Today, we finalize our series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" by examining what's at stake for YOU in this peace process. Over the last two or three years, so many of YOU have come to deeply care about the situation in war-torn northern Uganda. Maybe you visited Gulu and were touched by the people you met there. Maybe you were moved by the story of two Canadians who walked 12km and slept outside each night for a month to tell the story of the child "night commuters." Maybe you saw Invisible Children or Uganda Rising, or maybe you saw the feature story on northern Uganda in the LA Times. Whatever your story, it's become connected with the stories of families in northern Uganda.

As more and more of YOU have come to care, we've joined together to demand attention and lobby our political representatives to help end this war. Tens of thousands of YOU in cities around the globe walked in GuluWalk Day in 2005 and 2006. Over 60,000 of YOU slept outside last April in the Global Night Commute. Thousands of YOU have participated in Uganda-CAN's political action drives. Thousands more of YOU have bought name tags with The Name Campaign or hosted screenings for Invisible Children at your school, church or community. Together, we've overcome international neglect and built momentum for a final end to this horror.

Last summer, we all cheered when the Government of Uganda and LRA agreed, under the mediation of South Sudan, to participate in peace talks. We called this "the best opportunity in over a decade to end the 20-year war in northern Uganda." Hundreds of YOU joined us in Washington D.C. for the Lobby Day to press the U.S. Government to support the peace process. Thousands more of YOU have called or written your political officials to urge them to strengthen the talks. Your hard work has made a difference, and northern Uganda has finally had hope that this war is coming to an end. Yet now our resolve is being tested. Peace talks are stumbling and may collapse without strong international backing to build confidence in the process. Our hard work of two years has brought us to this point. And so now, more than ever, we ask YOU: what's your stake in ending the war in northern Uganda?

In the coming weeks, we need YOU to tell your family, friends and especially political representatives what's at stake in the Juba peace process. Even with all the stakes we've explained over the last seven days, the peace talks remain a low priority for the international community. Only one thing can change that: YOU.

Today, we continue our series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" by looking at United States Government (USG) interests and investments in the region. Dating back to the Clinton Administration, the USG has seen Uganda as a strategic ally in a hostile region. This relationship was only strengthened after September 11, 2001 when President Museveni became one of the first African leaders to pledge his support of the Bush Administration and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. As a result, in the last five years, U.S. foreign military financing (FMF) and international military education and training (IMET) to Uganda have increased. The USG has also established a military air base at Entebbe airport. In addition, direct U.S. arms sales to East Africa and the Horn of Africa countries have increased from under one million dollars in 2003 to over $25 million in 2006. Weapons sales by authorised private weapon companies have also soared. Uganda leads the region with nearly $9 million in purchases from US authorised private arms dealers.

The relationship described above would seem very militarized, however there is more to US-Uganda relations. U.S. development assistance to Uganda has increased significantly over recent years: from $68.82 million in 2001 to $111.35 million in 2002 to $174.02 million in 2003. In 2006, according to The State Department, the USG provided "nearly $90 million in assistance to address the humanitarian crisis, peace initiatives, rehabilitation and development needs in northern Uganda." The USG has further given large amounts of assistance to democratization efforts in neighboring DR Congo, implementation of Sudan's CPA and humanitarian relief to Darfur. These have been investments for a more stable Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa; peace could spark invigorated counter-terror efforts and expanded trade (incl. oil in southern Sudan and recently discovered in Uganda's Hoima district).

A successful peace process would not only save the USG money, but also provide a much better return on investments. Peace in northern Uganda will bolster the fragile CPA in Sudan and deescalate tensions in DR Congo. This will greatly benefit regional counter-terrorism initiatives, democratization and trade. However, with all this potential, the USG has remained largely silent on the Juba peace process and unwilling to provide needed support. This is irresponsible given the breadth of USG investments and involvement in Uganda. Especially now with the talks nearly collapsing, the USG could pressure Kampala to control UPDF activity in south Sudan, strengthen the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team, and provide technical assistance to the mediator. The stakes are too high for the region and USG interests to allow this opportunity to slip away.

At least six people, including a UN soldier, were killed and several others injured when the two vehicles they were traveling were ambushed by suspected LRA rebels in South Sudan, the army reports. "The LRA rebels ambushed two vehicles today north of Magwi, towards Torit in South Sudan at about 4pm, including a UN Land Cruiser, killing five civilians and one UN soldier," northern based army spokesman, Lt. Chris Magezi said yesterday. He described the incident as a serious violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. "I think the LRA message is clear: They don’t want peace. Their refusal to go back to Juba corrugates with its actions on the ground," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

Eastern Equatoria MPs in Sudan yesterday discussed today a motion on the increasing insecurity in the region. This move came after vehement attacks by state MPs against government inertia, requesting a swift action vis-à-vis attacks by the LRA. The state parliament interrupted its normal business to discuss an emergency motion on insecurity posed by LRA specifically in Magwi County. Fr. Dominic Otwari said the LRA has occupied part of his constituency and are harvesting crops of the indigenous people while the government is doing nothing to push LRA out from southern Sudan territory. He claimed that LRA have occupied his constituency since January 20 this year and that there are more than 150 LRA forces at Lofirika village. This highlights how embedded LRA networks have become in southern Sudan communities. The state parliament continues discussions for swift action against the LRA rebels. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

Today, we continue our series “What’s at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?” with a look at the influence of the peace process on the simmering conflict in Karamoja, the northeastern region of Uganda. Karamoja’s conflict is rooted in a history of arms proliferation, politicized ethnic conflicts and cattle rustling and fiercely-resisted disarmament programmes launched by the Ugandan military. Since the summer of 2006 the latest wave of military "cordon and search" operations have destroyed homesteads and granaries and resulted in the death of thousands of cattle. Resistance to the program crystallized in late October after a fierce battle between military forces and Karamajong warriors.

Civilians in northern Uganda have born the brunt of the suffering caused by the violence. The insecurity, combined with uncommonly bad droughts, have severely stressed food security and forced many to flee the region. Less than 20% of children in Karamoja are in school, compared to a national average of more than 80%. UPDF soldiers and Karamajong warriors have been implicated in gross human rights abuses during the fighting, including extrajudicial executions, rape, illegal arrests and detentions, torture, forced labor and extortion of money. The Ugandan government has denied allegations that its disarmament programme is heightening insecurity in the region.

The proliferation of arms in the region from conflicts in northern Uganda, southern Sudan, and Somalia has also fueled Karamajong cattle raids in the neighboring Iteso and Acholi regions of Uganda, undermining the Juba peace talks by making northern Uganda less secure and safe for IDPs to begin returning home. If the Juba peace talks succeed in bringing stability to northern Uganda despite this, the Ugandan government might be encouraged to seek a peaceful solution to the violence in Karamoja. However, a failure of the parties to the Juba talks to come to an agreement would greatly hamper efforts to address the arms proliferation, political tensions and humanitarian crisis in Karamoja.

Norway has told NGOs involved in the peace talks between the Government and the LRA to stop "foreign shopping" for venues and mediators. "It is wrong to do any kind of foreign shopping for the shift of the venue and mediator of the ongoing peace talks," visiting Norwegian deputy minister for foreign affairs, Raymond Johansen, said on Sunday. Johansen added that the Norwegian government shall not enter into "such games." President Museveni on Sunday also blamed NGOs for the stalemate in the peace talks. "The President attributed the new position by LRA to NGOs that are giving them money, adding that the more they delay, the more money they get," a statement from the Press Secretary read. The LRA has requested both the Kenyan Government and IGAD to support their push for a new venue for the talks. Read more at The New Vision.

Underlying all of this politicking are violations by both sides of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. UPDF are reported to be still pursuing rebels in southern Sudan, leading to mistrust and hostility. Groups of LRA rebels have been also been accused of commiting attacks on civilians. A strengthened CoH Monitoring Team could be the first key step to restore confidence in the peace talks.

As acute levels of poverty continues to plague northern Uganda, increasing numbers of residents of the war-ravaged region are responding to the tragedy by committing suicide, a survey released on January 17 shows. The survey was conducted in northern districts of Uganda between 2004 and 2006, by Emilio Ovuga, a professor of Psychiatry and Dr. Eugene Kinyanda, a consultant psychiatric at Butabika Psychiatric Hospital. The districts covered were Mubende, Bugiri, Kapchorwa, Katakwi, Kaberamaido, Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Moyo, Nebbi, Lira, Yumbe and Bushenyi. The report shows that between 2004 and 2006, a total of 403 people committed suicide while 1,079 attempted to commit suicide. The majority of the victims were internally displaced persons living in appalling conditions. Read more at The Monitor.

Today, we continue our series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" by examining the impact of the talks on peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Toward the end of 2005, the LRA crossed over into northeastern DR Congo from southern Sudan. Based in Garamba National Park, a group of the rebels killed eight UN peacekeepers in January 2006. This fighting caused over 20,000 Congolese refugees to cross into Uganda. Since, there have been few accounts of LRA attacks in the area, but LRA presence in DR Congo has reignited hostility between Kinshasa and Kampala, along with adding another potential source of instability to DR Congo's conflict-laden eastern region.

Since 1998, more than four million people have been killed in eastern DR Congo as a result of rebel fighting, and invasions made by the armies of Uganda and Rwanda. A ruling in late 2005 by the International Court of Justice requires Uganda to pay $10 billion in reparations for crimes committed and resources plundered in Congo. Officials in Kinshasa have remained worried that the Ugandan army may again cross the border to access the rich resources. Fortunately, the presence of the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC) and a fragile peace process have brought some stability to the region in recent years. Last summer, Congolese went to the polls in an election hailed as the most important for Africa since South Africa's elections in 1994. Though there were minor instances of violence, the election was declared "fair and free." On 6 December, Joseph Kabila was sworn in as the first democratically elected president of the country.

Now as the DR Congo seeks to consolidate peace and democracy within its borders, the presence of active LRA rebels in Garamba poses a significant threat. In addition, the UPDF has already made plans to attack the rebels there if peace talks collapse. Such cross-border fighting has the potential to reignite a wider Great Lakes conflict. The Juba peace process has the potential to deescalate these hostilities and bring a peaceful resolution to this insecurity. If the talks collapse, it would be no overstatement to say the LRA will pose a deadly threat to regional peace and security.

The newly appointed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon made a brief stop-over at Entebbe on Friday night, during which he hailed Uganda for its role in conflict resolution in Africa. "We appreciate the role Uganda has played in assisting to resolve conflicts, especially in the Great Lakes region," Ban told the Minister for East African Cooperation, Eriya Kategaya. While Uganda may be a leader of conflict resolution in some countries, the statement seems a bit insincere given the 21-year humanitarian nightmare in northern Uganda. Still, over 1.4 million people remain displaced in the most squalid camps. Their hope, the historic Juba peace talks, appear to be collapsing due to LRA intransigence, but also UPDF violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Ki-Moon, if he is serious about promoting peace and development throughout Africa, should not ignore the realities of suffering in northern Uganda. He would show true leadership to strengthen the peace process and urge both parties to adhere to the terms of ceasefire.

In our continuing series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks," we are asking for your ideas, stories and reflections. Send them to pquaranto@ugandacan.org. Today, Stephen Okello, Uganda-CAN's Ugandan operations director, shares his insights:

"I am writing to add my voice on behalf of those most affected by the war in northern Uganda. The stalled peace negotiations mediated by the government of southern Sudan between the GOU and the LRA paints yet another dark cloud on the future of the people of northern Uganda. Peace is what we need most, yet it seems to be the most difficult to achieve so far. For so many, the peace process in Juba still presents a rare opportunity for peace in northern Uganda. In fact, there is no time in the history of the war that the LRA and Government of Uganda have ever come close like they did in the recent past...

...In the recent years, there has been a lot of international humanitarian relief coming into northern Uganda in response to the conditions people are living in. But there has been no political understanding on the part of the international community. Why is that? It took more than a decade for the UN to make a substantial statement on the war in northern Uganda. The international community, providing more than half of Uganda's national budget, still looks on silently as the Government of Uganda commits human rights violations and stumbles in its commitments to protect its people in the north."

The success or failure of the Juba peace talks has implications not only for northern Uganda, but also for the surrounding region. Two years ago, Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) agreed to a pact to end the decades-long civil war in southern Sudan. The pact, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), also boosted hopes for an end to the LRA rebellion in northern Uganda, which has been fuelled for over a decade by the military support and rear bases in southern Sudan provided by the NCP.

However, implementation of the CPA has been sporadic, and it remains uncertain whether the agreement will hold. The SPLM/A, which now leads the semi-autonomous Government of South Sudan (GOSS), lacks the institutional strength needed to implement the pact and rebuild the war-torn region. The NCP does not seem committed to the agreement, instead fearing that national elections in 2009 and referenda in 2011 could lead to the secession of South Sudan, which has vast oil deposits. The NCP depends on oil revenues from South Sudan to fund its security forces – including the janjaweed militias that are currently terrorizing the western region of Darfur.

The LRA rebels’ presence in southern Sudan is further weakening the CPA. They continue to destabilize the region, making it more difficult for the GOSS to rebuild institutions and communities. The NCP may also try to maintain its monopoly on political power and access to oil revenues by renewing its support for the LRA in an attempt to destabilize the south and prevent its secession. However, success in the Juba peace talks would help consolidate the gains towards peace and democracy in South Sudan initiated by the CPA over the past two years, which in turn are crucial to the hopes for the stabilization of Darfur.

Gladys Oroma, Uganda-CAN news correspondent in northern Uganda, reports that LRA leader Joseph Kony has said President Museveni and the Ugandan government are not interested in peace talks to end the 20-year conflict in northern Uganda. Kony said the LRA is trying their best to engage talks, but the Ugandan government and that of southern Sudan seem less interested. Speaking on MegaFM radio on Thursday evening, Kony said the rebels wanted to settled in the two designated assemble points in southern Sudan, but they feared due to UPDF proximity.

LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti, also speaking on the radio, said, "Our forces in Southern Sudan are under constant attack by UPDF. So do you expect us to continue with the peace talks yet the Cessation of Hostility Agreement has never been honored?" Otti added that chief mediator Riek Machar is prejudiced. Otti further said, "I am informing you people in northern Uganda to understand what is happening regarding the peace talks. People should not lose hopes; we are for peace but going back to Juba and Riek Machar as the mediator, means we are not solving our problem," he said.

As the LRA and Ugandan government exchange accusations, where is the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring team to bring some transparency and accountability to the process? Now more than ever, external support for CoH monitoring could be decisive to rejuvenate the peace process.

In our continuing series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks," we are asking for your ideas, stories and reflections. Send them to pquaranto@ugandacan.org. Today, the founder and director of The Name Campaign, Hollywood screenwriter and one-time ABC News Person of the Week, Cori Stern shares her thoughts:

"Last week I watched in horrified fascination as the story of Shawn Hornbeck's abduction unfolded. The big news was that this guy Devlin had abducted not one, but TWO children. As I watched Oprah interview his parents, the police, experts, and everyone involved, I thought about the THOUSANDS of CHILDREN being held RIGHT NOW in Northern Uganda and the border areas. They are being sexually and physically abused. They were taken from their homes. Their parents are no less traumatized. Why don't we rise up with the same outrage and urgency for them? Is it because of the sheer number? Do we just accept it because it's simply too difficult to comprehend? Is it because it's not happening in our own country and it's easy to think of these kids as abstract 'African tragedy' statistics instead of as individual kids with the simple desire to live with their families in safety rather than terror?

Devlin and Kony are both predators. Devlin was stopped. Kony should be too. These peace talks are the closest anyone has come yet. But 'close' isn't enough."

Today, we continue our series on "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" by looking at why this peace process is essential to consolidate and advance democratization in Uganda. Most importantly, the peace talks are the best opportunity in over a decade to end the war, which has devastated the northern region for two decades and exacerbated divisions between the North and South. Achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict will provide space for strengthening weak judicial institutions, controlling illicit conflict trade, protecting human rights and promoting economic growth and investment. In addition, a peaceful resolution of the conflict would empower northerners to engage more effectively in national political mobilization and participation.

In the early 1990s, Uganda and President Yoweri Museveni were hailed by U.S. President Clinton and others as one success story in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, Museveni's government has come under increasing pressure of late as a result of corruption allegations, state repression of opposition political parties, and especially the recent repeal of constitutional term limits. Further, the international community has become increasingly critical of the Ugandan government's failure of its responsibility to protect its citizens in the north. Most northerners feel deeply marginalized by the current government, and many believe that Museveni has only "contained" the conflict as a means to harm and destabilize the Acholi people. For most war survivors, it is impossible to disconnect the war from national politics.

The Juba peace talks have provided an opportunity to break the cycles of mistrust and marginalization that stain Ugandan democratization. Many northerners have expressed new gratitude and good will toward Museveni's new leadership to peacefully resolve the war. In addition, the peace process has provided a forum for northerners to express their grievances and initiate processes of reconciliation. Though the LRA cannot honestly represent the wishes of people it has terrorized, it has been given a new opportunity to advance the needs and rights of northerners. A robust, accountable peace process has the potential to give new life to political democracy in Uganda; a collapsed peace process will only embed deeper mistrust and division.

The UPDF fourth Division commander, Brig. George Etyang, yesterday disclosed that a group of LRA fighters had remained behind when the rest left for the assembly points in South Sudan. He said that the rebels would be attacked by the UPDF if they continue to violate the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. He added that the UPDF was closely monitoring the group’s moves. "We shall not hesitate to protect our citizens if the group inside begins to attack and destabilise our people. It is our constitutional obligation to protect our people," Etyang said. He alleged that some LRA rebels from that group raped two displaced girls from Palaro camp, Aswa County, north of Gulu town, when they went to collect firewood. Read more at The New Vision.

Continuing with our series "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks," we are asking YOU to send your stories, reflections and ideas for posting to pquaranto@ugandacan.org. Today, we feature a reflection by Courtney Howard of Lyndon, NY:

"In early January, I received an email from my friend David who lives outside of Kampala. He and I were part of a group that traveled to the north for a few days last February. He had just returned from a visit with his sister in Gulu who has been working with an Ugandan relief organization there and just recently received a degree from Gulu University. His email spoke of the feeling of relief and hope in Gulu that was a result of the peace talks. People, he said, were now able to resettle in smaller camps nearer to their homes and he observed some small business growth. The people of northern Uganda are so deserving of this hope and the loss of it would add even greater sorrow to what has been a life of tragedy.

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The Uganda-CAN Student Movement webpage is now featured on UgandaCAN.org! Information is available to help college students take action on their campuses, connect to already-existing groups and get informed about the situation in northern Uganda and advocacy efforts in the US. Check back often to learn about our featured student movement organizers and to find out what students around the country are doing in support of peace in northern Uganda!

The U.N. envoy for northern Uganda and former Mozambican president, Joaquim Chissano has said that peace talks will only resume if the Ugandan government agrees to negotiate with the LRA at a different venue. "The way forward now is to concentrate on finding the solution to the problem of the venue," Chissano said after returning to Maputo following a 10-day mission to break the impasse. "I think this (venue change) can ... reignite the dialogue," said Chissano. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Yesterday we launched our series "What’s at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" as a reminder to the Ugandan government, LRA and international community that the stakes are too high to risk a collapse of the peace process and a return to violence. Nowhere are the stakes higher than in northern Uganda. When the talks began in July 2006, over 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were living in camps in the north, and nearly 1,000 were dying every week from violence, disease, and malnutrition. Though progress in finding a political solution to the conflict has been slow, the talks have led to much-improved security. Access to the camps for humanitarian groups has increased greatly, and over 230,000 IDPs have returned to their homes.

However, the failure of the talks to gain momentum has forced 1.4 million northerners to remain in IDP camps. Because of lingering security concerns, often those who return to rebuild homes are the heads of households, leaving disproportionate numbers of vulnerable people, such as elderly, handicapped, women and children, to remain in the camps. There they face pervasive gender-based violence, fires that damage homes, and poor access to proper water and sanitation services. A failure of the talks and return to violence would cause a massive increase in the number of IDPs and exacerbate the poor living conditions in the camps.

The Juba peace talks have the potential to end the humanitarian crisis and displacement, and are only the first hurdle northerners must face to address the monumental post-conflict challenges – reconciliation, land and food insecurity, HIV and AIDs and a failed economy – that await them. Earlier today Cate Johnson wrote about Johnny, a former child soldier in northern Uganda who is deeply afraid of what the consequences of failure at Juba are. For him and millions of other northerners, the stakes are too high for the world to allow the talks to fail.

The LRA yesterday called on Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to help identify a new mediator and venue for the stalled peace talks with the Ugandan government. The LRA want Mr Kibaki to intervene as the current chairman of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The rebels want the peace talks moved from Juba in South Sudan, where they claim they are unwanted. Today, three representatives of the LRA addressed a press conference in Nairobi and strongly condemned a recent statement by South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who told LRA to stop committing acts of terrorism against his people in Southern Sudan. Read more at The Monitor.

Continuing with our Uganda-CAN series "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks," we are asking YOU to send your stories, reflections and ideas for posting to pquaranto@ugandacan.org. Today, we feature our first reflection by Cate Johnson:

"I just returned from a two-week research trip in Northern Uganda. I could go on endlessly describing how failed peace talks will result in chaos and increased suffering for the people of Northern Uganda, but instead I will focus on one person. While in Gulu, I was befriended by a former child soldier named Johnny. He was abducted at age 12 and lived in the bush for five years. When he finally escaped, his whole family, except one sister, died of an ebola outbreak in a camp. Johnny, now an orphan, struggles to survive everyday. We spent a lot of time together and he often expressed his happiness with the peace talks and was eager to live in a community that was free of fear and violence. He wanted Kony to be punished, but mostly wanted safety. He wanted the UPDF to be held accountable, too. He was hopeful about Juba and thought it could be the salvation he's longed for.

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The decongestion and resettlement programme in the war-ravaged northern and north-eastern regions will continue whether the faltering Juba peace talks succeed or not, an army official has said. The UPDF's 5th Infantry Division commander Lucky Kidega said even if LRA rebels return to Uganda, the government programme of decongesting IDP camps in Acholi sub-region and the resettlement of the IDPs in Lango and Teso sub-regions would go on as planned. Read more at The Monitor.

World Politics Watch has produced an exclusive look at the gridlocked peace talks for northern Uganda. They write, "Six months of peace talks to end more than two decades of conflict in northern Uganda have been virtually for naught, and their progress is now being held up by a simple question of geography." They explain how the venue for peace talks, along with the existing International Criminal Court arrest warrants, have brought challenging dilemmas to the search for peace. Read the full article at World Politics Watch.

With increasing concern that the historic Juba peace talks may collapse, humanitarian organizations and Uganda-CAN have been urging members of the international community - the US and UK governments, the United Nations, the African Union, IGAD - to step up action to rejuvenate confidence in the process. However, while these bodies recognize the fragility of the talks, the issue has remained a low priority. It is hard to understand this neglect, but perhaps the stakes are just not high enough to necessitate decisive action. Yet, we believe the stakes have never been higher. Resumed violence will not only reignite the suffering of northern Ugandans, but may threaten democratization in Uganda, international counter-terrorism initiatives and broader regional peace and security.

To highlight the dangerous consequences of collapsed talks, Uganda-CAN is launching an 8-day blog series, titled "What's at Stake in the Juba Peace Talks?" Each day, we will examine one area that will be greatly impacted by the future of the peace process: from displacement in Acholiland to implementation of Sudan's CPA to stability in Karamoja. At the end of our series, we'll be launching an action for YOU to tell your political representatives why they have a stake in strengthening the Juba peace talks.

However, there's more that YOU can do: we want to hear your stories and ideas of what's at stake in the Juba peace talks. Do you know people in northern Uganda who will be greatly affected? Do you have ideas on why supporting the peace talks is in the interest of our governments? Do you have reflections on what you have at stake in the Juba process? Send your stories, reflections and ideas (please no more than 200 words) to pquaranto@ugandacan.org and we'll feature them here.

The UPDF yesterday told residents of northern Uganda not to panic following threats by LRA's Vincent Otti's to send LRA fighters back into to Uganda. "I want to assure the public that there is no need to panic. People should go on with normal life," Lt. Chris Magezi, the northern region army spokesman said yesterday. "These are empty threats. We shall not allow them to cross into Uganda. UPDF is not sleeping. We are on high alert." Yet, intelligence sources show that panic has increased among northern Ugandans and many who recently moved to decongestion camps are returning to the squalid displacement camps. Read more at The Monitor.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir yesterday said he would call for mass action against LRA rebels if they continue to terrorize his people. Speaking on television in Juba, Kiir demanded the LRA end its acts of terrorism against the Sudanese. He said if the LRA remains a threat to peace, he would be compelled to mobilize the military and civil society to fight against the rebels. Responding, LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti said by telephone yesterday that the LRA is neither scared of General Kiir nor his planned action. Otti further reiterated that the LRA will resume negotiations, but only if the venue changes from South Sudan. Kiir, in his televised speech, had expressed optimism that the peace negotiations hold the key to an end to the 20-year insurgency in northern Uganda. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan government yesterday issued fresh resettlement guidelines for internally-displaced people in war-torn northern Uganda. The main announcement is that the district security committees are to determine the safety of the villages before people leave the camps. In what he termed a "massive move from policy to implementation," the Disaster Preparedness Minister Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere commended Gulu, Kitgum and Pader district committees for jointly declaring secure areas for resettlement. "With the improvement of the security situation, the Government plans a proper mobilisation of auxiliary forces and progressively increase the deployment of civilian police in areas of displacement, resettlement and return," he asserted. Read more at The New Vision.

The chief mediator of the Juba peace talks is urgently seeking audience with LRA leader Joseph Kony, as he struggles to put the stalled peace talks back on course. Dr. Riek Machar, accompanied by the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team, on Sunday headed for Kony’s hideout in Nabang in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Government of South Sudan officials said on Monday. "He went to convince them to resume the talks," Rehan Abdelnabi, the acting director of South Sudan Radio, told a press conference. Read more at The New Vision.

Vice President Gilbert Bukenya has appealed to LRA leader Joseph Kony to prevail on his negotiating team to return to Juba and continue with the peace talks. "The only way to realise peace is for the LRA to return to Juba. They can't stop the talks because we want peace so that IDPs return home. I appeal to the government and LRA teams to remain committed to the talks so that peace returns to this region," Prof. Bukenya said. The Vice President was on Friday addressing residents of Gulu, members of Uganda Local Government Authorities Association (all LC5 chairmen, district speakers and CAOs) after 3km peace march organised by the association to show solidarity with the suffering IDPs, and their support to the peace process. Read more at The Monitor.

South Sudan has invited four countries to join the peace negotiations between the Uganda government and the LRA in Juba, Dr. Riek Machar has said. Machar said the countries would join the talks as external observers and guarantors of any deal that will be signed. He identified the countries as South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Machar said the peace talks remain on and should resume by January 29. Machar reported the LRA have requested a meeting with Acholi parliamentarians, religious, cultural and local leaders in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday. The LRA continued on Saturday to reject the mediation of Machar, but it is unclear how they will respond to the potential involvement of these four governments. They will certainly find it hard to make a compelling case that peace talks involving such a regional political representation are prejudiced. Read more at The Monitor.

Save the Children has issued a press release, saying the international community must act now to prevent the collapse of Ugandan peace talks and protect the future of millions of children. They write, "If talks fail, children, particularly in the north of the country, will once again live in fear of the physical, emotional and sexual violence that dominated the decades-long conflict in the north. The emergency situation in northern Uganda is worsening by the day. Increasing ambushes and attacks risk obstructing humanitarian aid trying to reach communities in the Pader district, and this could quickly spread to other areas." Save the Children is "urgently calling on all international parties to strongly press the LRA and government forces to adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and negotiate a final and binding settlement to the conflict. Both sides face challenges, but these can be overcome with external assistance and pressure."

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) formally refused to return to peace talks in south Sudan on Friday and have accused Sudanese officials of embezzling money given to fund the talks. "Peace talks in Sudan are closed forever," LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny told reporters in the Kenyan capital, saying the rebel movement had sent a letter to mediator Sudan to that effect on Friday. "The LRA will only resume negotiations in a new venue outside south Sudan, preferably Kenya or South Africa," he said. Olweny also noted that only half of the $5 million raised for the purpose had been spent. "We wonder whether this practice of embezzling donor funds meant for the peace process is condoned by the U.N. authorities," he said. Read more at Reuters.

The Ugandan government and LRA rebels must resume talks to ensure peace in northern Uganda that has enabled hundreds of thousands of refugees to go home, the British aid agency Oxfam said today. Oxfam warned of a new humanitarian crisis reversing months of progress if better efforts were not made to bring the LRA back to the negotiating table after they quit talks in south Sudan. "These talks are the best chance for peace in 20 years. It is crucial both parties do everything within their power to ensure that (they) do not collapse," Oxfam said in a statement. Oxfam said relative peace had greatly improved the lives of people in northern Uganda. "Since the ceasefire the people of northern Uganda have enjoyed a semblance of normality," Oxfam said. "Roads and boreholes have been constructed and trade with south Sudan promises economic recovery." Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The Government of South Sudan has said it is ready to step down as a mediator between the Government of Uganda and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in the Juba peace talks. "If they (LRA) are not coming we can't force them. Our intention was to help the suffering people of northern Uganda. If our mediation is not needed, we can't insist. They can go to another country," spokesman Samson Kwaje said yesterday. The LRA has insisted that is will not continue with talks, unless another country (they recommend Kenya/South Africa) is found to host them. The Government remains in full support of Juba as the venue and Dr. Riek Machar as the chief mediator. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA leader Joseph Kony remains in consultations over the return of his negotiating team to Juba for peace talks, Gulu RDC Walter Ochora has reported. Col. Ochora said he has been in touch with Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti since the LRA fallout last week with the Khartoum government. "Kony and Otti told me that they are reconsidering their position for their negotiating team to return to Juba for peace talks. They said they will get back to me," he said yesterday. Thus, there may be yet be hope that the Juba peace talks can be rejuvenated. Read more at The Monitor.

Omar Kalinge Nnyago writes in The Monitor today that the collapse of Juba peace talks could lead to the Great Lakes Region unraveling into violence. He writes, "A resumption of hostilities is a possibility. The defence budget could shoot through the roof again, internally displaced persons would increase and a political fallout in the North, not a particularly pro-government area would be inevitable. Internal security would decline, not a desirable situation for a country that has months to host an important event as CHOGM." If hostilities do resume, Nnyago says President Museveni could call for a regional intervention force or some form of U.S.-led intervention. However, this would have complications as the LRA is now spread to DR Congo, southern Sudan and possibly even Chad and Central African Republic. This highlights the entrenchment of the LRA war in broader regional security dilemmas. Only a comprehensive approach, bolstered by the international community, to achieving regional stability will make real progress.

Analyzing the state of Sudan two years after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Simon Roughneen argues on OpenDemocracy.net that implementation of the CPA has been lacking, which may spark regional violence. Roughneen writes that the National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum is growing increasingly anxious about national elections in 2009 and referenda to be held in 2011. The referenda will first decide whether the South secedes from the country and second whether the oil-laden Abyei region joins North or South. Khartoum's economic growth is deeply tied to its 650,000 barrels-per-day oil production. For instance, Roughneen argues that much of this money is used to fund NCP security forces, which have terrorized Darfur. In addition, "the NCP will not easily relent on Darfurian rebel demands," which are trying to destabilize NCP rule before the coming elections. Roughneen writes, "Southern ethnic groups and their militias are open to the NCP tradition of divide and conquer, only now with oil-fuelled largesse to disburse as post-conflict recovery slowly attempts to create basic economic alternatives to violence. In the absence of such an alternative, violence remains a possible - even probable - recourse for contending groups."

Politics in Sudan have greatly impacted the conflict in northern Uganda and will continue to do so long into the future. For nearly a decade, the LRA (like the Janjaweed militias terrorizing Darfur) were funded and armed by the NCP to destabilize southern Sudan. There are fears that the NCP, seeking to destabilize the South again before 2011 referenda, may rekindle their relationship with the LRA. This fear underlies the Government of South Sudan's eagerness to mediate an end to the 21-year war in northern Uganda. Most significantly, we cannot lose sight of the way that conflicts in this region are deeply connected. Peace processes for northern Uganda, Darfur and eastern DR Congo must complement each other if they are to build lasting peace and protection of human rights.

Panic has gripped northern Uganda following threats made by LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti and speculation that pockets of LRA rebels may be seeking to re-enter the country. "A group of about ten rebels abducted, gang-raped and abandoned two girls in Palaro sub-county in Gulu district and are proceeding towards River Aswa, bordering Kitgum and Gulu," Gulu RDC Walter Ochora said. The group had reportedly been hiding in Uganda and never proceeded to one of the assembly points. The new developments follow threats by Otti on Gulu Mega FM that he was considering sending his troops back to Uganda if Sudan did not give them security guarantees. The Ugandan army has reassured the population that they have stepped up surveillance and deployment at the border. Read more at The New Vision.

The former leader of the Holy Spirit Movement (HSM), Alice Auma Lakwena is dead. Lakwena, who was 50, died at 1am this morning at the Ifo Refugee Camp in Kenya where she has been residing after her failed rebellion. Lakwena's HSM arose in 1986 to "rejuvenate and purify" Acholi society, while liberating the north from the grasp of the then-new National Resistance Army (NRA) led by Yoweri Museveni. HSM had great initial success, but was defeated by the NRA in Jinja in November 1987. A young Joseph Kony identified himself as a relative of Lakwena when he began the rebel army that would become the Lord's Resistance Army. Read more at the International Herald Tribune.

Diplomatic efforts to save the struggling Juba peace talks are underway. Dr. Riek Machar, the chief mediator of the talks whom the LRA want sacked, has been in touch with several international bodies, Uganda government officials, the LRA leadership and local leaders from the north in frantic efforts to salvage the talks. The LRA has requested that either the Kenyans or South Africans host and mediate continued talks. The South African High Commissioner in Kampala Henry Chiliza said that South Africa’s position was not yet known until they receive a formal request from the LRA. The Kenyan High Commission in Uganda too is awaiting a formal communication from the LRA. Both have urged the parties in Juba to continue with negotiations. Still, the LRA High Command has remained adamant, though they are currently in consultations reconsidering their stance. Northern leaders are insistent that Juba is the right place for these talks to continue. Read more at The Monitor.

The rocky trajectory of the Juba peace talks in 2007 continues as there are unconfirmed reports of possible LRA rebel movements towards the Uganda-Sudan border at two points: Atiak sub-county in Gulu District and the northwest part of Kitgum District. These possible movements come after LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti threatened to have his fighters retreat back into Uganda. Otti said this while reiterating the LRA's recent refusal to return to peace talks unless a new venue outside southern Sudan is found (the LRA are pushing for Kenya or South Africa). The situation is made more tense by several recent attacks in the Juba area. LRA fighters have been widely accused (and confirmed in some cases); at the same time, the LRA High Command still accuses the UPDF for continued attacks on its forces near designated assembly points in Sudan.

The recent statements and threats of the LRA may well be founded in some real concerns or may just be a political tactic to delay further negotiations. In any case, northern Ugandan leaders have been unequivocal in their insistence that the parties continue peace talks in Juba and adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement. Any party that derails the talks or brings the collapse of the CoH will face widespread condemnation and a reprehensible reputation. As the parties discern their commitments, now more than ever external confidence-building measures are needed to revitalize this peace process. U.S. and international support and assistance can help ensure that this historic moment is not lost.

Gladys Oroma, Uganda-CAN news correspondent in northern Uganda, reports that the LRA leader Joseph Kony is hearing consultations to reconsider sending the LRA negotiating team back to Juba for the continuation of peace talks. Col. Walter Ochora, the Gulu RDC, said he has been in touch with Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti, pressing them to tell their negotiating team to return back to Juba for peace negotiations and signing of the peace agreement.

Ugandan government negotiators were ready to resume peace talks with the LRA today; however, the LRA continues to refuse to return to negotiations until a new venue is found. "We did not go to Juba yesterday because we got information that rebels were not there," Interior Minister Ruhanga Rukunda told journalists on Tuesday. He said that the rebels' latest walkout was temporary. Rugunda questioned the reason the rebels have given for their walkout, saying Ugandan officials had established that the Sudanese president "did not in anyway threaten to attack" the rebels. Read more at The Independent.

The leaders of the LRA peace delegation to the Juba peace talks reiterated their demand that the venue for peace talks be moved from Sudan, where they say the government and South Sudanese mediators favor the Government of Uganda. They also demanded that South Sudan VP Riek Machar be replaced as the chief mediator, writing in a letter to the Ugandan government, "We are therefore respectfully communicating our formal position to you and the government delegation to the talks, essentially, that LRA delegation has discontinued its participation in the peace talks if Juba remains the venue and Dr Machar remains the mediator." Read more at The Monitor.

However, Machar told reporters today that LRA leaders agreed to return to the peace talks in Juba once they receive another formal invitation to participate. Machar also met yesterday with the recently-appointed UN Special Envoy to northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Four former LRA rebels have alleged that LRA leaders Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti ordered them to ambush UPDF patrols and civilians on the road leading to Juba, the site of the peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government. Speaking on the Ugandan radio station Mega-FM on Monday, one of the rebels said that they ordered the attacks after confronting a UPDF detachment. The attacks, which the LRA has denied being responsible for, are one reason the Juba talks have stalled. The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CHA) signed between the two parties was supposed to have separated the two forces to prevent such clashes, but both sides have been accused of violating it in recent months. Read more at The New Vision.

Members of the Acholi Parliamentary Group announced that they had discussed concerns for land security in northern Uganda with the UN Special Envoy for northern Uganda, Joaquim Chissano. Acholi MPs have been very vocal in recent months in their demands that the land rights of northern Ugandans be protected during the hoped-for transition to peace, and have said that government investment plans threaten land security in the north. Chairperson Livingston Okello-Okello said, "We call upon the international community, and the UN in particular, to help us see to it that the land rights of our people are protected. Land is their only asset left. It is their only hope for the future." Read more at The New Vision.

A team from the LRA reportedly spent part of the Christmas break from the Juba peace talks searching for evidence of killings and human rights violations by the UPDF in parts of the Teso sub-region of Uganda. They are reported to have visited Mukura in Kumi district, where 69 people died while in military detention in 1989. Read more at The Monitor.

Kenya's deputy parliament speaker has advised the Lord’s Resistance Army to continue talking peace in Juba, southern Sudan. Samuel Poghisio described the current demands by LRA to change the venue from Juba to Nairobi as a tactic aimed at delaying the signing of the peace agreement. Poghisio, who is also the regional chairperson of the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace (AMANI Forum), told journalists at parliament yesterday that the forum would not support any act that delayed the peace process. Accompanied by other forum members, Poghisio also presented a petition to the Speaker of the Uganda Parliament, urging parliament to pass a resolution supporting the peace talks and individual parties at the talks. Read more at The New Vision.

The United Nations special envoy for northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, has assured leaders in the region that he will do his best for the success of the peace talks in Juba. The former Mozambique president, who yesterday concluded his two-day visit in Uganda, met South Sudan president Salva Kiir and his vice Riek Machar over the fate of the peace talks. Meanwhile, the LRA High Command, led by Joseph Kony, refused to meet Chissano despite his offer to visit them in their Garamba hideout in DR Congo. Read more at The New Vision.

The State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Musa Ecweru has said that out of the 2.6 million people who were displaced as a result of the LRA insurgency, one million have so far returned home. "Many people are still leaving the camps for their homes at their own will," he said. However, Ecweru said some people still fear to return to their villages because they are traumatised. Many others remain waiting for the signing of a peace agreement between the Government and LRA in Juba. "The government is doing everything possible to ensure IDPs return home," Ecweru said. Read more at The Monitor.

Gladys Oroma, Uganda-CAN news correspondent in northern Uganda, reports that the UPDF has said it will hit the LRA to the maximum if any rebels attempt to re-enter Uganda. The northern Uganda regional army spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi said the army has enough capacity at the Uganda-Sudan boarder to deal with LRA. Magezi threatened that if the LRA come back to Uganda, they will be welcomed with of fire. The UPDF spokesperson, Maj. Felix Kulayigye also said the army is on high alert and that no LRA rebels would be allowed to cross back in to northern Uganda. These statements came after Vincent Otti, the LRA deputy commander, threatened to have his fighters retreat back into Uganda.

Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, has left southern Sudan together with his troops that had assembled at Ri-Kwangba, one of the two designated assembly points. LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti reported this on Saturday, also saying that the LRA are committed to peace talks, but that nothing Khartoum can say or do will lure them back to negotiations in Sudan. "We have gone back to our hideout in Congo. I am considering ordering my forces in Southern Sudan to retreat back to Uganda if attacks on them are not stopped," Otti said. Otti claimed that the UPDF has been attacking LRA positions in South Sudan. "In the past 10 days, our forces in Southern Sudan are being shelled heavily with UPDF choppers and ground forces. That is why our forces can't assemble in Owinyi ki-Bul. SPLA seems not concerned and Riek Machar himself has failed to monitor the CHA," he said. These claims were rejected fully by the Ugandan army. The chief mediator of peace talks Dr. Riek Machar said he still expects talks to resume this week. Read more at The Monitor.

The new UN Special Envoy to northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, on Saturday visited internally displaced peoples camps ahead of a planned meeting this week with the LRA leadership. Chissano addressed residents of Mon-Roc displaced people’s camp at Bungatira, Aswa county in Gulu district. "The only solution to all your problems is to have peace to return to the area. This will make you go back to your homes and resume a new life. So, let us support the peace talks in Juba so that Joseph Kony and his rebels come out of the bush," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

The Government has rejected demands from the LRA to have the peace talks shifted from Juba, southern Sudan to Kenya or South Africa. "On our side, Juba is the best place for the talks," the government's delegation spokesman Capt. Paddy Ankunda said yesterday. "This is not the first time the LRA are saying this. They have a black spot on their faces and no country can simply allow indicted people into their country. Juba is the best place for the negotiations," Capt. Ankunda said. He said the government team, led by Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, would be in Juba by Monday to resume the talks, unless the mediator and the South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar give contrary advice. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti has confirmed that the LRA will not participate in further peace talks unless the venue is changed from Juba. The announcement last week came from the LRA High Command. "It is correct. We gave the order. The talks must take place in a neutral African country, preferably Kenya or South Africa, but not Sudan. Sudan has declared they do not want us," Otti said. "They (Sudan) are Uganda’s allies. They are together. My delegates in Juba are always under threat. They are being harassed by the Government to sign the agreement by force," Otti added. Analysts, however, believe the demand to change the venue is part of a move by the 'political' wing of the LRA, headed by chief LRA negotiator Martin Ojul, to become more autonomous from the military wing, headed by Joseph Kony and Otti. Read more at The New Vision.

The Kenyan Standard has published an article profiling Obonyo Olweny, the spokesman for the LRA negotiating delegation at peace talks in Juba. The interview with Mr. Olweny provides insight into the background of the LRA delegation and also LRA leader Joseph Kony. Read more at The Standard.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has 'disengaged' from peace negotiations with the Ugandan government and will not continue the process until a neutral host country is found, the LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny said today. "In the circumstances and due to security considerations, [the] LRA delegation are not going back to Juba but would prefer that the talks resume in a neutral venue, preferably Kenya, South Africa or other neutral country," he told a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Olweny said the rebels' decision followed recent comments by Sudanese President Omar El Bashir and South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit that the LRA was no longer welcome in southern Sudan. Olweny said the LRA would continue to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in August 2006 and subsequent protocols. Yet, the rebels have urged the chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, to convene an IGAD conference "to salvage the talks by agreeing to an alternative venue."

Ugandan Minister of State for International Relations Okello Oryem responded that the rebels were confused. "The statement made by the Sudanese authorities should have been taken in the right context. They said: if there is no peace agreement signed, then the government will kick out the LRA. This shouldn't have been a basis of argument because we are in talks," he said. The head of the Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, said: "The LRA should reconsider their demands because the people in northern Uganda are over-anxious to see that the peace process succeeds." Urging the rebels to return to the talks, Odama added: "They should talk over the disagreement instead of pulling out. This is not going to go down well with the IDPs [internally displaced persons] who have borne the brunt of the conflict and were over-expectant." Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

A leading UK newspaper, The Guardian, has published an article suggesting that the ICC's insistence on executing its first-ever arrest warrants has become an obstacle to peace in war-torn northern Uganda. The article says this controversy is threatening to bring "fatal damage" to the Court's credibility. The newspaper writes, "Court officials are privately furious, not only because they risk seeing their historic first case reduced to farce, but because they launched the inquiry at the request of the Ugandan government, which is now accusing the ICC of neo-colonialism." Yet, an underlying problem remains that the ICC lacks any enforcement mechanism, relying on the will of state parties to the treaty. For the last 21 years, such militaries have proven inadequate to end the war and protect the 2 million civilians caught in its throes in the north. For this reason and the complex needs of reconciliation, northern Ugandan leaders have urged support for the current peace process and local forms of accountability and restoration. Read the full story at The Guardian.

Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir has said he is willing to use force to oust the LRA rebels. He was addressing a crowd in Juba stadium yesterday, during celebrations marking the second anniversary of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement. "If it means using military confrontation, I am ready to use military confrontation to chase the LRA out of Sudan," Bashir said. "They should go and rebel from their own country." Bashir also denied his army had any involvement in the recent ambushes on the main roads linking Uganda to Juba, which killed at least 60 people since October. Speaking ahead of Bashir, South Sudan President Salva Kiir said he had kept the peace talks going because he believed the LRA was genuinely interested in peace in northern Uganda. Read more at The New Vision.

The new UN envoy for Uganda's conflict with LRA rebels said today he would not intervene over war crimes indictments issued against LRA leaders, an issue which could block peace efforts. Joaquim Chissano, the former president of Mozambique, said he would work with the ICC, but would not impose any solutions. "That matter (of indictments) is between the court and the government of Uganda ... I will not indulge in that, I can talk to them both, but only in trying to facilitate the peace process," he said. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Hundreds of Ugandans traveling in a convoy of four buses and ten trucks survived death on Sunday evening, but only narrowly. Unidentified gunmen attacked the convoy of vehicles from Uganda on the Nimule–Juba road, 23km from Juba, with rocket-propelled grenades, injuring about 10 Ugandans and setting ablaze two vehicles. The ambush, one of an increasing list of such incidents on the Nimule-Juba and the Torit-Juba roads, came only a day after the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, toured the area up to Nimule. By yesterday, it was not yet established who was responsible for the ambush. The attackers apparently wore military uniforms. Ugandan officials usually blame the ambushes on rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army, but officials from South Sudan routinely accuse elements linked to the Khartoum army, whom they claim want to destabilise the South and disrupt the peace process. Read more at The New Vision.

Dr. Riek Marchar, the chief mediator at the ongoing peace talks in Juba, has appointed three Ugandan lawyers as legal advisers to the negotiating teams. The appointees include former minister Owiny Dollo, Jacob Oulanyah and Barney Afako. The three lawyers will assist the chief mediator and his team, the LRA and the government on issues relating to the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments, amnesty offer and the traditional system of justice. According to the leader of the government delegation, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the three lawyers enjoy the support of all the parties. The lawyers recently camped with Kony at his base in Ri-Kwangba where they discussed the warrants, indictments, reconciliation and accountability, which are item number three on the peace talks agenda. Read more at The Monitor.