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FOCUS LESSON: Question at the end of article
Uganda displays captive Kony lieutenant
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 12:44 PM EDT, Mon May 14, 2012
Ceasar Achellam, considered the fourth-highest ranking member of the LRA, was arrested by Ugandan forces.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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NEW: Achellam was captured with his wife, child and a 12-year-old
Central African girl
Caesar Achellam was captured in the Central African Republic,
Uganda says
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"This is a big fish," a Ugandan military spokesman says
Achellam is a top lieutenant to wanted LRA chieftain Joseph Kony
(CNN) -- Uganda says it has captured a top commander of the Lord's
Resistance Army, the guerrilla movement notorious for its attacks on
civilians and use of child soldiers.
Ugandan commanders displayed Caesar Achellam to reporters after his
capture in what they said was a weekend raid in the Central African
Republic. The CAR is one of several African Union countries that has
committed troops to hunt down LRA chieftain Joseph Kony, who is wanted
for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
"This is a big fish," said Col. Felix Kulayigye, a Ugandan military
spokesman. "For Caesar to be in our hands it is a big statement, as far as
our efforts to end this rebellion."
Achellam told reporters he hoped his capture would lead "my people
remaining in the brush" to give up, "so that sooner maybe the war would
come to an end."
Radhika Coomaraswamy, U.N. special representative for Children and
Armed Conflict, called on Ugandan authorities Monday to "not apply
amnesty but instead, bring him (Achellam) to justice."
"The arrest and subsequent prosecution of Achellam would send a strong
message to the LRA leadership that they will be held accountable for their
actions," Coomaraswamy said.
Achellam was captured with his wife, child and a 12-year-old girl from the
Central African Republic, according to the U.N.
Achellam and his family are in Ugandan custody in South Sudan. The
unidentified girl remains in the Central African Republic. It's unknown why
she was with Achellam, the U.N. said.
The hunt for Joseph Kony
The 'Kony 2012' phenomenon
Villagers in Uganda watch 'Kony 2012'
Kony led a failed uprising against the government of Uganda and was
pushed out of Uganda in 2006. He has been moving around other countries
in the region ever since.
Abou Moussa, a special U.N. envoy for central Africa, told CNN in March
that Kony may be in the Central African Republic with between 200 and
700 remaining troops.
Kony is accused of using vicious tactics to recruit children to use them as
soldiers and sex slaves and of slicing off ears, noses and limbs of his
victims. There are reports of child soldiers brainwashed into killing their
own parents.
A celebrity-backed video that went viral earlier this year helped make
Kony's alleged crimes more widely known. The half-hour documentary
"KONY 2012" was viewed more than 89 million times on YouTube, but the
video also spurred a flurry of questions about its producers' intentions, their
transparency and whether the social-media frenzy was too little, too late.
Questions:
1. What is the author’s purpose?
2. Achellam (the captured Kony lieutenant) told reporters he hoped his
capture would lead "my people remaining in the brush" to give up, "so
that sooner maybe the war would come to an end." Do you think if the
African government offered amnesty or pardons to Kony’s fighter they
would surrender? Yes/No Why?
3. Do you think amnesty or justice for the Kony fighters is the best way to
achieve peace in North Africa? Yes/No Why?