Hundreds of Thousands of Young Americans Applaud Obama’s Actions to Stop The LRA

Today’s announcement from The White House is a huge victory for the hundreds of thousands of young Americans who have been lobbying Washington to take action against the LRA. Over 230,000 youth have rallied three times with Invisible Children demanding action. This culminated in the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act that was passed with overwhelming support last year by both houses. It was the most widely supported African issue legislation in modern American history.

The comprehensive strategy taken by the Obama Administration to stop the LRA violence has been thoughtfully planned for the last year and a half following the passing of the bill. The military deployment today is just one piece in the overall structure of disarming the LRA and stopping their 26 year-long reign of terror and destabilization in the region.

We have seen first hand the need for greater action against the LRA, which is why we strongly applaud this deployment today. Invisible Children Founder Jason Russell, was invited into the LRA’s camp in Garamba National Forest in the D.R.C. This experience profoundly shaped our view of the LRA and our commitment to see the apprehension of the top leadership and the rehabilitation of the abducted child soldiers.

Right now estimates show that the LRA numbers are between 250-400 individuals. They are responsible for the abduction and murder of thousands. Their victims have been some of the most ignored and under-protected individuals in modern history, and America’s lead in protecting them is a deeply moving statement to the world. Specific and confirmed reports of incidents involving LRA violence can be found at LRAcrisistracker.com and a short video explaining the LRA and their origins and tactics can be found here.

Combining last year’s legislation and The President’s actions in support of peace in Central Africa, we see an America poised to be recognized as a supporter of lasting solutions and stability around the world. The youth of today understand that when we think of human beings first, the economic and security concerns naturally follow. When we focus only on power and force, we breed a global generation with distaste and distrust of our nation.

This bi-partisan issue has gained the support of Americans on all sides of the political spectrum. A driving force behind the legislation, Republican Senator Jim Inhofe said today:

“I applaud our nation’s military for making this a priority and taking the steps outlined in our legislation that will eventually protect the children and people from Joseph Kony’s reign of terror.”

This is a well-reasoned step in the right direction, and Invisible Children’s base of hundreds of thousands of supporters are celebrating The President’s action today.

-Invisible Children
Press Contacts:

Invisible Children Phone Number for Press Inquiries: 619-562-2799

Ben Keesey, CEO, Invisible Children.  ben@invisiblechildren.com

Kimmy Vanidvort, Executive Assistant, Invisible Children.  kimmy@invisiblechildren.com

Jedidiah Jenkins, Director of Ideology, Invisible Children jedidiah@invisiblechildren.com