This week, support for the Lord’s Resistance Army bill, or S. 1067, reached a majority in the Senate, marking a degree of support that—according to the Congressional Research Service—has not been seen since 1973 for a bill specifically on sub-Saharan Africa. The definitive and bipartisan nature of the Congressional support behind this piece of legislation is a true testament to the work of activists who, since the introduction of the bill, have come together for peace and made their voices heard by our policymakers.
The wide chorus of activist voices was certainly abuzz this past June at the “How It Ends” lobby days that Enough, partnered with Invisible Children and Resolve Uganda, hosted in support of both the Senate and House bills on the LRA, otherwise known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. An estimated 1,700 activists from all over the country came to lobby Congress and ask their representatives to end the reign of Joseph Kony and to bring peace to northern Uganda as well as the civilian populations in eastern Congo and southern Sudan who continue to be terrorized by the army’s violence. Here’s a video from that inspiring June event:
Since June, both the House and Senate bills have garnered a tremendous number of cosponsors. The House bill has gained 105 cosponsors (bringing the total number of supporters to147), while the Senate bill picked up 35 more senators, bringing the total number of cosponsors up to 51.
Yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) issued a joint statement applauding the widespread support for this important legislation.
Click here to read the whole statement and to see a list of Senate cosponsors.
If your Representative or Senator is not a cosponsor of this bill, call 202-224-3121 and urge them to support H.R. 2478 (House bill) or S. 1067 (Senate bill).
To learn more about the LRA and the communities affected by their violence, click here to check out Enough’s special page.