#Kony2014. The USA is more than doubling its troop commitment to help find the reclusive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, sending 150 troops and at least four CV-22 aircraft to Uganda. This is the first time the US has sent military planes to find Kony and his fighters. Will they find him? Maybe. These US troops are part of a 5,000 strong regional military force that has been trying to find Kony and his gang for the past three years. The search is focused on border regions of Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo where dense jungle and remote terrain make this task exceedingly difficult. Does it Matter? The UN says that over 325,000 people are displaced across the region because of the ongoing LRA threat. However, the LRA has been significantly diminished in recent years. Top commanders have defected, been apprehended or killed. The LRA is most definitely on the run. How will we know this works? When those displaced people feel free to return home. Take a deeper dive: “Is the LRA Only Sleeping?” Thibaud Lesueur from the International Crisis Group → http://bit.ly/1dk4P0L
About that Ebola outbreak…Tests on suspected cases of deadly Ebola virus in Guinea’s capital Conakry are negative, meaning the virus hasn’t reached the city yet. So that’s good! (BBC http://bbc.in/1hg2kZj)
The UN accused Syria’s government and rebels of hindering aid access, suggesting both sides could be violating UN Security Council demands that emergency relief reach civilians. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1faLcUr)
Gunmen have attacked and burned a camp for displaced people in Sudan’s Darfur region, adding to an upsurge of suspected militia violence which has wreaked havoc. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1faLyu6)
Stat of the Day: Roughly 1 million children, double the previous estimate, fall ill with tuberculosis every year. (AFP http://bit.ly/1faE8Hh)
Bangladesh began compiling details Monday about the victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse as part of a compensation deal. (AP http://yhoo.it/1faLFFW)
H/t DAWNS Digest