Hunting the world's most wanted warlord: Joseph Kony
"According to Human Rights Watch, Uganda’s military has committed numerous abuses in its quest for Kony in the north of the country, including killings, routine beatings, rapes, and prolonged and arbitrary detention of civilians. Olara Otunnu, a former U.N. undersecretary general, has publicly described the Ugandan army’s role as tantamount to genocide.
In Obo, a Ugandan officer reportedly killed a teen over a dispute involving a cellphone. Another soldier is said to have tried to force tribal chief Moke’s daughter to marry him at gunpoint. In nearby areas, communities have ordered the Ugandans to leave.
“Nobody here trusts the Ugandans,” said Clement Rutebol, the head of Jupedec, a local aid agency assisting LRA victims. “I don’t understand why the Americans are partners with them.”
Renner said the United States believes that 'the Ugandan government is committed to apprehending Joseph Kony and top LRA commanders and ending the LRA’s atrocities.' She said Uganda has responded publicly to recent allegations of abuses by its soldiers and has pledged to act against those responsible.
Fears of LRA regrouping The arrival of the U.S. military contingent comes at a time when the LRA is at its weakest since Kony created it in the 1980s to overthrow Uganda’s government. The United States has designated the militia a terrorist organization; the International Criminal Court wants to put Kony on trial on charges of crimes against humanity. (...)
Some analysts say the main U.S. priority in the region is to maintain a vital counterterrorism partnership with Uganda and its president, Yoweri Museveni, whose forces form the bulk of an American-backed African Union force fighting al-Shabab, the Somali militia linked to al-Qaeda.
Since 2008, the United States has provided nearly $50 million in logistical support and nonlethal equipment to Uganda’s military to fight the LRA and nearly $500 million to support LRA victims in northern Uganda.
Critics say such monetary support helps explain Uganda’s failure to capture Kony despite many opportunities. Several official investigations in Uganda have showed that military officers profiteered from the protracted conflict.
Uganda People's Defence Force https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force
These U.S. geopolitical interests are: „The U.S. and world economies have diversified their sources of oil supplies, largely through increased production in the Western Hemisphere, the North Sea, and Africa.“ Reliable, Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America’s Future: Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group. US Government Printing Office. May 16, 2001. ISBN 0-16-050814-2. Retrieved 14 April 2010. http://wtrg.com/EnergyReport/National-Energy-Policy.pdf page 127 look also Minute: 12 Second: 26 http://www.arte.tv/guide/de/048881-000/schattenkrieg-in-der-sahara/?vid=048881-000_PLUS7-D
„We need to strengthen our trade alliances, to deepen our dialogue with major oil producers, and to work for greater oil production in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, the Caspian, and other regions with abundant oil resources.“ loc. cit. Page 129
„Technological advances will enable the United States to accelerate the diversification of oil supplies, notably through deep-water offshore exploration and production in the Atlantic Basin, stretching from offshore Canada to the Caribbean, Brazil, and West Africa.“ loc. cit. Page 133
„Growing levels of conventional and heavy oil production and exports from the Western Hemisphere, the Caspian, and Africa are important factors that can lessen the impact of a supply disruption on the U.S. and world economies.“ loc. cit. Page 133
„Africa Sub-Saharan Africa holds 7 percent of world oil reserves and comprises 11 percent of world oil production. Along with Latin America, West Africa is expected to be one of fastest-growing sources of oil and gas for the American market. African oil tends to be of high quality and low in sulfur, making it suitable for stringent refined product requirements, and giving it a growing market share for refining centers on the East Coast of the United States.
In 2000, OPEC member Nigeria exported an average of 900,000 barrels of oil per day to the United States, out of its total production of 2.1 million barrels of oil per day. Nigeria, in partnership with the private sector, has set ambitious production goals as high as 5 million barrels of oil per day over the coming decade.
Angola’s growing offshore oil industry, with participation by U.S. and international oil firms, is also a major source of growth. In 2000, Angola exported 300,000 barrels of oil per day out of its 750,000 barrels of oil per day of total production to the United States, and is thought to have the potential to double its exports over the next ten years. Other significant exporters to the United States included Gabon and the Congo-Brazzaville.
The World Bank has supported Chad’s efforts to begin ambitious oil development. This year an international consortium that includes U.S. firms began investing $3.5 billion in this pipeline from Chad to Cameroon, the largest infrastructure project in Africa today. When complete, the pipeline will allow Chad to export up to 250,000 barrels of oil per day.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided technical assistance in support of a West Africa Power Pool and associated pipeline project involving a number of U.S. oil companies, and is providing assistance for the creation of a regional regulatory framework that will enable Ghana and Nigeria to become major exporters of natural gas and electricity.
The West Africa Gas Pipeline is a 161-mile (1,000-kilometer), $400 million onshore/ offshore natural gas pipeline connecting Nigeria with Benin, Togo, and Ghana. The pipeline is being built by a consortium of companies, and includes financing by the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
Recommendations: The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of State, Energy, and Commerce to reinvigorate the U.S.-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum and the U.S.-African Energy Ministerial process; deepen bilateral and multilateral engagement to promote a more receptive environment for U.S. oil and gas trade, investment, and operations; and promote geographic diversification of energy supplies, addressing such issues as transparency, sanctity of contracts, and security. The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of State, Energy, and Commerce to recast the Joint Economic Partnership Committee with Nigeria to improve the climate for U.S. oil and gas trade, investment, and operations and to advance our shared energy interests. The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of State, Energy, and Commerce to support more transparent, accountable, and responsible use of oil resources in African producer countries to enhance the stability and security of trade and investment environments.“ loc. cit. page 137f
„The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of State, Energy, and Commerce to reinvigorate the U.S.-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum and the U.S.-African Energy Ministerial process; deepen bilateral and multilateral engagement to promote a more receptive environment for U.S. oil and gas trade, investment, and operations; and promote geographic diversification of energy supplies, addressing such issues as transparency, sanctity of contracts, and security.
The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of State, Commerce, and Energy to support more transparent, accountable, and responsible use of oil resources in African producer countries to enhance the stability and security of trade and investment environments.“ Reliable, Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America’s Future: Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group. US Government Printing Office. May 16, 2001. ISBN 0-16-050814-2. Retrieved 14 April 2010. http://wtrg.com/EnergyReport/National-Energy-Policy.pdf page 145
