WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, released the following statement welcoming the additional U.S. military deployment in support of the African-led mission targeting Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
“Since the first deployment of U.S. troops in 2011 to advise and assist the African Union Regional Task Force countering the Lord's Resistance Army, I have strongly supported ongoing military efforts to kill or capture Joseph Kony and protect innocent civilians. That support continues today with the deployment of additional aircraft and 150 U.S. military personnel to assist African militaries in the hunt for Kony and what remains of the LRA’s leadership. Encouraging progress has been made in the counter-LRA mission, including an increased number of defections of LRA operatives, the killing or capturing of LRA commanders, and a sharp reduction in the number of attacks against communities. I hope this deployment will provide African troops with the additional tools they need to restore peace and security to communities across Central Africa that have, for too long, been terrorized by Joseph Kony and the LRA.”