Washington - In anticipation of the one year anniversary of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 becoming law, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR) and colleagues today sent a letter urging the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs calling on them to ensure that sufficient resources are made available to disarm the LRA, which has displaced thousands of people across South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic.

In the letter, the Senators express "concern about the ongoing crisis in areas of central Africa affected by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group that terrorizes civilians and has abducted tens of thousands of children in the past 25 years." They conclude that, "Resources invested in ending this conflict now will not only save innocent lives, but also reduce the need for expensive emergency humanitarian aid and promote stability in one of Africa's most volatile regions."

In November 2010, as mandated by the bipartisan LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, President Obama issued a comprehensive strategy aimed at bringing LRA commanders to justice and ending the group's campaign of violence.Today, Senators Menendez and Boozman are joined by 18 of their colleagues in a bipartisan effort to ensure that the strategy becomes a reality and reaffirm their commitment to saving lives, protecting civilians, and finally bringing one of Africa's most longstanding human rights crises to an end.

FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER:

The Honorable Patrick Leahy

Chairman

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations

and Related Programs

The Honorable Lindsey Graham

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations

and Related Programs

Dear Mr. Chairman and Senator Graham,

We are writing to express concern about the ongoing crisis in areas of central Africa affected by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group that terrorizes civilians and has abducted tens of thousands of children in the past 25 years. Last year, overwhelming Congressional support for the bipartisan Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act led to unprecedented international momentum for a resolution to end the conflict and a comprehensive White House strategy to address the crisis. As you prepare the FY2012 Appropriations bill, we urge you to ensure the United States Government has sufficient resources to help end the atrocities committed by the LRA, protect innocent civilians, and stabilize a region of Africa that is critical to U.S. national security interests.

The LRA - which numbers only a few hundred fighters - spans the border areas of South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic. It is the deadliest rebel group in Congo, and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across central Africa, including South Sudan where U.S. investments in peace and stability are critical before the country becomes independent in July.

In November 2010 the President reported to Congress a comprehensive strategy aimed at bringing LRA commanders to justice and ending the group's campaign of violence, as mandated by the bipartisan LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act passed by Congress in May 2010. If fully implemented, this strategy could have a decisive impact on seeing one of Africa's most longstanding human rights crises finally brought to an end.

While we understand the difficult budgetary challenges our nation faces, your leadership is needed to ensure that the U.S. Government has the resources at its disposal to implement the strategy that Congress required it to create. Resources invested in ending this conflict now will not only save innocent lives, but also reduce the need for expensive emergency humanitarian aid and promote stability in one of Africa's most volatile regions.

Sincerely,

Senator Menendez

Senator Boozman

Senator Coons

Senator Inhofe

Senator Boxer

Senator Durbin

Senator Lautenberg

Senator Landrieu

Senator Feinstein

Senator Levin

Senator Lieberman

Senator Cardin

Senator Merkley

Senator Casey

Senator Bingaman

Senator Wyden

Senator Carper

Senator Klobuchar

Senator Bennet

Senator Franken

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