Betty Bigombe, the chief peace negotiator between the LRA and the Government of Uganda, vowed yesterday to never give up working for peace in northern Uganda, reports The New Vision.

"I saw land mines blow people. I saw people mutilated, women raped, children defiled and brutally murdered. But faced with all these challenges, I never gave up," she said.

Uganda-CAN is working with many other organizations around the world to see that Betty's tireless efforts are supported and strengthened to bring a real and lasting peace to northern Uganda.

Ugandan President Youweri Museveni yesterday apologized to children who had been abducted by the LRA, Uganda's New Vision reports.

“I feel touched when my people, especially the innocent children, suffer at the hands of the terrorists of Joseph Kony,” Museveni said.

Museveni made the remarks while commissioning the Rachelle Center in Lira District, where former rebels go for rehabilitation. Rachelle Center is named after the prophetic Italian nun who chased rebel leaders dozens of miles into the bush to demand that they return the more than one hundred girls abducted from Sr. Rachelle's school.

Museveni further commented that the war in the North took long to end because of the rebels’ ties with the Sudan and reduction in defence spending.

UN IRIN is reporting that Betty Bigombe's efforts to revitalize the peace process are stalling as a result of lack of communication with LRA rebels. This report coincides with the visit of Ann Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund, to northern Uganda. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The expected issuing of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and the LRA's top five commanders has upset many who are concerned with peace prospects in northern Uganda, reports Reuters Alertnet. Although the ICC has not yet made its indictments public, the announcement is expected soon.

Betty Bigombe, chief peace mediator, has expressed that the issuing of arrest warrants will likely end the prospects of a peaceful resolution to the war. Uganda-CAN partner Zachary Lomo of Refugee Law Project commented, "Some people see [the ICC] as this all-powerful animal with American military power that is going to come and get Kony for them. If only they knew it was just powerless bureaucrats sitting in The Hague, they would be so disappointed... Most people still believe the traditional mechanisms provide a longer, much more healing process than the Western model, particularly the type pushed by the ICC."

Last month, John Prendergast gave an important presentation at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Africa Program, titled "Mapping a Peace Strategy for Northern Uganda." John advises the Uganda-CAN team in policy matters. Watch the video of this event at Woodrow Wilson Center Web site.

G. Jefferson Price III, writing in today's Baltimore Sun, writes of the importance and centrality of forgiveness mechanisms in resolving the war in northern Uganda. Read this interesting column at the Sun's website.

In their latest working paper, Uganda-CAN's partner, the Refugee Law Project is calling upon the International Criminal Court to halt its investigations until after peace is achieved. The working paper, titled "Peace First, Justice Later: Traditional Justice in northern Uganda," highlights that most Acholi leaders are against ICC indictments against LRA leadership because they believe such moves will undermine the peace process. The paper reads, "Peace must be realised before justice can be tackled."

Reuters AlertNet is reporting that the Lord's Resistance Army rebels have killed at least two soldiers in an ambush in Pader District. This is significant in that the Ugandan army has rarely confirmed deaths of its own during the 19-year old war against the LRA. Read more at the AlertNet website.

The Refugee Law Project, one of Uganda-CAN's partners in Uganda, has released a new working paper titled "Peace First, Justice Later." The paper addresses the complex questions of peace and justice faced in the conflict in northern Uganda. Read the report summary and the report at the ReliefWeb Web site.

The new coalition Sudanese government has vowed today to fully support the Ugandan government in combatting the remains of the Lord's Resistance Army. Read the article here. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the formation of the new coalition government holds the potential to be a big step for peace in the region if managed well. Read a related Op/Ed piece at the Sun.

The New Vision is reporting today that Maj. Gen. Lakati, the LRA chief of staff and #4 official in the LRA was killed last month. The Vision is also reporting that Ali Kony, believed to be the eldest son of rebel leader Joseph Kony, was also killed. Read today's article to learn more.

Last week, Voice of America ran a story titled "Uganda at Risk" that features interviews with a number of scholars and diplomats in the United States on the fragile future of Uganda. As the political process now faces a referendum on the political system, the repeal of presidential term limits and elections in March of next year, there is great fear that the country will be plunged into nationwide violence. Read the VOA reporting here. Also, see the transcript from a Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars Africa program event on the future of Uganda.

It is a large misunderstanding to separate the war in northern Uganda from the greater political narrative and climate of Uganda post-colonialism. Since 1986 - a year in which the war began - the Ugandan government has been a one-party "Movement" system. This month, the people of Uganda will go to the polls to decide whether to change the political system to multipartyism. At the same time, the Parliament is debating Article 105(2) that will, among other things, repeal the presidential term limits to allow President Museveni to stand for a third term. The political climate in Uganda is tenuous, and developments in the coming months will inevitably have deep impact on the conflict and prospects for peace. Read more at the BBC about the Ugandan political events.