tagged w/ LRA
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The "abducted" gathered Saturday in Civic Center park — hundreds of Colorado teens, some younger — simulating the plight of Ugandan children taken from their homes in recent years by a rebel army.
They formed a line, connected by a single rope, and walked to Cheesman Park, where they established a makeshift overnight rescue camp. They sprawled on blankets to write letters to congressmen, tied photos of themselves to pictures of African children, and read poetry asking for justice.
"The Congolese child soldiers hold onto a rope when they are abducted from their families," said Katie Schneebeck, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Invisible Children, organizer of the event.
The overnight rally, similarly played out in 100 cities worldwide, aimed to steer attention to guerrilla leader Joseph Kony's human-rights abuses.
By 7 p.m., people had arrived at Cheesman Park, waiting for political leaders and media — deemed "the rescuers" — to arrive to listen to their message.
Colorado State University sophomores Rachel Leston and Lauren Rencoret said they jumped at the chance to be part of a worldwide effort on behalf of kidnapped African children. After reaching the park, they sat cross-legged on the grass and started writing letters to U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. A representative from Udall's office was set to speak later in the evening. Miles Moffeit, The Denver PostThe "abducted" gathered Saturday in Civic Center park — hundreds of... more
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About 150 people attended the symbolic abduction, where they waited for a political or media official to show up and "rescue" them. Attention from local officials was a requirement for each event to end, according to specifications from the international organization.
"We are symbolically abducting ourselves for the children that have been abducted and are fighting in the LRA," she said. "In the past two years alone, (Kony) has abducted hundreds of children and murdered thousands of innocent civilians in the northeastern Congo … so we are really just trying to build awareness about this war."
Through the night, students, parents and protesters camped out on blankets in the park's soccer field, waiting for someone to respond to their effort.
In response to being ignored, the group marched to City Hall, where they sat and waited for the political or media attention required to "rescue" them and end their protest, Frank said.
Once at City Hall, the group was confronted by several police officers for not having a permit to protest on a weekend, she said.
Kimberly Dimiceli, a teacher at Rio Ranch High School and sponsor of the group, said officers told them they had to sit quietly and not scream or cause a commotion. Officers also made the group move from where they were waiting several times because they didn't have a permit.
Invisible Children has been working for six years to bring world leaders' attention to human-rights violations in Africa in the last two decades.
In Africa's longest war, according to Invisible Children's Web site, the Lord's Resistance Army has terrorized the regions of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Western Equatoria, killing thousands and abducting children to fight in the army.About 150 people attended the symbolic abduction, where they waited for a political or... more
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Uganda says it has captured a commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) at a national park in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. An army spokesman said Thomas Kwoyelo, believed to be LRA fourth-in-command, was seized in fighting on Tuesday. A Ugandan army spokesman said Mr Kwoyelo had been wounded during fighting in the remote forests of Garamba National Park. Major Felix Kulayigye told AFP news agency: "We had contact with the rebels yesterday. Thomas was injured and is now in our custody. "We also have some of the fighters who were with him, while others ran away." The rebels are accused of having raped and mutilated civilians, forcibly enlisting child soldiers and of massacring thousands during two decades of conflict.Uganda says it has captured a commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) at a... more
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UN peacekeepers have said that more than 100 bodies have been discovered after a reported massacre in north-eastern Congo which is believed to have been carried out by Ugandan rebels.
The massacre sees the number of civilian deaths in the area rise to over 900 since December, when missions against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels began.
Reports state that the attack took place on the 16th January.UN peacekeepers have said that more than 100 bodies have been discovered after a... more
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The rebel group Lord Resistance Army (LRA) is ready to sign a peace deal with the Ugandan government to end a 20-year bloody conflict.
Former Mozambique President Joachim Chissanno, also a UN special envoy to LRA affected areas in Uganda, said on Tuesday that LRA leader Joseph Kony is ready to sign the peace agreement to end the conflict in northern part of the East African nation, the Press TV correspondent reported.
Chissanno added that Kony is however giving demands that the peace deal can only be signed after he meets personally with the mediator.
Chissanno toured the affected region of the Gulu district in the northern part of Uganda after holding meetings with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, UN officials and aid groups.
The UN envoy reiterated that most of the issues had been solved and all involved parties were satisfied with the results. The peace talks have been underway for two years in Southern Sudan.
"It is refreshing to report that this conflict will soon come to an end and I believe both parties are tired of it," Chissanno told Uganda's state media.
Kony failed to show to the April signing ceremony citing the indictment on him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and human rights violations. Some of LRA fighters have since surrendered to the Ugandan authorities in return for amnesty. The rebel group Lord Resistance Army (LRA) is ready to sign a peace deal with the... more
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In northern Uganda, a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s in what has become Africa's longest civil war. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have died in the war and thousands of children have been abducted. But in recent years, thousands of rebels have come out of bush to take advantage of amnesty offer by the Ugandan government. Now thousands of former rebels, including some of its top leaders, live side by side with victims.In northern Uganda, a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army has been... more
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Invisible Children, a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness to Ugandan refugees, puts on an event where people simulate the life of a person who has been displaced. "Displace Me" was held in various cities across the country.Invisible Children, a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness to Ugandan refugees,... more
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