WASHINGTON – The Uganda Conflict Action Network (Uganda-CAN) has called upon religious leaders and communities across the United States to make children in northern Uganda a priority. Uganda-CAN has formally announced a weekend of prayer and action for peace in northern Uganda, to be held September 23-25. Uganda-CAN is asking religious communities to speak out, pray and mobilize to support the children of northern Uganda that have been targets of the war for nearly two decades.

“Together we are raising a chorus of voices to demand attention to this forgotten war,” said Caitlin Rackish, Uganda-CAN religious outreach coordinator. “We are asking faith leaders across the U.S. and the world to break the silence, speaking and praying in solidarity for peace with our brothers and sisters in northern Uganda.”

Over the last two decades, more than 30,000 children have been abducted as a result of this war, forced into soldiering and sexual slavery. Many of the girls who are abducted become pregnant and must care for their children while fighting a war they did not choose. Up to 50,000 more children are forced to walk miles nightly into towns to sleep unprotected on streets, so as to avoid being kidnapped.

In this campaign, Uganda-CAN is asking religious leaders to speak to their communities about the plight of children, while leading prayer and action towards a more peaceful future that affirms the dignity and life of those in northern Uganda. Through phone calls, letters and demonstrations, Uganda-CAN will work to demand that policymakers prioritize these children.

“For too long, the children of northern Uganda have been forgotten and neglected by the world,” said Peter Quaranto, director of Uganda-CAN. “By our silence, we are accepting the loss of a whole generation of kids.”

Beyond mobilizing their communities, Uganda-CAN, a transcontinental advocacy network, is asking religious leaders to sign a declaration condemning the war. The declaration reads, “We refuse to be silent any longer in the face of this gross assault on the integrity of God’s creation. In solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Uganda, we call for a more peaceful future that affirms the dignity and life of all. We condemn the use of child soldiers and call for a swift resolution of the conflict.

Michael Poffenberger, advocacy director of Uganda-CAN said, “Religious communities have the power to be prophetic voices for the poor and marginalized. On September 23-25, we are asking religious communities to raise their prophetic voices to declare that we are our brother’s keeper in Uganda and shall speak out until the violence of war and hunger fall silent in northern Uganda.”

Learn more at our Prayer and Action Weekend Web page.

In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, Carolyn Davis of the Inquirer Editorial Staff, writes about the work of the Uganda Conflict Action Network and the Genocide Intervention Fund at Swarthmore College. She writes, "The drive of these students is a good thing, because when the leaders of nations stand by as evils unfold, someone ought to raise a ruckus." Read the article here.

Here at Uganda-CAN, we will continue to raise a ruckus until the appropriate attention and engagement are brought by the international community to meet the unnecessary mass suffering in northern Uganda.

Uganda-CAN, with great excitement, has announced its mobilization and action plan for the coming two months of fall. On September 23-25, Uganda-CAN is asking faith leaders and communities around the globe to pray, speak out and take action to promote peace for the forgotten children of northern Uganda. Uganda-CAN is also circulating a declaration, to be signed by religious leaders, condemning the atrocities of war and lack of will for peace. Read the letter.

On October 22nd and the week leading up to the date, Uganda-CAN is working with groups and organizations around the world to organize a Global Gulu Walk for the children of northern Uganda. People in cities such as Kampala, Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Rome, Sydney, Stockholm, Washington D.C., New York City and more will walk four to eight miles to raise the plight of the child "night commuters" and advocate for more sustained high-level engagement by governmental bodies to bring peace. We are asking people, wherever you may find yourself, to consider starting or volunteering for a nearby Gulu Walk. Learn more at our Global Gulu Walk Web page.

Yesterday, the United Nations refugee chief Antonio Gutteres commenced his 10-day journey through Sudan, Chad and Kenya to visit displaced populations. The trip is an exciting one to draw attention to the suffering faced by those displaced by the atrocities in Darfur, however, it is missing one very important stop: northern Uganda.

When the U.N. refugee chief visits southern Sudan later this week, he will pass within miles of the northern region of Uganda that is home to 1.6 million displaced peoples living in squalor camps with little protection or humanitarian security. He will walk within tens of miles of what his colleague, Jan Egeland, called the "world's biggest neglected humanitarian crisis." The United Nations recently put the crisis in northern Uganda on top of its list of "10 Stories the World Should Hear More About."

By surpassing northern Uganda, Mr. Gutteres will be contributing to the neglect that has persisted throughout the two decades of this forgotten conflict.

We at Uganda-CAN, speaking with hundreds of thousands of Ugandans, ask Mr. Gutteres to add northern Uganda to his itinerary this coming week. With even a brief visit, Mr. Gutteres can begin a new, sustained attention to this long-standing, related conflict that has caused so much unnecessary suffering.

Citizens moved to action after viewing the compelling documentary about night commuters in northern Uganda, Invisible Children, have organized a reggae music fest to take place this Sunday at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington, VA, just outside of Washington, DC.

Check out the website of this Invisible Children Musicfest. All proceeds from the concert will go to further the efforts of the Invisible Children organization. Tickets are $35 at the door. Uganda-CAN will be present to publicize the upcoming Global Gulu Walks and our advocacy efforts here in Washington, DC.

Stephen Okello, Uganda-CAN director of operations in Uganda, writes -

I cannot, and will possibly never use letters and figures describe the suffering of innocent civilians in the war ravaged northern Uganda. “We are no body” is what Apio could tell me at St. Kizito, night commuter Center-Gulu. “If this is a punishment from God...then he must be really annoyed with us."

Steaming with sweat, she is fresh from a 8km walk with her little bedding materials on her left shoulder, and three other young ones behind her, (her late brother’s children she is taking care of), glad in torn, dirty clothes. What strikes me, is that, they do not seem bothered by what is happening.

As very sorrowful music penetrates my ears from other night commuters praying, Apio goes on. “Everybody is tired of this senseless killing by the LRA, we have done whatever we can do, and nothing has changed. Everybody waits for their time of death, even the camps are not safe."

Okello, Apio’s only brother was murdered in cold blood last year, and she does not know who is responsible for his death.

Then I feel like I should not have talked to her, because I begin to feel pain myself as she looks back at me speechless with a tired looking face. Yet she wants to say something, but she keeps it back. Inside me, I feel more humbled by the resilience my brothers and sisters have adopted as a way of survival amidst untold amount of suffering.

There are many people like Apio, caught in a conflict difficult to understand and imposing unmeasurable suffering impossible to comprehend. Yet this has been the reality in northern Uganda for 19 years, while the country is portrayed as a success story by rich, industrialized countries of the west, including America.

As millions are encamped, thousands of children abducted, raped, maimed and killed… millions of dollars are pumped into corrupt regimes all over Africa. To me the international commitment towards stopping such carnage is questionable.

Yet as I write, I cannot stop thinking of those small souls turned into deadly killing machines by the LRA. I also think that you and I can do something to change lives of thousands of people living at the verge of death. Uganda-CAN has recently been launched and will work to try and support this cause.

A new page on the Uganda Conflict Action Network Web site allows you to meet the team behind the campaign.

Saturday, Uganda-CAN will proudly host a charity luncheon and dance in Nairobi, Kenya to benefit refugees and internally-displaced peoples in northern Uganda. James Neuhaus, Uganda-CAN's liaison in Kenya and director of promotions, has worked tirelessly to make this event a reality. The event will include foods from around the world, along with musical performances and dancing. The event begins at 11am, and will be held on The Mall Rooftop in Westlands. Thanks to James for his leadership on this exciting and important event!

Recently, The Genocide Intervention Fund, one of Uganda-CAN's partners, launched the Be-A-Witness campaign to call for more coverage from major televsion networks of the genocide in Darfur. Send a message today to TV networks calling for more coverage!

During June 2005, CNN, FOXNews, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, and CBS ran 50 times as many stories about Michael Jackson and 12 times as many stories about Tom Cruise as they did about the genocide in Darfur.

Whether it is coverage of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, or recent coverage of the tsunami, television news can help stop grave injustices and end human suffering. Increased television coverage of the genocide in Darfur has the power to spur the action required to stop a devastating crime against humanity.

At Uganda-CAN, as we continue to work to bring attention and action to the forgotten crisis in northern Uganda, we recognize that there are other conflicts and crises around the globe that demand our attention and action. Working together, we can call for a foreign policy of hope that prioritizes and protects human life. The Be-A-Witness campaign is one way to bring about such a foreign policy, and that is why we at Uganda-CAN are supporting it.

In the coming weeks, after the tragic death of Dr. John Garang, we will highlight the connections between Darfur, northern Uganda and southern Sudan; showing that the time has come for a comprehensive peace strategy in the region to protect civilians and support peace processes.

The Global IDP Database is featuring Uganda-CAN's July 2005 working policy paper, "Seizing the Ripe Moment for Peace in Northern Uganda" on their Uganda Web page. The Global IDP Database is an incredible resource for reports and information about the crisis in northern Uganda. Check it out!

This Saturday, Uganda-CAN will proudly host a charity luncheon in Nairobi, Kenya, to benefit refugees in northern Uganda. The luncheon will include foods from around the world, along with musical performances and dancing. The event begins at 11am, and will be held on The Mall Rooftop in Westlands. For more information, email James Neuhaus, Uganda-CAN Director of Promotions at Jneuhaus99@yahoo.com.

Press Contact: Stephen Okello, Director of Operations in Uganda
okello36@justice.com – +256 (71) 671 937

KAMPALA, UGANDA – In the wake of the tragic death of Dr. John Garang, the Uganda Conflict Action Network has announced the launch of a campaign to keep alive Dr. Garang’s legacy of working for a lasting, comprehensive peace in southern Sudan and northern Uganda. The Uganda-CAN letter-writing campaign that begins today and ends in late September hopes to collect and compile letters and statements from people in Uganda about hopes and visions for peace in the north. The letters will then be mailed to Kampala, Khartoum, London and Washington to press that Dr. Garang’s work for peace, carried forth by voices all over Uganda, is not lost or forgotten in the months ahead.

Since the death of Dr. Garang one week ago, many have expressed fears that the sudden tragedy will diminish prospects for peace and stability in the region. “Dr. Garang was a great leader for his people, but even more, he was a great leader for peace in southern Sudan, northern Uganda and Darfur,” said Stephen Okello, director of operations in Uganda for Uganda-CAN. “As we mourn his death, we commit ourselves to carry on his legacy to work tirelessly for a lasting peace in Sudan and Uganda.”

The letter-writing campaign, which begins this week throughout Uganda, asks people to write short statements or letters about their hopes and visions for an end to the two-decade-old conflict in the northern region. Uganda-CAN organizers and volunteers will be working in different parts of the country to facilitate the writing and collection of letters. “We are asking people to tell us their heartfelt hopes and fears for the crisis in northern Uganda,” said Fiona Mwesigwa, a Uganda-CAN organizer in Uganda.

“For too long, the voices of ordinary people have been lost or neglected in this crisis,” says Michael Poffenberger, advocacy director of Uganda-CAN. “Our vision for the letter-writing campaign is to create a vehicle to bring the hopes and fears of Ugandans to top government officials all over the world. After nineteen years, the time has come for people to rally together and live a shared commitment to peace.”

In the last week, the international media has harped upon the dangers for peace in northern Uganda with instability and uncertainty in Sudan. These fears are real and immediate, but alternatively, the international media has failed to highlight the opportunity of the moment. “Dr. Garang’s prophetic work for peace lit a torch that we now carry forth with hope,” said Stephen Okello. “The time has come for Ugandans to join hands and raise our voices to declare ‘no more’ to war.”

In the wake of the tragic death of Dr. John Garang, Uganda-CAN has set to work to publish a working policy paper on the connections between peace in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. Dr. Garang was a long-time advocate for a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. Right before he died, he met with President Yoweri Museveni to explore ways to bring about an end to the 19-year-old conflict in northern Uganda.

We at Uganda-CAN express our deepest sorrows to the people of southern Sudan, and commit to working to ensure that Dr. Garang's legacy is not lost in the days and months ahead.

Help for Uganda, initiated by the TURN network is a prayer initiative to mobilize Christian church communities to lift up their pleas for peace and the protection of life in Uganda. Feel free to join them in prayer today.

I just wanted to make a post to publicly thank Aaron Wall on the Uganda-CAN blog. He has recently spent a good amount of his money and (extremely valuable) time promoting Uganda-CAN. Aaron is an A-list Internet marketing consultant, and as a non-profit movement we could never afford his services. He solved this problem by graciously helping out for free.

Thank you Aaron Wall!!

Uganda Conflict Action Network Releases Policy Paper
for U.S. Action towards Northern Uganda

WASHINGTON - Today, the Uganda Conflict Action Network has officially released its first working policy paper, titled “Seizing the Ripe Moment for Peace in Northern Uganda.” The paper provides analysis of new opportunities for peace, while outlining policy recommendations for the United States government to seize the moment. The paper reads, “There are new opportunities for peace, which if employed intentionally and expeditiously, can resolve the conflict and alleviate one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”

The Uganda Conflict Action Network, a transcontinental campaign working for peace in forgotten and war-torn northern Uganda, sees this paper as its manifesto for advocacy in the United States. "The release of this paper is a significant step forward for the Uganda-CAN campaign's work to advocate for a more active and visible role by the United States in achieving peace in northern Uganda," said Alison Jones, Uganda-CAN legislative analyst.

The paper highlights recent developments that have presented a “ripe moment” for resolving the conflict of nearly two decades. The developments include the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan, increased attention from the international community and the successful mediation efforts of Betty Bigombe, chief negotiator between the Government of Uganda and Lord’s Resistance Army.

“The Comprehensive Peace Agreement between northern and southern factions in Sudan has presented a critical moment to address the related conflict in Uganda,” says Nathan Bauer, assistant director of Uganda-CAN. “Not only is the moment ripe to end the war in northern Uganda, but such resolution is vital to ensuring stability and peace in the region.”

The policy paper addresses the potential for the United States to play a critical role in achieving such stability and peace in the region, especially given its close working relationships with the governments in Kampala and Khartoum. The policy paper calls upon Washington to provide financial and diplomatic support to the work of Bigombe to revitalize the peace process. It further calls upon the U.S. government to provide accountability and trust-building through human rights monitoring, civilian protection and humanitarian assistance.

“Through intentional steps, the United States can take the lead in bringing attention and resolution to this forgotten crisis that not only threatens regional stability, but has caused so much human suffering,” says Michael Poffenberger, Uganda-CAN director of advocacy. “Uganda-CAN will work to see that this ripe moment is seized.

Click below to read the full policy paper.

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