U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had welcomed the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between Uganda's government and the LRA. The accord is a "step in the right direction and could pave the way for a comprehensive settlement after decades of violence," Annan said in a statement. Annan encouraged the two parties to continue talks aimed at finding a "lasting and expeditious political settlement" to the conflict and voiced hope the cessation of hostilities would pave the way for efforts to help "improve the deplorable condition of the nearly 2 million internally displaced people in northern Uganda." Read more at United Press International.

LRA rebels have clashed with the Congolese army (FARDC) in DR Congo’s Ituri district as Kinshasa authorities give the rebels a three weeks ultimatum to quit Congo soil. Congo's ultimatum came after much protest from Kampala and a visit from security minister Amama Mbabazi. The fighting broke out Saturday evening when a FARDC contingent attacked a group of rebels. Read more at The New Vision.

UNICEF has issued a statement in support of the truce between the Government and LRA to cease hostilities and continue talks for a final peace agreement. The organization writes, "We urge both the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army to fully embrace this opportunity to finally resolve decades of conflict through a comprehensive peace agreement and to keep women and children foremost in the discussions."

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors said on Monday they still hoped for the arrest of the LRA leaders despite an offer of amnesty by Uganda under the terms of a truce. "We believe that the countries or the states which have an obligation to execute the arrest warrant will do so," the court's deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said. "We still maintain that because we think those persons who bear the greatest responsibility should not go unpunished." Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Uganda-CAN urges the ICC to strongly consider deferral of the indictments in the interests of true and meaningful justice for the people of northern Uganda. Article 53 of the Rome Statute specifically allows for deferral of prosecution if such a deferral is in the “interests of victims” or other “interests of justice.” The ICC should recognize that the historic peace talks, which are strongly supported by the local population, as new and relevant information. Without any enforcement mechanism or likely chance of apprehending LRA leadership in the near future, the ICC should defer to this historic opportunity to end the war. To insist on arrest warrants, the ICC will thus not only thwart this opportunity, but also undercut the interests of victims of this 20-year conflict.

The Sudan Tribune has printed a letter to the Security Council urging support for peace talks, signed by Uganda-CAN and numerous peace activists. The letter reads, "The world has lamented the plight of northern Uganda for far too long to act as a mere bystander to this opportunity, or to be diverted by ambivalence concerning the role of the ICC. Instead, what the Juba process needs most is international endorsement, with space to proceed without interference." Read the letter at The Sudan Tribune.

Gladys Oroma, Uganda-CAN news correspondent, reports that if a peace agreement is reached between the Government and LRA rebels, the Amnesty Commission will face daunting challenges in reintegrating and resettling fighters. If the talks succeed, officials say the commission has capacity and funds for 1,000 rebels. However, much more financial assistance is needed to help at least 2,500 rebels. The Amnesty Commission has thus appealed to the international community to help meet the gap. Since its founding, the commission has helped resettle over 6,000 rebels.

Uganda-CAN has joined The Refugee Law Project, Human Rights Focus and other peace organizations in signing a letter urging care and consideration by the UN Security Council as it seeks to act in northern Uganda. The letter reads, "Sending the message that dialogue is not worth engaging in, that the international community prefers to impose on the region the costs of a protracted military solution, would have subverted the unprecedented potential of the Juba process to save lives...The world has lamented the plight of northern Uganda for far too long to act as a mere bystander to this opportunity [ historic peace talks], or to be diverted by ambivalence concerning the role of the ICC. Instead, what the Juba process needs most is international endorsement, with space to proceed without interference. Allow Ugandans to grapple with the difficult issues, including options for justice, but acknowledge progress and be available to assist. Ugandans will also need support for reintegration and post-conflict reconstruction."

In Sunday's Monitor, Zachary Lomo, director of the Refugee Law Project, wrote a compelling case for "Why ICC must withdraw warrants against Kony." Lomo argues that people of northern Uganda have the right to self-determination, and this implies the primary prerogative of determining how to end the conflict there. If they decide that the best way to deal with their past is to forgive all those who have committed crimes against civilians, that wish has to be respected by others. Lomo further argues that Uganda's obligation to provide security for its citizens takes precedent over its obligations under the Rome Statute. Read the full analysis at The Monitor.

We agree with Lomo that the ICC is mistaken to not show more flexibility and consider deferral of the indictments in the interests of true and meaningful justice for the people of northern Uganda. Article 53 of the Rome Statute specifically allows for deferral of prosecution if such a deferral is in the "interests of victims" or other "interests of justice." Under Article 53(4), the Prosecutor can reconsider a decision at any time "based on new facts or information." The ICC should recognize the arising peace talks, which are strongly supported by the local population, as new and relevant information. Without any enforcement mechanism or likely chance of apprehending LRA leadership in the near future, the ICC should defer to this historic opportunity to end the war. If Article 53 is not engaged, the other avenue for deferral of indictments is United Nations Security Council action. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, the Security Council can mandate that the ICC defer prosecution for a period of 12 months, with the option for renewal.

On Wednesday, The Philadelphia Inquirer published a staff editorial, titled "Civil war in Uganda: U.S. help could end the horror." They wrote, "Current talks between the rebels and the Ugandan government are the best chance ever to find peace, due to the mediating role being played by the regional government in southern Sudan, where Kony finds haven...To lose this opportunity is to doom Ugandan children to still more horrors." Read the full editorial at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

While the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has issued support for the Juba peace talks, the UN Secretary-General's office in New York has said it wants LRA leader Joseph Kony to face trial. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, said, "The position of the United Nations is that we would like Mr. Kony brought to justice." Read more at The New Vision.

October 9-10, the foremost international experts on the conflict in northern Uganda will come to Washington D.C. With hundreds of advocates, they will "make some noise," demanding that the American government act to help end the 20-year war in northern Uganda. Click here to learn more and register to be part of this historic gathering!

GuluWalk 2006 is looking for 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda. It's a simple idea: Get 10,000 people to each raise $100 and walk on Saturday October 21, GuluWalk Day 2006. That's $1 million for the children of northern Uganda. Click here to check out GuluWalk's cool new web site and register now to be part of this gesture of hope.

Time Magazine has published an article on northern Uganda, titled "Hope for Uganda's Child Soldiers? An end may finally be near for the East African rebellion that forces thousands of abducted children to take part in a brutal campaign of terror." Read the full article at Time.com. Also, be sure to check out the related blogs page, powered by Sphere, which features Uganda-CAN.

Katherine Southwick, expert on the ICC, transitional justice and northern Uganda, had a letter to the editor printed in Sunday's International Herald Tribune. Southwick writes, "Disappointingly, when a real chance to end the crisis appears, the international response is tepid at best. At this time, what the struggling peace process needs most is our determined support and encouragement. More than two million people are depending on it." Read the letter at the International Herald Tribune.

Be sure to check out the new Northern Uganda Lobby Day and Symposium web site: register and download your participant tool kit today! The initial list of confirmed speakers was just added to the site. Click here to view it.

GuluWalk 2006 is looking for 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda. Are you one? This year, GuluWalk has a simple idea: 10,000 people each raising $100 and walking on Saturday, October 21, GuluWalk Day. The math is simple: 10,000 people X $100 = $1,000,000 for the children of northern Uganda. Click here to visit the new GuluWalk.com and sign up to be part of the power of hope.

The UN Security Council has agreed to delay a resolution that will coordinate a regional military response to arrest and demobilize LRA forces. Last Friday, the Security Council agreed that the on-going peace process in Juba should be given an opportunity to progress. Uganda-CAN thanks the Security Council for this delay as passage of the resolution could undermine this crucial opportunity to both end active violence and provide a framework to address deeper social and political grievances. The delay is a sign of support from the Security Council that peace talks should be engaged in full as a means to end the long suffering of people in northern Uganda.

Ronald Atkinson and Sverker Finnstrom have published an Op/Ed piece in The International Herald Tribune, titled "Uganda's Moment for Peace." They write about peace talks: "With months of behind-the-scenes work, this initiative is a serious one. It needs - and deserves - support. It offers the best chance in more than a decade to end the war and its associated suffering." Read the full article at The International Herald Tribune.

The Head of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Micheline Ravololonarisoa, said Tuesday: "We have been guilty of conspiracy of silence to the pleas, cries, and suffering of the people of northern Uganda." This statement came during her visit to Opit and Barr internally peoples displaced camps in Gulu and Lira respectively. "20 years later, we are realizing the cost of that silence because we are facing a daunting task to resettle and rehabilitate thousands of people especially women and children who are in a destitute state," she said. Read more at The Monitor.

The United Nations Security Council is working on a draft resolution calling for the complete disarmament and demobilization of the rebel LRA. Highly-placed sources at the UN told the press that the draft resolution, written under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, was being pushed by Britain. "It is still at consultation level, it has not hit the floor of the Security Council," said the source. "But the movers of this resolution have consulted your (Ugandan) government at the highest level and received a positive nod."

The press is reporting that the resolution seeks to appoint a UN special envoy on the LRA. According to the UN and government sources, former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano is highly considered for this assignment. Chissano has since Friday been in the country and held meetings with the President and the Foreign Affairs Minister. The resolution will further mandate UN missions in the DR Congo and the Sudan - MONUC and UNAMIS - to forcefully disarm and demobilize the LRA. The armies of the affected countries will also be given a similar mandate to pursue the LRA without any holds and to cooperate fully in the forceful disarmament and demobilisation of this rebel group. The Security Council resolution will also call for sanctions against the LRA, which will include freezing the rebels' financial assets, an arms embargo and a thorough investigation to establish countries or authorities bankrolling the group and reprimand them appropriately.

The Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister downplayed the notion that this initiative could stand in the way of peace talks. "This is a totally different thing. It was set in motion before the talks came on board and it cannot stop," he said, adding, "We have, however, assured the International Criminal Court that should the talks succeed, they should withdraw the arrest warrants." Read more at The Monitor.

Uganda-CAN welcomes news that the UN Security Council is finally preparing a resolution that will acknowledge the urgency of this crisis and support regional peace. Uganda-CAN urges the Security Council to include language in its resolution that promotes the current peace talks and acknowledges the wish of local leaders for a political process to end the war. Further, Uganda-CAN calls on the Security Council to invoke the Article 139 of the 2005 UN Summit Document - its "responsibility to protect" doctrine - urging the Government of Uganda to fulfill its obligation to protect its own citizens from the violence of LRA attacks and squalid IDP conditions.

The Rwandan New Times is reporting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is willing to lift indictments on Joseph Kony and four other top LRA commanders. The Ugandan Permanent Secretary Minister of Internal Affairs, Stephen Kagoda, on Wednesday said that the ICC would not prosecute. "The ICC is willing to lift the indictments. They (ICC) are willing to go with (watch) us through the peace talks provided the final agreement does not condone impunity,” Kagoda said while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs." Read the story at The New Times.

Kassim "The Dream" Ouma, a former Ugandan child soldier, will step into the ring at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday with the GuluWalk logo emblazoned on his trunks and robes. Ouma has committed his boxing success to highlight the plight of children in war-torn northern Uganda. He will fight undefeated Sechew Powell; a victory will put him in line for a possible shot at the world title. Read the news story at The New Vision and read more at GuluWalk.