today.

“If the governments in the region find a mutually agreeable way to strengthen cooperation on the ground among their security forces, it could create a solid basis to deal more effectively with the lingering threat from LRA,” Mr. Annan says of the rebel group, notorious for recruiting tens of thousands of children as soldiers and servants and causing the displacement of millions in Uganda, the border regions of southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The UN missions in Sudan (UNMIS) and in the DRC (MONUC) can provide assistance within their existing mandates and capabilities, Mr. Annan said, “but should not be seen as an alternative to authorities in the LRA-affected region in the maintenance of law and order.”

The missions, along with UN agencies, can continue to share information about the LRA, and, as UNMIS reaches full operational capacity, it will be able to establish a more formal framework of ground military patrols with helicopter support, subject to availability, which would facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and make the area “less benign” for LRA and for other bandit activity.

The appointment of a senior-level UN envoy to help the Government of Uganda to deal with the situation created by the LRA activities has been advocated by some Member States, Mr. Annan notes, but Kampala appears reluctant to accept a special envoy to deal with domestic issues.

Mr. Annan says that, to be effective, the envoy should work together with the Government of Uganda, with the support of all actors in the region, towards a negotiated settlement to the conflict leading to national reconciliation.

“The envoy should also ensure that the security concerns of the Governments in the region, created by the LRA presence within their borders, are addressed, and their responses are harmonized,” he adds.