Just last week, the Senate introduced a companion bill to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act in the House, augmenting an important legislative push for attention and action towards the atrocities in Darfur and the wider Great Lakes Region.

Section 4, Article 9 (a sense of Congress) reads: "the President should appoint a Presidential Envoy for Sudan to provide stewardship of efforts to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan, seek ways to bring stability and peace to the Darfur region, address instability elsewhere in Sudan and northern Uganda, and pursue a truly comprehensive peace throughout the region..."

Uganda-CAN supports this piece of legislation in collaboration with the Genocide Intervention Fund. Read the bill and take action to see that your representatives are supporting it at the GIF website.

The International Center for Transitional Justice, in conjunction with University of California Berkeley's Human Rights Center, yesterday announced the release of an in-depth population-based survey and corresponding report on the tension between seeking peace and seeking justice in northern Uganda, particularly noting the potential role of the International Criminal Court.

Of the 2,585 survey respondents in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Lira and Soroti, 40% had been abducted by the LRA, 45% had directly witnessed the killing of a family member, and 23% had been physically mutilated at some point in the conflict. A majority of respondents supported the Amnesty Act, which guarantees that rebels who defect will not face punishment, but also believed that some retribution should be required of the rebels.

The report, available here, has been framed in the press as being "pro-International Criminal Court." While the researchers do advocate for a responsible role for the ICC, they also note the need for developing a more comprehensive peace strategy that incorporates all relevant actors.

As Pete mentioned on Wednesday, Uganda-CAN has joined forces with the Philadelphia Inquirer's All Join Hands Campaign.

I am pleased to announce that our petition for peace in northern Uganda is now available to be signed, as promised. You are also welcome to download a printable pdf version of the petition if you would like to collect hardcopy signatures within your community. You can then send the petition into us at the address listed on the document.

Don Cheadle, star of the movie Hotel Rwanda, has landed in Uganda to use his film to raise money for the plight of abducted children and IDPs in northern Uganda. The New Vision reports on Cheadle's arrival.

Refugees International is holding events this week to highlight two of the world's forgotten crises - northern Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read more about this special event co-sponsored by KGWN.

A special column from Uganda-CAN's Director of Operations in Uganda, Stephen Okello. Contact Stephen at sokello@ugandacan.org. -

In more than 50 years of development aid to Africa, the worlds most aid- dependent region is still trapped in an acrimonious debate about the effectiveness of aid amidst donor fatigue as conflicts continue to frustrate development initiatives.

The recent G-8 meeting is new wine in old bottles.

The cost of Africa's conflicts on development, along with the broader democratic question of governance and leadership still continues to consume a considerable amount of resources throughout the continent. Yet some African countries are trapped in crises of unending violent and destructive conflicts.

A 19-year old conflict in northern Uganda has left more than 1.6 million people languishing in IDP camps, over 20.000 children abducted, forced to kill, young girls raped and made sex slaves, maimed and their innocence eroded because they are forced to commit brutal inhuman atrocities. Political mismanagement is so far the most pronounced breeding avenue through which Africa has suffered violent conflict.

Donor sponsored reforms and projects cannot work without borrower commitment. African regimes have shown little commitment in the management of aid through inadequate transparency and accountability. Yet other donors continue to pour in money blindly.

This has just started to be felt in African countries but it has already devastated Latin American economies notably Argentina. However, aid will work only if it is targeting governments with "sound" policies and "institutions".

More resources generally have to be directed towards addressing the root causes of conflict and taking preventative action in order to free up both internal and external windows of opportunities. These may include preventive diplomacy, improved governance, and establishment of early warning systems. Food security, regional integration and co-operation and human resource development with serious aptitude for dialogue and reconciliation should be pursued as key elements of a development strategy to tackle the root causes of conflicts in Africa.

Because the majority of African conflicts are ethnic and internal in nature, for peacebuilding to be successful, governments must engage in dialogue with international, national and local groups with the capacity to manage fragile political transitions. This can be possible through practical donor pressure and legitimate local activism with a vibrant civil society.

The ongoing Gulu Walk in Toronto, Canada will hold a Gulu Walk Music Festival on Thursday, July 21, featuring prominent Canadian musical artists. The organizers and leaders of Gulu Walk, Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward, are thrilled for what they hope proves to be an exciting evening of music and awareness building for the 'night commuters' and 19-year civil war in northern Uganda. Visit the Gulu Walk website to learn.

Reuters reports that Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, during a trip to Sudan for the swearing in of former rebel leader John Garang as Vice-President, announced that the United States' unilateral sanctions on Sudan would be continued until progress is seen in Darfur.

While encouraging good governance in Darfur is certainly a positive development, the failure of the Khartoum regime also includes its historical support and harboring of the Lord's Resistance Army rebels. Removal of US sanctions on Sudan should also be tied to progress in expulsion of the LRA from southern Sudan and a cessation of all support for the LRA currently believed to be coming from Sudanese military officials.

Last Friday, NPR's Morning Edition featured commentary by Leroy Sievers of Human Rights Watch on his latest trip to northern Uganda. Listen to this informative talk on NPR's website.

Relief Web reports that Norway has donated $1.1 million US dollars for humanitarian relief for children and women in northern Uganda.

The donation came in response to last weeks Consolidated Inter-Aid Appeal (CAP) mid-term review in Kampala where it was revealed that humanitarian relief efforts in northern Uganda are facing a shortfall of over 100 million dollars, threatening the food and rehabilitation assistance currently being provided.

The New Vision, Uganda's largest government-funded newspaper, is reporting today that Daouda Toure, the outgoing UN resident representative, is calling about the Government of Uganda to revive and support the peace process led by Betty Bigombe. Read the New Vision article.

Uganda-CAN has learned that House Rep. Henry Hyde (along with House Rep. Payne) has drafted a new Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (HR 3127). Article 9 of Section 4 reads, "The President should appoint a President Envoy for Sudan to provide stewardship of efforts to implement the Sudan North-South Peace Agreement, seek ways to bring stability and peace to the Darfur region, address instability elsewhere in Sudan and northern Uganda, and pursue a truly comprehensive peace throughout the region." Read more about this piece of legislation and take action at the Genocide Intervention Fund website.

Voice of America reports that ActionAid International is calling on the G-8 Summit to take bold initiative for an end to poverty and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Read the article here. Read the report at Action Aid's website.

The VOA article reads, "At the launch of ActionAid's report in Nairobi, Ugandan activist Henry Nickson Ogwal, who works with people displaced by rebel attacks in Northern Uganda, called for G8 leaders to put an end to the arms trade.

Mr. Ogwal said Uganda has about 320,000 small arms in private hands. He also called for the leaders to help victims of conflict. 'They can stop the arms sales. They can increase aid that can actually ensure that all the people that have been affected by conflict are supported - for example, to receive life supporting anti-retroviral drugs. This is not a charity to those who are positively living with AIDS - it is a right,' he said."

Carolyn Davis of the Philadelphia Inquirer has been providing some great coverage of the horrific war in northern Uganda. She now writes that the people of Philadelphia are bringing one abducted girl, Jennifer, to the United States for medical treatment. Further, she is rallying Philadelphians to sign a petition to President Bush, calling for a more active U.S. role in the Ugandan peace process. Read her latest column, "A Community Reaches Out to a Victim of War."

An editorial in today's Philadelphia Inquirer calls for immediate action from the G-8 to bring peace and stability to both Darfur and northern Uganda. The three-headed war in Darfur, southern Sudan and northern Uganda can be brought to a halt, but that will only happen with a committed, comprehensive peace approach from the international community. Read or watch John Prendergast, special advisor to the President of the ICG and supporter of Uganda-CAN, speak about resolving this "three-headed war from hell."

In recent weeks, the U.S. and international press have finally begun to give coverage to the war in northern Uganda. One particularly phenomenal feature can be found in a multimedia presentation, titled "Horror in Uganda," available at the Los Angeles Times. Let's hope these stories will lead to more attention and action from the general public.