US Joins Fight Against Militia in Uganda

The Takeaway

U.S. troops were quietly deployed to northern Uganda last Wednesday  to help fight the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Christian militia responsible for more than 30,000 deaths and countless rapes and kidnappings in Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan over the past ten years. While the troops are combat ready, their official purpose it to advise the Ugandan military. The real U.S. interests in the region are more complex, however.  Once the U.S. has established a military presence in the region, it will be well-positioned to take on a enemy that poses more of a direct potential threat to Americans – al-Qaida  in Africa. Simon Alison,  the Africa correspondent for The Daily Maverick, an online newspaper in South Africa, gives the history of the conflict, and speculates on the U.S.’s true interests.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!