ISS and Oxfam Seminar, Addis Ababa: The AU Initiative to Eliminate the Lord`s Resistance Army (LRA)
Date: 2012-12-07
Venue: , Radisson Blu Hotel ,
Kazanchis Business District,
Kirkos Subcity ,
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
On 22 November
2011, the African Union formally designated the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) as
a terrorist group and authorised the establishment of the Regional Cooperation
Initiative for the Elimination of the LRA (RCI-LRA).
The Regional Task Force
(RTF), which consists of Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR), went operational in March 2012 to
hunt down the terror group and protect civilians from its brutal attacks. The
AU Special Envoy for the LRA issue, Francisco Madeira, recently admitted that
despite making some progress the RTF faces logistical, material and financial challenges,
in addition to the difficult nature of the operation. The possibility of the LRA forming
opportunistic alliances with other governments or rebel groups in Central
Africa and beyond is another issue worrying observers.
- Did the AU initiative succeed in reducing attacks
by the terrorist group?
- What impact does the recent instability in the eastern
DRC have on the fight against the LRA?
- What would be the way forward to resolve the humanitarian
crisis caused by the conflict?
The seminar will also examine the operational and
financial feasibility of the AU-coordinated regional initiative and try to shed
light on the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Presenters:
- Mr. Pascal Yao Konan, Conflict Management
Division, African Union
- Mr. Hallelujah Lulie, Researcher, Institute for
Security Studies
- Father Sugule Kangoyangal Ernest, National
Coordinator SOLIDARITE ET ASSISTANCE INTEGRALE AUX PERSONNES DEPLACEES
(SAIPED) DRC
Chair:
- Desire Assogbavi: Head of the Oxfam Liaison Office with
the African Union
