U.S. President George W. Bush spoke yesterday by telephone with Ugandan President Museveni about the fighting in Somalia between the Ethiopian army and Union of Islamic Courts. Washington is urging Kampala to play a key role in the East African peacekeeping mission created by the UN to protect the beleaguered Somali government. While the Somalia conflict is certainly a pressing issue for the region, it does not appear that the two presidents discussed an equally relevant humanitarian nightmare: the 21-year war in northern Uganda. As we outlined in our latest policy brief, the U.S. Government has been "missing in action" since the historic Juba peace talks began six months ago. U.S. support for the process would be critical to strengthen its prospects for success. Continued inaction suggests that peace in northern Uganda is a low priority for the Bush Administration; a contradiction from a statement earlier this year that President Bush wanted the war over by the end of 2006.

John Edwards, 2004 vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, will announce this week his bid for the presidency in 2008. In a video on his web site, Edwards mentions U.S. action to end the "atrocities in northern Uganda" as a tenet of his campaign. Uganda-CAN does not yet endorse political candidates, but we certainly endorse political leadership that is willing to take responsibility to address one of the world's worst humanitarian nightmares.

Frustrated by Uganda's failure to arrest LRA leader Joseph Kony, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has now turned to the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operatons (DPKO). The ICC chief prosecutor hopes to secure an arrangement to use UN peacekeeping forces in Sudan and the DR Congo to arrest the indicted LRA leaders. This comes two months after the ICC expressed disappointment that Uganda had failed to meet its side of the bargain to have the rebel leader arrested. Explaining Uganda's position, the prosecutor said: "The Government of Uganda, clarified in its October 4, 2006 letter to the Registry that, 'In the interests of peace and security for the civilian population, who are at risk of being victimized by the LRA, the Government of Uganda is currently participating in peace talks, facilitated by the Government of South Sudan." Read more at The Monitor.

A delegation of LRA rebels will soon visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, to plead for the lifting of the indictments the court has placed on the top rebel commanders. Vice President Dr. Riek Machar told this to a delegation of local Acholi leaders, the clergy, the donor community and the peace talks observers, at Juba Raha Hotel in Juba on Thursday night. He did not give the date of the trip to The Hague but said it may be soon. "We feel we should go to ICC and listen to them," the LRA peace delegation chairman, Mr Martin Ojul, said on Friday. Read more at The Monitor.

She has been on the most popular television talk shows in the US, including Winfrey Oprah and The Today Show. She was interviewed by CBS News and National Public Radio. She addressed the US Senate and met celebrities like boxer Kassim Ouma and actors Cuba Gooding and George Clooney. Evaline Apoko, the 15-year-old formerly abducted girl from Gulu has become a star in America, rallying U.S. citizens to care about northern Uganda.

Abducted from her home in Atiak by the LRA in May 2003, at the age of 13, Evaline was taken on long journeys through the war-torn north, forced to carry heavy loads, while being pursued by the UPDF. During an attack by a helicopter gunship, she was hit by bomb shrapnel in the face. The LRA then cut away part of her mouth and her tongue. Apoko arrived in a deplorable state at Rachele Rehabilitation Centre in Lira in January 2004, after she managed to escape from the rebels. In September 2005, some US citizens, led by the Name Campaign's Cori Stern, came to her rescue after seeing a picture of the girl. During her 14-month stay in the US, Evaline has already underwent four surgeries, in which flesh was extracted from her wrist to reconstruct her cheek muscles and another piece of flesh was taken from her thigh to form the lips. She has returned to Uganda and is happy to be back, but continues to work to help end the war that has plagued her people for 21 years now. Read more at The New Vision.

Mozambique ex-president Joaquim Chissano, the new U.N. envoy for Uganda's conflict with LRA rebels, said on Tuesday that constantly changing circumstances could complicate efforts to end the 21-year brutal war. U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan last week named Chissano as his special envoy to LRA-affected areas, hoping to forge a political settlement for the conflict. "I have been asked to help in finding the solution there ... but what makes it difficult to predict the outcome is that things keep changing every day in Uganda," Chissano said. "I will be travelling to the U.N this Saturday to be briefed about the situation there... I will also go there (Uganda) and see what kind of input is required," Chissano said. He also said he would work and communicate with the ICC in The Hague. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

President Museveni today urged his DR Congo counterpart Joseph Kabila to deal with the myriad of criminal forces on Congolese territory, including the LRA. Elections in the DR Congo solved only 50% of the problems facing the Great Lakes Region, Museveni said. The other 50% are the multitude of negative terrorist groups on the DRC territory, including the LRA, the President added. Museveni today urged the Great Lakes Region member states to review the draft pact, allowing them to intervene if a neighbour voluntarily harbours criminals threatening their security. Read more at The New Vision.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will contribute $1.5 million to support the northern Uganda peace process between the Government of Uganda and the LRA being held in Juba. With this contribution, Canada will become the largest bilateral supporter of these critical peace talks. The United States Government is now the only major donor yet to contribute, however sources tell Uganda-CAN the USG is taking the Juba talks much more seriously and looking for ways to help. "It is very important for Canada that every effort be made to bring an end to a 20-year-long conflict that has led to the abduction of some 30,000 children, the widespread use of child soldiers, and the displacement of close to 2 million people," said Minister MacKay. Read more at Canada's Foreign Affairs web site.

With the UN Security Council yesterday approving a plan to deploy peacekeepers to Somalia, Uganda is preparing to send a battalion of peacekeeping troops to Somalia as soon as approval is granted by its Parliament. The international community is extremely concerned that that tension between the President Yusuf's Transitional Federal Government and the Union of Islamic Courts could spark regional war. While it would seem appropriate to applaud any country that contributes troops to peacekeeping for such a situation, one cannot help being a bit cynical.

First, how can Uganda justify sending "peacekeepers" outside the country, when its own citizens in the north are still facing insecurity and a one of the world's worst humanitarian crises? The Government's eagerness to deploy troops to Somalia while its own citizens continue to grossly suffer only plays into allegations that the Government is not concerned about its responsibility to protect its own people. It also begs the question why the Government is so eager. According to some diplomats, Uganda has no direct interest in Somalia but its close relationship with the United States makes it a natural ally of the U.S.-backed transitional government. "The U.S. wants an ally in Somalia," said a Western diplomat in Kampala. "It's no secret the U.S. has been training Ugandan special forces and giving them equipment." If so, is the U.S. unwillingness to definitively support the Juba peace talks somehow connected to these geo-politics?

In an effort to bring a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in northern Uganda while addressing its wider regional ramifications, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano his Special Envoy to help deal with the issue of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and its brutal 20-year-long rebellion. "He will develop a cohesive and forward-looking policy approach among all external actors," Annan said in a letter to the Security Council, offering his good offices to the countries of the region in the light of ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan Government and the LRA. Chissano, as Special Envoy for the LRA-affected areas, will seek a solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict and will liaise with the International Criminal Court (ICC). Read more at the UN News Service.

Uganda-CAN applauds this move by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to bring international support and accountability to the historic peace opportunity in the Juba talks. Mr. Chissano's leadership will bolster the talks and show the parties that the international community is truly committed to an end to this, Africa's longest-running war.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered a review of the effects of the peace talks on the LRA indictments. The presiding judge, Mauro Politi, issued an order from the court headquarters in The Hague on November 30, directing the prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, to update him on the commitment of Uganda, the DR Congo and Sudan in executing the warrants of arrest against five LRA commanders. Moreno is requested to investigate in particular whether the peace negotiations and recent events in the region have affected the level of cooperation by the relevant governments. Read more at The New Vision.

The United Nations is making a Consolidated Appeal for Uganda in the upcoming year of US $296 million to address the emergency and transitional needs of all IDPs in all the phases of displacement, along with other need relating to violence in the region. UNOCHA writes, "To respond to the continuing humanitarian crisis in northern and north-eastern Uganda in 2007, humanitarian and human rights partners will focus on five priority areas: (1) Enhancing protection and living conditions of IDPs in camps; (2) Supporting voluntary population movement; (3) Supporting returned populations and community recovery; (4) Improving protection, access to services and emergency preparedness and response in Karamoja; and (5) Ensuring the delivery of protection for all refugees and asylum seekers." Read more at ReliefWeb.