President Obama has quietly announced that Special Forces, including Green Berets are being sent to parts of Africa as part of a training mission to help regions finally rid themselves of the small but vicious rebel group that calls themselves the Lords Resistance Army. That group has been terrorizing many parts of Africa for over twenty years, killing thousands and making untold others flee their homes in fear of their lives. In addition, the group has been blamed for the disappearances of thousands of people, some suspected of being kidnapped not only to refresh their ranks but to serve as sex slaves as well.

Former President Bush had originally sent a smll cadre of special ops troops to the area, mostly counterterrorism advisors sent to the Ugandan troops meant to help train in a number of protection operations. The Bush administration had also sent several million dollars in aid including several fuel trucks, satellite phones and night vision goggles to be used in combat and survelliance.

President Obama's announcement that as many as one hundred Green Berets and other special forces would be sent to the area comes on the heels or increased action and unrest. Lords Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony has been establishing his rebel forces not only in Uganda but in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic as well as South Sudan. US forces aim to provide training as well as equipment meant to take Kony out of power and to destroy the rest of the rebel band.

Kony has been in action for some twenty four years for a number of reasons, including the government's inability to pursue him, his small band's increased mobility and the nature of the terrain in the area. In 2008, a deal was attempted to stem some of the violence but Kony refused to sign.

President Obama's movement to send troops comes with an increased in fears about the stability of the African nations and a suspected rise in terrorist activity in that area. The first of the troops left for Uganda on Friday with the intention of training the Ugandan forces in tracking, intelligence collecting and assessment as well as effective patroling techniques. The special forces will all be armed for self defense if needed. There was not an estimated length for this deployment- it may depend on how fast the training can be completed as well as conditions once the troops arrive on site.

Two years ago Kony's small band is estimated to have killed thousands in the Congolese outlands as well as kidnapping hundreds others, most of those young men to serve as soldiers and young women that would serve as sex slaves. At least 300,000 are dead or have been forced to flee their homes because of the rebel actions.

The US is possibly acting on the continued unrest of the area after failing to step in during the 1990's genocide in Rwanda.