Congress And Its Concern For Central Africa

by Scott A Morgan

The US Congress has recently Introduced Legislation that will have the United States increase its Focus on Events in Central Africa. This is a region of the World where reports of Violence are the rule not the exception. Since 1994 it is believed that over 2 Million People have been killed and Millions have been Forced to Flee their homes or have been kidnapped.

In this the First year of the 111th Congress Two New Pieces of Legislation have been introduced. These Bills address two nations which just happen to be the Root Causes of the two Largest Grassroots Advocacy Movements in the United States. The Nations happen to be Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

First of all lets discuss the Longest Running Insurgency Currently ongoing in Africa. That is the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. This Insurgency can trace it roots back to 1986. The Violence which had started in the Northern Region of Uganda and affected the Acholi People has turned into a Regional Conflict that has placed the Lives of Children at risk of being Kidnapped.

In December of last year after two failed attempts to sign a Peace Accord with the LRA the Ugandan Military with the Assistance of the DRC and Southern Sudan and some Logisitcal Support from the US Military attacked. Needless to say the LRA has counterattacked and the fighting has spread from the Congo to the Central African Republic and Sudan. Its interesting that this Counteroffensive did not set foot into Uganda itself.

Late in May 2009 Both Houses of Congress Introduced Legislation called the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. If passed this will be the Second Piece of Legislation that deals with Northern Uganda. In 2004 Congress Passed the Northern Uganda Crisis Repsonse Act. The 2009 Bill calls for the US to have a Comprehensive Strategy to Defeat the LRA and to aid in Both Restorative Justice and Addressing Poverty in Northern Uganda. The LRA also happens to be on the List of Terrorist Groups compiled by the US.

In Late April a Bill was Introduced in the Senate that highlighted the Concerns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo Conflict Minerals Act which was Introduced by Senator Brownback of Kansas seeks to address one of the root causes for the Strife in the Congo. The Eastern Part of the DRC is abundant in Natural Resources and overrun by Militia Groups.

In 2007 a report from the GAO (Government Accounting Office) found that the Mismanagement of Resources and their Illicit Trade were fueling Insurgent Movements in the Neighboring States. Earlier this year the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition found that "Use by the Information Communications Technology of mined Commodities that support Conflict like in the DRC is unacceptable."

Under this Bill Companies in the Tech Industry will have to Report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that the Raw Materials that they import will not be used to support any Conflict. This is a Step in the Right Direction. However no Specific Mention is made of other areas of contention such as the Sexual Abuse of Women by Armed Factions in the DRC.

These two Pieces of Legislation will garner a Decent Measure of Grassroots support within the United States. The Plight of Children of Northern Uganda has been an effective motivating Factor for several Activist Groups. In Recent Months the Situation in the Congo thanks to the Backlash against Operation Lightning Thunder has also seen an increase in the Activism by Concerned Americans.

Kudos should go to the Sponsors of these Pieces of Legislation. As someone who is Concerned with US Policy towards Africa I believe that in the Long Run these are two Good Ideas.

Scott A Morgan is an independent columnist who publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet