A Joint Taskforce to Smoke Out Kony Commissioned in Juba - AllAfrica.com

Juba — It may not business as usual for Joseph Kony and his group as a joint taskforce comprising of Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central Africa Republic (CAR) was launched on Saturday the 24th of March in Juba to militarily end LRA's atrocities in the region.

Mr Kony who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) along side his two commanders Okot Odiambo and Dominic Hongue rebelled against the Ugandan government in 1987 and since then has been terrorising not only Uganda, but also the DRC, the Republic of South Sudan and the Central Africa Republic.

The Regional Cooperation Initiative (RCI) has brought together the four countries affected by the LRA insurgency to end its atrocities. It is an African Union initiative supported by the government of the United States of America and the European Union.

Under the initiative, a contingent of 5,000 soldiers, led by senior commanders from Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) will embark on a mission to hunt down the elusive LRA leader whose exact location remains unknown.

"Kony was never interested in peace, not interested in ending the conflict; he is not a man at all. Joseph Kony is a monster, a clever monster that used borders to avoid capture; Kony you will face justice", warned Christopher J. Datta, the Charge d'Affaires at the United States of America (USA) Embassy in South Sudan.

Mr Datta said with the world community coming together, Kony sooner or later will be brought to justice. "Kony you will face justice, this is going to happen soon for we are stronger than before", said Mr Datta.

The AU Special Envoy in-charge of the RTF Ambassador Francisco Madeira said during the launch that with the deployment of the RTF, the Commander and his Deputy as well as the Chief and the Deputy at the joint operation center, Yambio, the AU is now ready to begin operation and put pressure on the LRA. Ambassador Madeira explained that the 5,000 troops that will operate in three main sub-headquarters; Bungu in DRC, Obo in CAR and Nzara in South Sudan with a general headquarters in Yambio, is a new regional force contributed by the four countries.

"The mission of the RTF is to eliminate LRA. These includes neutralizing, capturing, arresting or forcing Mr. Joseph Kony and his two indicted commanders Okot Odiambo and Dominic Ogwen to surrender," Ambassador Madeira said.

Dr. Riek Machar South Sudan Vice President who officially launched the military operation of the RTF reiterated South Sudan's efforts to cooperate with the AU's RTF but decried the poor infrastructure that may hinder the RTF's operation.

Kony's LRA has kidnapped an estimated 20,000 children for use as fighters or sex slaves. As part of their initiation, these children are often required to kill their own parents, so they'll have no homes to return to. It's not clear which of the Ten Commandments Kony's strategy is based on. Tens of thousands of people have either been killed or displaced in the four affected countries. Children abducted are always used to carry LRA supplies until they are too weak to walk, at which time they are killed or simply left to die.