Johnson boosts morale of regional forces against LRA The Citizen newspaper Juba, 17/7/2012 – Special Representative of Secretary General (SRSG) Hilde F. Johnson held a close door meeting in Western Equatoria State capital Yambio with the African Union regional task forces and the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) commander of operations Lightening Thunder as well as USA special forces against the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony. After the meeting, Johnson told the press that the Rwandan batallian would be deployed in the LRA affected areas in the state to take action because the civilian population is eager to cultivate but are under threat of the LRA. Johnson added that the UN forces in the state would cooperate with the different regional forces building up for the hunt of the notorious LRA. She said that she shared her re-action about the regional forces against LRA before the new modalities to tackle them and is hopeful that Kony’s forces would be eliminated. She recognized Western Equatoria State as one of the most peaceful states that would turn to breab basket for the whole South Sudan if LRA is wiped out of the area. Besides meeting regional forces, Johnson also met with state authorities among them was the governor, political parties, civil society groups and UN Mission in South Sudan as part of her vist to the state. Governor Joseph Bakasoro said that LRA remains a chanllenge in the state as unenabled them to embark on agricultural activities. Mr. Bakasoro shortly after the meeting told journalists that he raised to the UN Mission’s Special Representative the issue of strengthening rule of law saying that there is need for more training of police and prison officiers in the state. He however disclosed having discussed developmental programs in the state with the head of UN mission in South Sudan on the visit to the state. Although the regional forces were deployed three months ago to hunt down Mr. Kony and his remaining forces in South Sudan borders with Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo, the state authorities said nothing tangible have been seen from their part of mandate to use forces against the LRA. Governor Bakasoro therefore called on the regional forces to drive out the LRA from the state and their leader caught and brought to book to answer charges of killing innocent civilians.
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