Security Council

As stated in Chapter Five, Article 24 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, the primary responsibility of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. The Council can determine the existence of threats to international peace and security, and, following one such confirmation, can consider non-militaristic measures such as political, diplomatic, economic, and travel sanctions to address the dispute. Ultimately, the Security Council is the only UN organ with power to authorise the legitimate use of force. Hence, unlike other UN organs, Council resolutions are binding, and must be abided to by all members.

The Security Council consists of 15 members. Ten members are non-permanent, and are elected each for two-year terms. The Five permanent members (called the P5) are France, the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. These 5 permanent members have the power to veto the adoption of Security Council resolutions.

Topic: On the Question of the Lord's Resistance Army's Widespread Crimes Against Humanity in Central Africa

The Lord's Resistance Army (or LRA) was formed in 1987 in Northern Uganda as a response to the marginalization of the Acholi people by the Ugandan government. Since then, the LRA has grown to be one of the largest rebel groups operating in Africa, led by Joseph Kony. The group's central aim is said to be the creation of a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments, with Kony claiming to be the "spokesperson" of God, however the tactics used by the group shows no coherent or clearly understood political ideology or objective

The LRA has been accused of widespread crimes against humanity across Central Africa, originating in Uganda, then spreading to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The crimes committed by the LRA have been classified as crimes against humanity, which is one of the four crimes UN member states committed to protecting populations from when they adopted the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Joseph Kony, his deputy and three other LRA commanders, all charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers. The international response has thus far been relatively weak and the LRA and Joseph Kony have managed to escape arrest. The United States most recently sent 100 Special Forces troops to Central Africa to assist with the capture of Joseph Kony. As the LRA operate in an environment of relative impunity, it is imperative that the Member States of the UN Security Council assess and provide measures to deal with this breach of international peace and security.

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