23 Mar 2012

UN / LRA

Representatives of the UN, African Union and the UN stabilization mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo provided an update today on the regional strategy to address the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Joseph Kony, including the launch of a joint operations task force from the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. UNTV

Posted at: March 23, 2012 3:47 pm

Duration: 01:56

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / LRA
TRT: 1.56
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 23 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

23 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Med shot, of press conference with videolink 
3. Wide shot, press conference with TV for videolink
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Abou Moussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa:
"The idea is that there should be a free movement and cross-border persecution of LRA forces that might exist and this should be an impeded movement, and so far this has been accepted by all." 
4. Cutaway, journalist
5.  SOUNDBITE (English) Major-General Adrian J. Foster, Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)
"MONUSCO has been working with our Congolese partners, ah, trying to combat the LRA menace for a number of years now. And, um, we have been working with UNOCA and the AU to develop this regional strategy recognizing that the LRA do not operate in just one country, they operate in a number, and to a great extent they have been using the border to exploit their, their successes."
6. Cutaway, room and TV
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Francisco Caetano José Madeira, Special Envoy of the African Union for the Lord's Resistance Army Issue: 
"We did visit all the embassies of the United States of America based in all four countries. We have gotten a commitment by the United States of America that they will support this initiative as much as they can, and the 100 military personnel will be deployed in each of these countries to help."
8. Cutaway, journalist
9. Wide shot, room and TV
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Abou Moussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa:
"We do have the information that he may be in Central African Republic. There has been a number of figures in terms of what is the composition of Kony, ranging from 200 to 700. I don't think that's the most important thing. The most important thing is how little they may be, they still constitute a danger to the environment. So they continue to attack, they continue to create havoc."
10. Wide shot, Room and TV

STORYLINE:

Representatives of the United Nations, African Union and the UN stabilization mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo provided an update on a regional strategy to address the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and Joseph Kony, finalized earlier this week.

The regional strategy brings together the four LRA-affected – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic – and includes the launch of a joint operations task force comprised of forces from those nations.

Abou Moussa, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), said the thrust of the strategy and the joint force, which was accepted by all four countries, was to allow for cross-border effort to impede the LRA's movements and attacks.

The Deputy Force Commander of the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Major-General Adrian J. Foster, noted that the mission had been working with its Congolese partners to combat the LRA menace for a number of years now.

"We have been working to develop this regional strategy, recognizing that the LRA do not operate in just one country but in a number of them and to a great extent they have a been using the border to exploit their successes," he said.

Responding to questions about the involvement of 100 military personnel from the United States (US) dispatched to the region last fall, Francisco Madeira, the AU Special Envoy for the LRA issue, said he and Moussa had secured US commitment to support the initiative.

"The 100 military personnel will be deployed in each of these countries to help," he said.

Although the current whereabouts of the LRA, which has been led by Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony for 20 years and operated for a long time in Uganda, are unknown, Moussa acknowledged that Kony may be in the Central African Republic.

Addressing rumours that Kony's forces currently range from 200 to 700, he emphasized that the most important fact was not the size, but the impact of the LRA. "They still constitute a danger to the environment," he said. "They continue to attack, they continue to create havoc."