8/6/2019 LRA Attacks Destabilizing Southern Sudan Ahead of Independence [RESOLVE PRESS RELEASE- JULY 5, 2011]

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Contact:PaulRonan

DirectorofAdvocacy

Direct#:202-706-6183

Office#:202-596-2517

Fax#:202-403-2344Email:paul@theresolve.org

FORIMMEDIATERELEASE

LRA attacks destabilizing Southern Sudan ahead of independenceCommunity self-defense groups rescue seven abductees since May

(5 July, 2011)Kampala, Uganda Attacks against civilians by Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are destabilizing Southern

Sudans Western Equatoria State as the region heads for independence on July 9, said human rights group Resolve today. A two-

week research mission to Western Equatoria by Resolve in June found regional governments not up to the task of protecting

civilians from LRA violence and assisting displaced communities.

Local leaders in Western Equatoria have responded proactively, with Arrow Boy community self-defense groups rescuing atleast seven people abducted by the LRA since May. Arrow Boy groups are also working with traditional authorities to patrol

abandoned rural areas to allow displaced persons to resume farming. But LRA fighters launch raids from neighboring

Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo) and Central African Republic (CAR), highlighting the need for greater regional and

international efforts to protect civilians, apprehend LRA leaders, and demobilize remaining fighters.

LRA raids on rural villages in Western Equatoria means nearly 100,000 Southern Sudanese will have to celebrate independence

displaced from their homes, said Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director of Resolve. The new Southern Sudanese

government and military must do a better job at protecting civilians from the LRA or risk alienating the people of Western

Equatoria post-independence, added Poffenberger.

Southern Sudanese military (SPLA) and UN peacekeeping (UNMIS) forces deployed to Western Equatoria lack the resources

and motivation to do more than deter LRA attacks on major population centers, while Ugandan military (UPDF) forces have

become less responsive to LRA incursions there. Widespread suspicion that some Ugandan personnel are exploiting timber in

the region and profiting from their deployments has further strained the UPDFs relationship with local communities.

In the absence of adequate protection, tens of thousands of civilians have fled to town centers for safety. However, humanitarian

access and aid to displaced persons remains inadequate, forcing some people to return to rural villages despite the risk of LRA

attacks. Decreased food production in Western Equatoria, a regional breadbasket, also contributes to food insecurity across

Southern Sudan.

Too many people in Western Equatoria are faced with the impossible choice of going hungry in town centers or risking LRA

attacks in rural fields, said Paul Ronan, Director of Advocacy at Resolve, who conducted the research. Displacement in

Western Equatoria also has a ripple effect, creating more empty stomachs across Southern Sudan.

Local communities are proactively responding to the lack of regional and international responses, most notably in the form of

Arrow Boy, or Home Guard, community self-defense groups. Arrow Boys groups have widespread support among traditional,

religious, and local government authorities, who credit them with most effectively protecting people from LRA attacks. They areoften the first and only responders to LRA incursions, and have rescued seven abductees from LRA fighters in two separate

incidents in May and June of this year.

Arrow Boys groups are also working with traditional authorities of the Zande people, prevalent in the affected region, to patrol

depopulated rural areas and set up safe centers where displaced persons can resume cultivation. These initiatives are often a

direct response to inadequate humanitarian assistance available in major towns.

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However, such initiatives cannot address the fundamental problem that LRA fighters have safe havens in neighboring Congo and

CAR, where they commit attacks and also launch raids into Western Equatoria.

Community leaders and Arrow Boys groups are taking the lead in responding to the LRA threat in Western Equatoria, said

Ronan. Donors and humanitarian agencies should urgently repair roads and expand mobile phone and radio coverage to

facilitate community driven early warning and response mechanisms.

But without greater action by the international community to apprehend senior LRA commanders and demobilize LRA fighters

in Congo and CAR, the people of Western Equatoria will not experience the peace they hoped would accompany the birth of the

Republic of South Sudan, added Ronan.

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