U.S. troops, mostly Special Forces, are currently deployed and aiding in the fight in Africa against the Lord's Resistance Army, or the LRA, according to U.S. special operations commander for Africa, Rear Adm. Brian. L. Losey, says the AP. The troops are stationed in Central African Republic, Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan.
Here are some more facts about the current situation with the LRA.
* About 100 U.S. troops first deployed to those four countries in Africa in October.
* The troops are stationed at military bases throughout Africa.
* Their main mission is to gain intelligence and to improve communications.
* They have also been training troops so that they may better protect their communities.
* The LRA has been hard to fight because they are engaging in guerilla warfare and have broken down into small groups, according to Integrated Regional Information Networks.
* The LRA's leader, Joseph Kony, is wanted for crimes against humanity.
* President Obama authorized sending the troops under the 2009 Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery act, according to the Daily Maverick.
* Since the law was passed, calling for the U.S. to give help to the people of Uganda against the LRA, $40 million has been spent on the fight against Joseph Kony and his men.
* Since the forces were sent in October, there have been many fighters leaving the LRA, as well as less attacks going on, according to Stars and Stripes.
Joseph Kony and the LRA
* Kony started the LRA in 1987 with the intent to see Uganda ruled according to the Ten Commandments, according to the BBC.
* The LRA is known for their mass killings over the years, with the number killed at their hands estimated to be about 30,000.
* They go from village to village, kidnapping, killing, and raping.
* The LRA is responsible for kidnapping children, with an estimate of about 60,000 taken, whom they use as both fighters in their army and as sex slaves, according to the Huffington Post.
* The women are used as wives, and it has been reported that Kony has 60, according to the NNDB.
* What is known about Kony is learned from fighters who escape from the LRA.
* It is known that he has strict rules for members of his army; including making the sign of the cross before fighting. If his rules aren't followed, the punishment is death.
* The LRA once had forces numbering 10,000, but recent estimates put the number of members close to 200.
Lauren Finnegan graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in political science and has an insider's perspective on the military because of her role as a military wife who has lived around the country.
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