Today, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) introduced a resolution supporting the U.S.’s continued military advisory role for the regional forces working toward the apprehension of Joseph Kony.
“The continued deployment of United States military support personnel advising regional forces working toward the apprehension of Joseph Kony is both necessary and appropriate,” wrote Rep. Wilson in a letter to her colleagues.
For more than 25 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, has kidnapped, brutalized, tortured, raped and murdered tens of thousands of civilians in Central Africa. They have separated boys as young as eight years old from their families and turned them into soldiers, and even made them kill their own mothers. They have also taken young girls and turned them into sex slaves.
Recently, the United States has deployed military advisors to support the efforts of regional forces to topple the Lord’s Resistance Army and capture Joseph Kony. Some people fear, however, that President Obama may be considering the withdrawal of our military support personnel in Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“I am concerned about the children – we should all be concerned about the children,” Rep. Wilson said. “History and the world are bearing witness to these atrocities. We will not stand by silently, watching Joseph Kony commit further horrors. Let’s stop Joseph Kony.”
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Rep. Frederica S. Wilson is a first-term Congresswoman representing the 17th District of Florida, including Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward Counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school.
