The New Vision has published an editorial, titled "Come clean, Joseph Kony." In it, the editors write, "The evidence against him [Kony] is overwhelming – what has been documented, the testimonies of escapees, the records of neutral parties, all tell the story of extreme crimes against humanity." They further write that peace talks will be nearly impossible if Kony continues to systematically lie about the realities of northern Uganda.

Following a rare interview yesterday from LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony in which he denied committing atrocities, Ugandan Ochola John, 25, responds by telling his story. He was abducted by rebels from his village, Namkora in northern Uganda, which was attacked in February 2002. During the attack 50 people were axed to death and he was one of 35 abductees. During his abduction, LRA rebels cut off his ears, nose and hands. Read his account at BBC News.

A former LRA rebel, Major Odongo Kao, has been arrested by security operatives at the Busia border with two women, including LRA leader Joseph Kony’s wife. They were found with five children trying to cross to Kenya. Northern military spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi said they were on their way to join Kony in Garamba National Park in DR Congo. "They were being facilitated by collaborators in Uganda, Kenya and the UK and had satellite phones to aid their escape to reunite with Kony. From Kenya they were expecting to be flown to Garamba," Magezi said. Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan government has dismissed as "ridiculous" rebel leader Joseph Kony's claims that his LRA was not involved in atrocities. International rights group Human Rights Watch expressed surprise at Kony's claim but said he must defend himself at the International Criminal Court. In his first journalistic interview, Kony told the BBC the LRA was not responsible for killings, maimings and abductions in northern Uganda. This interview will air tonight at 10:30 UK time on BBC Newsnight.

Earlier this month, The Times' correspondent Sam Farmar ventured into the jungle of DR Congo for the first journalistic interview with LRA leader Joseph Kony. Farmer writes, "He is tall — perhaps 6ft 1in — and looks younger than his 46 years. He grins, exposing two chipped and blackened front teeth, then shakes my hand. 'I’m a freedom fighter who is fighting for freedom in Uganda,' he tells me. 'I am not a terrorist.'" In the interview, Kony claims he has 3,000 fighters and is fighting for both democracy and the Ten Commandments. Read more about this fascinating interview at The Times Online. Also, BBC2 will be airing Farmar's interview with Kony at 1030 tonight in the UK.

Moved by The Oprah's shows coverage of the plight of children in northern Uganda, Karin & Shane Whitley of North Carolina have begun selling t-shirts to raise money for advocacy organizations like Uganda-CAN and The Name Campaign. The shirts show arrest warrants for Joseph Kony. Click here to buy a shirt.

One of the most respected commentators on Ugandan politics and columnist for The Monitor, Charles Onyango-Obbo, has written a critical analysis of the latest events surrounding the Juba peace talks. Onyango-Obbo writes that, as of last October, two LRAs have emerged: "LRA Uganda" and "LRA Sudan." He argues that "LRA Sudan" is commanded by the Sudanese government in Khartoum as a proxy militia to destabilize the south and ensure the failure of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This has freed Kony's "LRA Uganda" from pressure to protect its bases and supply lines in southern Sudan. As a result, the Government of Southern Sudan has found itself vulnerable. In the confusion, Onyango-Obbo writes that Vice President Machar is using his contact with Kony to seek greater control over the region's affairs. Read the full column at The Monitor.

Ugandan troops killed 8 LRA rebels in clashes last week, keeping up the pressure on fugitive guerrillas who have called for peace talks with the government, the army said on Monday. "Eight LRA fighters were killed last week as they tried to raid camps in the north," said Uganda’s army spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye. "Our position is clear: operations continue." Otherwise, northern Uganda had been relatively quiet in recent weeks. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

Gladys Oroma, Uganda-CAN news correspondent, reports that the Acholi Paramount Chief, Rwot David Onen-Acana II has said the Southern Sudanese leadership consulted him in February 2006 for the proposed peace initiatives now underway in Juba. The Rwot said this during the second annual retreat by Acholi Programme for Acholi leaders at his palace that is funded by European union. Over 85 Acholi leaders including members of Parliament are attending the two days retreat. The first retreat was held at Paraa Safari Lodge in the Murchison Falls Game Park, last year from 23rd to 26th June, to respond to the crisis in the region.

Though the Government of Uganda has declared the war over and situation under control, the security situation in northern Uganda remains tense. Small groups of LRA have been sighted in both Gulu and Kitgum districts over recent weeks. Further, a group of LRA abducted six people in Alito sub-country in northern Apac. Also, seven people were abducted from Gulu district last week. Though the number of such attacks is very low, they are still existent. In Apac District, the number of recognized displacement camps has increased from 15 to 20, and the displaced population from 98,193 to 128,190.

William Bionx Akena, Uganda-CAN news correspondent in Gulu, reports that at least seven people were abducted by LRA rebels on Thursday evening in Bungatira sub-county in Gulu district. The northern military spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi confirmed this, saying the seven were in their gardens when the abduction happened.

Sudan's security forces last week killed four LRA rebels, a Sudanese official has said. Clement Wani Konga, governor of Central Equatorial state, said the LRA had been raiding residential areas of the southern Sudanese state to seize food. This activity comes as the Government of Southern Sudan continues to try to establish peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. Read more at Reuters.

A meeting of Catholic religious leaders in Uganda has ended with a call on the media to give a true picture of what is really going on in the northern part of the country. The religious leaders say that despite the media reports that indicate that the war has ended or is ending, what is on ground is different. Read more at The African News Dimension.

In recent weeks, President Museveni and representatives of the Ugandan government have said that the war is over, the LRA is defeated and the situation is under control. Uganda-CAN believes these statements not only misrepresent the situation on the ground, but also exacerbate the disenfranchisement of the displaced people in northern Uganda. LRA activity and attacks continue within northern Uganda, and over 1.7 million people remain confined to displacement camps of the worst conditions. Last month, USAID confirmed an earlier study that showed over 900 people are dying each week in these camps. We call on the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders to increase high-level engagement in the region to bring security so that all IDPs can return home.

The United Nations and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo are to blame for Uganda's failure to wipe out the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, President Yoweri Museveni said during his state-of-the-nation address last Thursday. Museveni said LRA rebels had been defeated and that remnants of the group were now hiding in the Garamba National Park in the northeast of the Congo. He said they were now more of a problem for the authorities in Kinshasa, the Southern Sudan and the UN. "As of now, Kony is not our problem," said Museveni. Read more at The East African.

Gunmen in southern Sudan have attacked the outskirts of the city of Juba, killing nine people. Residents said the gunmen belonged to the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army. The attack comes just after LRA leaders arrived in Juba having been invited by south Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar for peace talks with the Ugandan government. Read more at the BBC News.

The Seventh Parliament of Uganda, on April 7th, 2006 enacted the NGO Amendment Bill, 2001 into law. Uganda-CAN has learned that President Museveni recently signed the bill into effect. The passing of the NGO Amendment Bill by Parliament greatly restricts the operational space in which Ugandan civil society can mobilize to contribute to the development of Uganda including the promotion of a responsible and accountable government. The NGO community strong opposed this bill and sent a petition to the Office of the President. The passing of this bill will inevitably have far reaching consequences on the current partnership between NGOs and Government. Further, it raises questions about the commitment of the Ugandan government to a democratic and free society.

The Sudanese Government has agreed to collaborate with the International Criminal Court and arrest Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. In a statement yesterday, the UN court’s chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said, "The Sudan, a non-state party who had harbored the LRA in the past, has voluntarily agreed to execute the (ICC) warrants." Ocampo dismissed recent attempts to negotiate a political deal, saying Kony was simply trying to "buy time" like he had done in the past. He said escalating international and regional pressure against the LRA was bearing fruit, forcing the LRA to flee their safe havens to Northern DRC, with the result that attacks in Northern Uganda had "declined dramatically." Read more at The Monitor.

Lt. Chris Magezi of the UPDF said that the Ugandan military killed 16 rebels this week druing battles in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. Magezi also said that LRA rebels attacked a village in Apac district in northern Uganda, killing one person and abducting five others, four of whom have been rescued. Read more at The Monitor.

The top rebel leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Joseph Kony has to face the law despite calls for peace talks, outgoing Minister of Defense Amama Mbabazi has said. "With the ICC arrest warrants plus the recently passed amnesty amendment bill, there is no way Kony will survive prosecution," said Mbabazi. However, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said in May he will guarantee the security of the rebels provided they ended the rebellion before the end of July, following the southern Sudan government's offer to mediate the talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. Read more at the Xinhua news agency.

Human Rights Watch has called for the immediate arrest of the LRA leader, Joseph Kony and three of his top commanders indicted last October by the UN’s International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. The US-based rights watchdog has also lashed out at the Southern Sudan leadership for ignoring the ICC’s warrants. "The regional government, which acknowledges that the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has committed grave abuses, has an obligation to help bring its leaders to justice," said Jemera Rone, the East Africa coordinator at HRW. Read more at The New Vision.

The New Vision has published a full-length investigation into why LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony has moved his force into Garamba Park in the DR Congo. Some security analysts believe the LRA will use Garamba Park to reorganize itself before resuming attacks on civilians in both southern Sudan and northern Uganda. Some have also speculated that the Government of Sudan will send air supplies to the LRA that the rebel force can effectively destabilize southern Sudan before the projected 2011 referendum on secession. Read this article at The New Vision.

Recent reports suggest that LRA rebels are grouping near the DRC-Sudan border in preparation for peace talks that are set to begin as early as this week in Juba, Sudan.

In response to the decision by Interpol to issue wanted person's notices against indicted LRA commanders, religious leaders have said such moves will scuttle ongoing efforts to peacefully end the war in northern Uganda and may escalate the violence there. "As religious leaders, we are concerned about the announcement by Interpol. The ICC and Interpol should hold on and give room to negotiations and see how far this dialogue can go," said Monsignor Matthew Odongo, the vicar-general of the Roman Catholic diocese of the northern district of Gulu. "This is like throwing a stone in water that had settled," Odongo added. "Any move that adds to the suffering of the people will not be good. We think that there is no contingency plan for the ICC or Interpol to arrest Kony and his commanders when government, with an army, has failed for the past 20 years." Odongo spoke on behalf of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, an inter-faith lobby group that advocates a peaceful end to the 20-year war. Read more at UN IRIN News.

The first three weeks of May saw an improvement in the security situation in northern Uganda, however there have been reports of large groups of LRA rebels moving in Kitgum District over the last week. Over the course of the month, there were 17 reported abductions and 4 raids by LRA. There no reported civilians killed by LRA attacks, and there were 21 reported LRA-UPDF confrontations. These confrontations included the capture of a LRA colonel and lieutenant, along with the killing of one lieutenant colonel, one captain and three lieutenants. There was at least one civilian killed by UPDF fire.