The birth of the Ugandan super soldier: young, pure, and naive
India and China, the economic giants of Asia, stand armies in the millions along their borders and coastlines. Their militaries may top the charts in size, but nothing compares to the American armed forces’ strength and precision. In a few years, however, another world power will emerge. From the large continent of Africa, Uganda will dwarf all the militaries of the world. Its weapons of choice: clubs, knives, stones, and occasionally a gun or two. Its personnel: children–boys and girls. Indeed, they very well could qualify for the annual Medieval Festival battles in England.
We hear of men at war with their own brothers in Sudan, and of women being raped and beaten in many other parts of the world, but when do we get the chance to see children in the same situation? When do we get to see a child take up arms against his brothers, sisters, and parents? Or a girl who becomes a martyr for a cause she cannot even comprehend? Enter Uganda and you will surely see it, hear it, and live it.
The architect of this Ugandan tragedy is none other than Jesus Christ. Well, at least that’s what he wants us to think. His real name is Joseph Kony, the ringleader of “The Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA), and he is waging a rebellion against the Ugandan government. His goal is to rule Uganda by the Ten Commandments. Since 2001, Kony and his rebels have raided village after village and kidnapped thousands of children. Schools, hospitals, and many other should-be safe places have been attacked. What becomes the fate of the kidnapped? Some are murdered on the spot, the rest are put to “use” in the rebel army. They become soldiers for the uprising and several children, mainly girls, become sex slaves for the other soldiers. Children are forced to beat and kill their peers and even their own family members. So why use children? Well, because they’re easy. They’re easily susceptible, weak, and have little will of their own for defense.
Here’s a brief synopsis of what Kony’s Ten Commandments might look like:
1. Kony is thy Lord, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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5. Honor thy father and thy mother, unless I order to kill them.
6. Thou shalt not kill, unless it is my will.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery, unless my soldiers so desire.
8. Thou shalt not steal, unless thou wish to steal the souls of children.
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So today, we have Islamic leaders recruiting grown men and women for a world war against its Eastern and Western enemies. They seek to create nations in which the law is Islam, but their victims are innocent civilians of different faiths and sometimes their own. A large-scale counterattack is being led by the United States to thwart these terrorists from spreading their violence and fundamentalist beliefs, and to mitigate potential tension. Then in Africa we have a Christian leader, an extremist of a similar yet more horrific nature, recruiting boys and girls for a rebellion he cannot gain legitimate support for. Kony, comparable to the few extremist leaders in Islam, wishes to create a fundamentalist regime in Uganda, albeit a Christian one. If the West is on a hunt for terrorists, then Kony and his rebels must be included. Failing to bring justice to the murdered and dying children of Africa would be one of the greatest blunders of mankind.
Sources:
MSN Article on Uganda (August 22, 2005) by Keith Morrison and Tim Sandler
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9006024/page/2/
BBC News Timeline of Uganda (July 29, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1069181.stm