Security Council calls on UN forces to help protect civilians from Ugandan rebels
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 17 November 2009 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, Security Council calls on UN forces to help protect civilians from Ugandan rebels, 17 November 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b0b9da2c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Security Council today called on United Nations missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan to coordinate strategies to protect civilians from the rebel Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which has killed, kidnapped and displaced thousands of people.
In a press statement read out by Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting of Austria, which holds the monthly presidency for November, the 15-member body "expressed deep concern at the direct and serious threat the activities of the LRA pose to the civilian population, the conduct of humanitarian operations and regional stability."
It commended States in the region for their increased cooperation, welcomed their joint efforts to address the serious threat posed by the LRA, and encouraged them to share information with UN operations in the region so as to make every possible effort to ensure the protection of civilians, in particular women and children.
The LRA, which terrorized northern Uganda for two decades before spilling over into neighbouring countries, has been accused of committing atrocities including mutilations and the recruitment of child soldiers.
The Council reiterated previous demands that the LRA immediately cease all attacks on civilians, and urged them to surrender, assemble and disarm, as required by an unfulfilled peace agreement which the group's leader Joseph Kony has refused to sign.