The U.S. ups its ante in Uganda against the Lord’s Resistance Army

As President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton express satisfaction today at the execution of Muammar Gaddafi, another foreign policy intervention is quietly underway. Last week, the President authorized deployment of approximately 100 special forces troops to Uganda and neighboring countries to help target senior leaders in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), including Joseph Kony himself. The troops are now on their way to East Africa.In an interview with ABC, President Obama said the LRA has been “a scourge on Uganda and that entire region” and cited the militia’s systematic campaign of recruiting and deploying child soldiers as a chief reason for intervention. He also expressed confidence that Americans of diverse political stripes would support this move, saying everyone from evangelical Christians to left-wing activists want an end to the LRA's brutal reign.We discuss this shift, as well as the regional implications of Qaddafi's death, with veteran journalist Kisuule Magala Katende from Uganda. Kisuule is a regular guest on Worldview on issues related to Uganda and Central Africa. His commentaries appear on Ababaka.