Top senator on African affairs visits Uganda for update on Kony manhunt

By Julian Pecquet - 05/29/12 02:27 PM ET

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations panel on Africa met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and U.S. military officials on the ground for an update on the hunt for remnants of the Lord's Resistance Army and their leader, Joseph Kony.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said he was “encouraged” by the progress being made and “heartened” by U.S. development investments in LRA-affected communities in northern Uganda. Coons is the sponsor of a bipartisan resolution condemning the crimes against humanity committed by the LRA and supporting ongoing U.S. and regional efforts to capture or kill Kony.

“I was encouraged to hear from commanders on the ground in Uganda about progress that’s being made in the U.S. mission to advise and assist regional militaries in the hunt for Joseph Kony,” Coons said in a statement Tuesday.

"Kony represents the worst of mankind," he continued, "and he and his lieutenants must be held accountable for the war crimes they have committed in Central Africa."

The United States in October deployed about 100 special forces troops to look for Kony in central Africa. And the Senate Armed Services Committee voted last week to set aside about $50 million to "enhance and expand" intelligence and surveillance support.