,,iii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #bcg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #cj1 #bjae ,mr4 ,boozman 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4 ,markey1 and ,mr4 ,hatch7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,condemning ,joseph ,kony and the ,lord's ,resistance ,army for continuing to perpetrate crimes against humanity1 war crimes1 and mass atrocities1 and supporting ongoing efforts by the ,united ,states ,government1 the ,african ,union1 and governments and regional organizations in central ,africa to remove ,joseph ,kony and ,lord's ,resistance ,army commanders from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery of affected communities4 ,whereas the ,lord's ,resistance ,army1 which first formed in northern ,uganda1 continues its reign of terror in the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo1 the ,central ,african ,republic1 and ,south ,sudan1 destabilizing the region and deliberately killing at least #b1djj civilians since #bjjh1 many of whom were targeted in schools and churches2 ,whereas atrocities committed by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army have resulted in the rape and brutal mutilation of countless men1 women1 and children2 the abduction of over #gj1jjj civilians1 including at least #cj1jjj children1 many of whom were forced to become child soldiers or sex slaves2 the continued displacement of more than #bjj1jjj civilians from their homes1 many of whom do not have access to essential humanitarian assistance2 and the general deterioration of governance and security in affected areas2 ,whereas insecurity caused by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army has undermined efforts by the ,african ,union and governments in the region1 which have been supported by the ,united ,states and the international community1 to consolidate peace and stability in each of the countries affected by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army2 ,whereas the ,lord's ,resistance ,army engages in elephant poaching and the violent pillaging of natural resources in the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo and the ,central ,african ,republic1 using the profits from its sales of ivory1 gold1 and diamonds to fund its operations and the purchase of munitions2 ,whereas the senior core command structure of the ,lord's ,resistance ,army remains functional and the #bjje arrest warrant issued by the ,international ,criminal ,court against ,joseph ,kony for war crimes and crimes against humanity remains pending1 as testimony to the continued threat faced by the region2 ,whereas the ,senate remains dedicated to the commitment established in the ,lord's ,resistance ,army ,disarmament and ,northern ,uganda ,recovery ,act of #bjji 7,public ,law #aaa-agb2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baea note7 by working with regional governments toward a comprehensive and permanent resolution to the conflict in northern ,uganda and other affected areas through the provision of political1 economic1 military1 and intelligence support to protect civilians1 apprehend or remove ,joseph ,kony and his top commanders from the battlefield1 and disarm and demobilize the remaining ,lord's ,resistance ,army fighters2 ,whereas1 in ,june #bjab1 the ,united ,nations ,security ,council endorsed the ,regional ,strategy of the ,united ,nations to bring an end to the ,lord's ,resistance ,army by focusing on the implementation of the ,regional ,cooperation ,initiative of the ,african ,union and to support the governments affected by the ongoing conflict2 ,whereas1 on ,september #ah and #ai1 #bjab1 the ,governments of the ,central ,african ,republic1 ,south ,sudan1 and the ,republic of ,uganda dedicated contingents of their armed forces to a unified ,african ,union ,regional ,task ,force mandated to permanently end the ,lord's ,resistance ,army threat1 with the ,government of the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo following suit on ,february #ad1 #bjac2 ,whereas ,joseph ,kony remains a ,specially ,designated ,global ,terrorist and1 on ,january #ae1 #bjac1 the ,department of ,state under its ,rewards for ,justice ,program announced a reward for information leading to ,kony's arrest or conviction2 ,whereas1 on ,december #aj1 #bjad1 the ,united ,nations ,security ,council issued a presidential statement welcoming the continued advisory and logistical support provided by the ,united ,states to the ,african ,union ,regional ,task ,force1 while noting continued reports of the presence of senior ,lord's ,resistance ,army leaders in the disputed ,kafia ,kingi enclave and reports of opportunistic collaboration between the ,lord's ,resistance ,army and ex-,seleka forces in the ,central ,african ,republic2 ,whereas1 on ,march #be1 #bjad1 ,president ,barack ,obama notified ,congress of the increased commitment of approximately #bej members of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces to the ,regional ,task ,force to assist regional forces in their efforts to protect civilians1 encourage defections from the ,lord's ,resistance ,army1 and bring ,joseph ,kony and his senior leadership to justice2 ,whereas reports from nongovernmental organizations operating on the ground indicate that local communities and civil society leaders in the region have welcomed and continue to support the presence and continued assistance of ,united ,states military advisors2 ,whereas1 due to the continued efforts of the ,regional ,task ,force of the ,african ,union and ,united ,states military advisors1 killings carried out by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army have dropped #ij percent since #bjaa and approximately #be percent of the core fighting force of the ,lord's ,resistance ,army has defected or been otherwise removed from the battlefield since ,january #bjac2 ,whereas over #abj women and children held in long-term captivity by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army escaped from the rebel group in #bjad2 ,whereas reports from nongovernmental organizations and the ,united ,nations ,office for the ,coordination of ,humanitarian ,affairs demonstrate an increase in attacks and abductions by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army in #bjad compared to #bjac1 as well as an increase in internally displaced persons in the northeastern region of the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo in late #bjad2 ,whereas the ,african ,union ,regional ,task ,force reported in ,january #bjae that ,okot ,odhiambo1 a senior ,lord's ,resistance ,army officer indicted by the ,international ,criminal ,court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity1 was killed in battle in #bjac2 ,whereas1 on ,january #e1 #bjae1 ,dominic ,ongwen1 a senior ,lord's ,resistance ,army officer indicted by the ,international ,criminal ,court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity1 defected to forces from the ,united ,states and ,african ,union ,regional ,task ,force2 ,whereas the inability of the ,central ,african ,republic and the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo to defuse violence1 establish legitimate and effective governance1 or achieve basic development objectives throughout their countries has provided safe haven for the ,lord's ,resistance ,army and the failure to immediately de-escalate and resolve the broader national crisis risks eclipsing gains made by ,united ,states efforts to prevent atrocities in the southeastern region of the ,central ,african ,republic2 and ,whereas targeted ,united ,states assistance and leadership has made a significant impact on preventing further mass atrocities and curtailing humanitarian suffering in central ,africa and must be reinforced to maintain these gains3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns ,joseph ,kony and the ,lord's ,resistance ,army for continuing to perpetrate crimes against humanity and mass atrocities1 and supports ongoing efforts by the ,united ,states1 the ,african ,union1 the international community1 and governments in central ,africa to remove ,joseph ,kony and ,lord's ,resistance ,army commanders from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery for affected communities2 7#b7 commends the continued efforts by the ,african ,union1 the ,united ,nations1 and regional partners to end the threat posed by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army2 7#c7 supports efforts to provide the ,regional ,task ,force with the logistics support and authorizations needed to access all areas of suspected ,lord's ,resistance ,army activity in the ,central ,african ,republic and the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo2 7#d7 urges the ,president to reauthorize the deployment of ,united ,states ,armed ,forces personnel in support of ,operation ,observant ,compass until senior ,lord's ,resistance ,army commanders are removed from the battlefield and the group no longer poses a significant threat to civilians2 7#e7 urges the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,defense to support the ,african ,union and the ,regional ,task ,force1 as well as regional partners1 in their efforts to deny the ,lord's ,resistance ,army safe haven in ,sudan and in the disputed ,kafia ,kingi enclave1 by expanding defection messaging initiatives1 urging the ,african ,union to engage more proactively in diplomatic outreach to the ,government of ,sudan1 and removing ,joseph ,kony and his top commanders from the battlefield through the sharing of intelligence and other military assistance2 7#f7 urges the ,african ,union and the ,regional ,task ,force1 with the support of the ,european ,union1 as well as the ,governments of ,uganda1 ,south ,sudan1 the ,central ,african ,republic1 and the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo1 to implement the ,regional ,strategy of the ,united ,nations by-- 7,a7 fully implementing the ,regional ,cooperation ,initiative developed by the ,african ,union to bring an end to the ,lord's ,resistance ,army2 7,b7 enhancing efforts to promote the protection of civilians in all areas in which the ,lord's ,resistance ,army operates2 and 7,c7 broadening current efforts of disarmament1 demobilization1 repatriation1 resettlement1 and reintegration to all areas affected by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army1 as well as humanitarian and child protection efforts2 7#g7 welcomes the continued defections of men1 women1 and children from the ,lord's ,resistance ,army1 and calls on governments in the region and the international community to support their demobilization and safe return2 7#h7 calls on the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 and the heads of other relevant ,united ,states ,government agencies to utilize authorized and appropriated funds-- 7,a7 to continue efforts to enhance intelligence1 surveillance1 and reconnaissance support to the ,african ,union ,regional ,task ,force1 and specifically to encourage additional enablers and actionable intelligence to increase the effectiveness of partner operations2 7,b7 to work with the ,united ,nations1 the ,african ,union1 and regional government partners to encourage and help non-indicted ,lord's ,resistance ,army members1 abductees1 and noncombatants to defect safely from the group through the distribution of aerial leaflets1 the broadcast of come home radio programs1 and the continuation of flights utilizing helicopter-based speaker systems over known areas of ,lord's ,resistance ,army operation2 7,c7 to expand efforts to prevent the ,lord's ,resistance ,army from funding its operations through the theft and trade of illicit ivory1 gold1 and diamonds2 and 7,d7 to support rehabilitation and reintegration programs led by nongovernmental organizations and regional government partners for children1 youth1 and adults that have been abducted and indoctrinated by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army2 7#i7 commends those members of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces previously or currently deployed to serve in support of ,operation ,observant ,compass for their critical contributions to efforts to remove ,joseph ,kony and ,lord's ,resistance ,army commanders from the battlefield1 protect civilians1 and encourage members of the ,lord's ,resistance ,army to peacefully defect2 and 7#aj7 urges the ,president1 with input from ,united ,states ,government agencies1 regional governments1 multilateral partners1 and nongovernmental organizations1 to develop a strategy aimed at supporting sustainable recovery and security within areas affected by the ,lord's ,resistance ,army1 with existing resources1 and in partnership with other donors and multilateral bodies1 including the ,world ,bank1 the ,european ,union1 and others4