Just two weeks ago, the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act (S.1067/H.R. 2478) was approved by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the final hurdle before going to the House of Representatives for a full vote. The long-awaited vote is now scheduled to take place tomorrow.
This bill, if passed and signed into law by President Obama, requires that the U.S. government develop a comprehensive strategy to “apprehend or remove” LRA leader Joseph Kony and help put an end to the marauding rebel group that has terrorized central Africa for more than two decades. The legislation also calls for funds to be allocated to rehabilitate and provide support to communities targeted by the LRA in northern Uganda and neighboring countries. Enough’s LRA researcher Ledio Cakaj recently put together this Q&A about the bill, so check it out for more details.
The influence and profound impact that activists have had on pushing the bill through the legislative process over the past year is certainly cause for celebration. As Enough’s Field Manager, I have worked full-time with activists to advance similar issues for the past several years, and I can honestly say I can think of no other instance where activist-driven efforts have played such a central role to the success for a piece of legislation – from the massive turnout here in D.C. last year for the "How It Ends" Lobby Day that kicked off advocacy efforts when the bill was first introduced, to the more recent campaign in Oklahoma that led to passage of the bill in the Senate.
But once again we need your help in this final stage to ensure success! Visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com/obama and type in your zipcode to find out if your representative is already a co-sponsor. If they are, call or write to thank them! If they’re not, we urge you to call them today and ask them to co-sponsor. If just five more members of Congress become co-sponsors, we can officially say that the LRA bill is supported by the majority of Congress (House and Senate). Please also ask your representative to:
- Consider making a floor statement in support of the bill. (Click here to find out how).
- Contact the White House and ask them to hold a signing ceremony when President Obama makes the bill a law.
Tomorrow will be an exciting day as we watch and wait for the bill to pass. Keep checking back here at Enough Said for updates.
Photo: LRA leader Joseph Kony (AP)