Statement made by:
Hon. Stephen Tashobya, MP (Uganda), Chair PGA National Group Uganda, Member PGA Executive Committee
Dep. Marcel Djimasse (Central African Republic), Chair PGA National Group CAR
Dep. Dieudonné Upira Sunguma (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Chair PGA National Group DRC.
“The Ugandan, CAR and DRC members of PGA, a global parliamentary network dedicated to promote human rights and the fight against impunity for international crimes that shock the conscience of humankind, earnestly applauds the US government on its recent decision to send military troops to hunt down Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader – Joseph Kony and other fugitives.
Since 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued Arrest Warrants against Joseph Kony and other leaders of the LRA for crimes against humanity and war crimes. This initiative will boost the pursuit of fugitives whose arrest is an avenue to bring justice and redress to the victims and contribute to lasting peace. The absence of the LRA from its territory has granted relative peace to Northern Uganda, due to the absence of accountability and truth-finding processes the almost 20 years lasting conflict has not come to an end yet. Moreover, the LRA continues to commit gross human rights violations in the DRC and the CAR. Therefore, their arrest may significantly facilitate the processes of peace-making and stabilization in the region. Through the engagement of new Special Forces in the pursuit of the LRA leadership, the United States is demonstrating its commitment to end the sufferings of civilians in the region and to cooperate with the ICC and the domestic institutions of States Parties to the Rome Statute.
While we, therefore, strongly applaud and support the increase in military assistance from the US government and the regional forces in the pursuit of these fugitives, and recognize the very difficult circumstances in which they are fulfilling their mandate, we nevertheless wish to remind these forces of the imperative need for perpetrators to be brought to justice – a course of action which can only be achieved when the suspects are captured alive. We urge, consequently, that all reasonable efforts be made during the military operations to arrest and subsequently surrender any and all ICC indictees to the ICC for trial. PGA members also encourage all adequate and targeted initiatives that can be taken by other States, organization or relevant stakeholders to bring about the arrest and surrender to the Court of any person wanted by it and present in their territories, such as the leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army.”
