Donors supporting the Juba peace talks have said they will not deal directly with the LRA rebels. Speaking on behalf of the European Union countries, including Canada, Iceland and Norway, the Chargée d'Affaires at the French Embassy, Chantal Bès, said the LRA should channel all their demands through the Government of South Sudan, which is mediating the talks. The rebels are demanding $2 million (Shs3.2billion) from donors, without which they say they will not return to the talks. Read more at The Monitor.

The LRA has said its negotiators may not return to the South Sudan-mediated talks if they are not given "consultation" facilitation in amounts in excess of $2 million. For $2 million, the rebels want to airlift 500 delegates from northern Uganda to Ri-Kwangba at the Sudan-DR Congo border, as well as facilitate experts to travel to South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Argentina. "Continuing the talks without consultations will be meaningless so we will not engage in any further talks," said acting LRA spokesman David Nyekorach Matsanga said yesterday. However, every donor the rebels have approached, including the United Nations and the Canadian Government, has rejected the request. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan government has said the LRA demand for $2 million for travel is unrealistic. Speaking during a talk show, Stephen Kagoda, a member of the Government peace team in Juba, said consultations with the rebel commanders should instead take place in Uganda. The LRA has requested the money to ferry 500 people from northern Uganda to visit the rebels' base in Garamba and facilitate others to go abroad and research on how to end conflicts. LRA representatives also hoped to visit South Africa, Sierra Leone and Argentina to help them learn how they addressed conflict, justice and reconciliation. Read more at The New Vision.

Patrick Corrigan, former Uganda-CAN researcher and current student coordinator for Resolve Uganda, has written an Op/Ed in today's Monitor, titled "Why the ICC must stop impeding the Juba process." Corrigan writes, "The international debate on the ICC in Uganda has focused on this so-called "peace versus justice" dilemma which evaluates the trade-off between attempts to negotiate an end to ongoing conflicts and efforts to hold criminals accountable through international law. The terms "peace" and "justice" are misleading and easily manipulated because "justice" is a broader concept than criminal trials in an international courtroom, and "peace" is more comprehensive than silencing guns." Corrigan argues, "In facilitating an expeditious end to the conflict and taking steps to eliminate impunity, the recently proposed agreement on accountability and reconciliation will save the most lives in both the short and long-term. The ICC prosecutor must now make the right decision and seize the moment for long-delayed peace and justice in northern Uganda." Read the full Op/Ed at The Monitor.

In yesterday's Washington Post, former Bush Administration speechwriter and now CFR Senior Fellow Michael Gerson wrote an Op/Ed, titled "The Price of Peace in Uganda." Gerson writes, "For Congress and the Bush administration to prove their seriousness about a peace agreement will require more than the pay of a new diplomat." Gerson is right, but it still seems sending a senior U.S. official to northern Uganda is a key first step to convey U.S. commitment to the peace talks and coordinate greater U.S. involvement to support an end to this horrific war.

Gerson seems to place more faith in military action to end the war. He argues, "The United Nations has more than 18,000 peacekeepers in Congo, with a mandate to oppose destabilizing forces. They should act aggressively to prevent the LRA from putting down roots in Garamba Park. And the United States should support them by sharing intelligence, perhaps providing radar to track suspicious flights into the region and paying what we owe for U.N. peacekeeping." Again, most support heightened intelligence and U.N. peacekeepers to protect civilians, but the danger is that sudden military activity could derail the peace process in which northern Ugandans have placed their hopes. Sudden military activity could undermine the very "African solutions to African problems" that Gerson earlier advocates. Gerson's analysis also seems to focus only on LRA atrocities, and not the grievances many in northern Uganda have against the Ugandan government.

Nevertheless, Gerson's article and arguments in The Washington Post highlight growing attention to this once neglected crisis, Africa's longest running war. That is something we can all celebrate. Read the full Op/Ed at The Washington Post.

The resumption of peace talks between the Government of Uganda and LRA originally set to take place next week, has been temporarily delayed due to the rebel group's inability to raise $2 million to fund foreign travel and research. According to LRA spokesman Martin Ojul, the rebel army has been looking to finance a trip for 500 people from northern Uganda to Garamba National Park in easter DRC, where rebel commanders are currently positioned. According to Ojul, the purpose of this visit would be discussions with Joseph Kony about how to achieve accountabiliy without the ICC. The money would also be used to finance trips abroad for LRA representatives, with the purpose of doing research on justice and accountability mechanisms. The head of the government delegation in Juba confirmed the delay and said that a new start date would be communicated. Read more at The Monitor.

The United Nations has called on the LRA to unconditionally release all the children in their ranks. According to the UN News Service, the issue came up on Friday during the adoption of recommendations regarding children in armed conflict in Uganda and Somalia by the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy (right) said despite calls against the practice, the LRA has stubbornly continued to use child soldiers. "The LRA has ignored the repeated calls from the international community and we hope that they will now immediately undertake actions for the sake of these children," she said. Read more at The Monitor.

Four internally displaced persons died instantly and six others sustained serious injuries when a bomb exploded at Ayami camp in Lira district on Sunday. The injured, most of whom were children, were rushed to Lira Hospital in critical condition. The police suspects that the bomb was abandoned by LRA rebels. The National Mine Action Team, funded by the United Nation Development Programme, has been detonating landmines in the North since the resettlement of displaced people kicked off last year. Read more at The New Vision.

President Museveni has ruled out asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to lift the arrest warrants against the LRA leadership before a peace deal is reached in Juba. "We are not going to ask ICC to lift the arrest warrants. You must leave the warrants alone. If they don’t conclude the peace talks they could be arrested and taken to the ICC or get killed. There is no shortcut," he said. Museveni further said the ICC must be supported because it was created to stop impunity in the world. "One of the international bodies I support is this ICC. It is good because for people to do terrible things and get away with it because the world is not coordinated, is really bad. This court coordinates the world. We should all give it support." Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan government has announced that military training is to be made compulsory for all Ugandans. The decision was adopted at a five-day party retreat, where leaders of the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), participated in military drills and learnt to handle AK-47 rifles. The NRM secretary general said the military training school would open branches across the country to reach more Ugandans. Opposition parties have condemned the move, according to local media reports. This is not directly related to northern Uganda, but if true, it will have great impact on social life and politics across Uganda. Read more at BBC News.

The LRA's second-in-command Vincent Otti has asked for popular Acholi singer Bosmic Otim to come "entertain" the rebel army. Gulu RDC Col. Walter Ochora yesterday said Otti specifically requested for the musician. Otim has produced many albums about the war and the need for peace. Some of his songs appeal directly to Otti and Kony, asking them to abandon the war and come back home so that the IDPs can return to their villages. Otim's manager, John Obita, confirmed that Otti had called them some two weeks ago, requesting for Otim and two other local artists. This may indeed be a good confidence-building measure for the peace talks, but the picture seems disturbing: Kony and Otti being "entertained" while 1 million people remain in the most squalid displacement camps. Read more at The New Vision.

UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo announced yesterday that they were deploying to the northeast of the country to try to intercept incoming rebels from Uganda entering via Sudan. A contingent of 80 Moroccan peacekeepers have been deployed near the border with Sudan, for a week already, said the MONUC mission's military spokesman Major Gabriel de Brosses. The UN troops, in cooperation with soldiers from the DR Congo army, were responding to the appearance of LRA rebels, who had arrived in the country via Sudan. MONUC's mission would be to repatriate any LRA rebels found inside the country, respecting the terms of the Juba peace process, said de Brosses. Read more at ReliefWeb.

Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao has said that only about 5% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were living in camps in Gulu district have returned to their villages. He said, "While we can say that about 30% of the IDPs have left the camps, the majority are still in transition settlement areas. Only about 5% have returned to their villages of origin and most new settlements are located on major roads and near social services." Mao added that until peace fully returns and security measures are in place, many displaced people will not feel safe enough to leave the camps. "Let us preach the message of peace and reconciliation in each and every village. Let us assure them that total peace is on the horizon and we should reach out and grasp it," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

LRA leader Joseph Kony’s mother, Nora Oting Anek, is ready to relocate to her home district of Gulu, after spending 10 years in Mukono district under State House protection. At the urging of the Ugandan government, Gulu Resident District Commissioner Walter Ochora has already secured a three-bed room house in Gulu town for Nora and Kony’s brother. Recently, as part of a confidence-building gesture to bolster peace talks, the Ugandan government helped Anek visit her son for the first time in two decades. Read more at The Monitor.

A thought-provoking editorial in today’s Washington Post urges US activists working to help end crises in Africa to think critically about the potential for incautious advocacy campaigns to reinforce negative stereotypes about the continent. Reflecting the recent writings of eminent African scholar Mahmood Mamdani, Uzodinma Iweala writes that efforts to "save" Africa "tend to ignore the West's prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, [and] they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems."

Iweala is right. Decades after the end of formal colonialism on the continent, US and Western attitudes towards Africa are still often paternalistic – even if they are well-intentioned. 'Resolving' Uganda implies an understanding that we cannot simply pluck northern Uganda from decades of conflict. Savior complexes prevent us from seeing the reality of the situation and subsequently, our role in either their perpetuation or resolution.

The way we see it, 'resolve' connotes three key principles:
* critical analysis and understanding of the conflict’s deep historical roots (often found in and made worse by Western colonial and post-colonial policies),
* supporting local actors as they take the lead in navigating the complex political processes needed to end the conflict,
* and mobilizing grassroots political pressure for responsible US foreign policy in the region that prioritizes both peace and the full social, political and economic participation of war-affected people.

IRIN News reports that one year of the Juba peace talks has encouraged hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda to return home. Uganda's internal affairs minister, who is also the leader of the government delegation, Ruhakana Rugunda, said, "The year has been well spent. We would have liked to have moved more quickly, but a few factors came up that one could not ignore. We remain determined to [ensure] a more speedy process." The LRA spokesman, Godfrey Ayoo, said the fact that the guns had fallen silent was a major achievement. "For the first time in the history of the rebellion, both ourselves and the government have accepted that there is a political problem which needs a political solution and the entire country is speaking with one voice," he said. Read more at IRIN News.

The Ugandan Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, has declared that there are no LRA fighters or rebel activities in northern Uganda. "We are beginning to reap peace dividends. There has been no LRA soldier or activity for a whole year. We have also ensured that there are no more ambushes on the Nimule-Juba road," the general said. Read more at The New Vision.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the Juba peace talks between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Last July, we wrote: "The involvement of such a strategic third party mediator, coupled with the apparent openness of the LRA and GoU to end the war, and mounting pressure on all parties to resolve the conflict, gives this process serious potential to succeed in both ending active violence and providing a framework to address deeper social and political grievances." One year later, though an agreement has not yet been reached, that potential remains and significant progress has been made.

First, of the five agenda items of the negotiations, the parties have signed agreements on three. In August, the parties reached the breakthrough Cessation of Hostilities agreement, later renewed, that has brought relative calm to northern Uganda for the first time in years. As we reported in April, there have been almost no attacks or abductions since in Uganda and the numbers of child "night commuters" have fallen to their lowest levels in a decade. Moreover, an estimated 461,000 displaced people have returned home, and for those remaining in camps, many have begun farming.

The second agreement, signed in May, was on 'comprehensive solutions to the war'. Then, surprising most observers, the parties quickly agreed in June to an agreement on the contentious third agenda item: 'reconciliation and accountability.' This agreement provides a framework to use both traditional and formal justice mechanisms to deal with war crimes committed during the conflict's 21-year history. It further sets in motion an attempt by the parties to circumvent the warrants issued for the top four commanders of the LRA by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The LRA leadership has said it will not sign a peace agreement until the ICC warrants are withdrawn. Equally, the ICC Prosecutor has spoken against withdrawing the indictments. Yet, if these politics can be managed to reach a suitable deal, agreement #3 presents a framework to bring a final agreement one step closer.

When peace talks resume later this month, the parties are left with two agenda items: 'disarmament, demobilization and reintegration' and 'permanent ceasefire'. The framework for both of these has largely already been established, but the parties will need to be trustful of the processes. The importance of external actors to build confidence and ensure accountability will be critical. The presence of observers from five other African countries, along with the African Union ceasefire monitors, will help to this end. Yet, the U.S. government, thus far relying on private consultations with the GoU, could assist by showing more public support and commitment to the peace process.

Finally, though we celebrate what Juba has achieved and is poised to achieve in the months ahead, we cannot lose sight of the priority: peace and return home for the people of northern Uganda and the wider region. Though many have returned home, over 1 million people in Uganda remain in squalid displacement camps without access to basic resources and services. In southern Sudan, there continue to be attacks and abductions, reportedly by LRA elements. Across the borders, there is still a generation of children who have known abduction and never peace, and an entire population forced to endure the lasting legacy of over two decades of conflict. Even if an agreement is reached, the will to address these issues will be critical. The promise of Juba will not be fulfilled by a piece of paper, but by meaningful peace for all people.

With the one-year anniversary of the Juba peace talks tomorrow, the Ugandan government spokesman Capt. Ba-Hoku Barigye writes that Juba may be remembered as "the city of peace." He writes, "And peace indeed and surely seems to be returning to these sub-regions as a result of several of factors...From north and northeastern Uganda stories abound of IDPs returning to their villages, at least up to their parishes, hardships and uncertainties notwithstanding...On the other hand, gallant UPDF and other security agencies report that acts of human rights violations (abductions, murders, rapes, robberies) by the LRA have not been witnessed for about a year." Read the full article at The Monitor.

With the one-year anniversary of the Juba peace talks tomorrow, The Monitor has published an editorial, which "sticks to the humanitarian view that the matter of IDP return retains primacy." They write, "In the event, whatever combination is adopted to complement the ICC, so as to avoid condoning impunity, let us keep sight of this fact. And this is why we take a very dim view of the suspected corruption that has already be-devilled the resettlement process." Read the full editorial at The Monitor.

The ICC Prosecutor has spoken out against lifting the arrest warrants against the top commanders of the LRA, insisting that they must face trial. Louis Moreno Ocampo said the evidence they had collected against LRA leader Joseph Kony and his commanders was overwhelming. He explained that if the government of Uganda or the LRA came with a different solution and presented it to the judges, they would decide on the way forward. "To withdraw the warrants there has to be a legal challenge by Uganda or the LRA," he stressed. Ocampo admitted there were fears that the rebels could take advantage of the peace talks to re-group in DR Congo. Read more at The New Vision.

The Washington Post has written an article about the legal dilemmas surrounding LRA leader Joseph Kony. The article quotes Michael Poffenberger, co-founder of Uganda-CAN and now executive director of Resolve Uganda. The article says Resolve Uganda "has argued for a more traditional form of justice. It would involve Kony and his men admitting responsibility for past crimes, asking for forgiveness and agreeing to pay some form of compensation to victims or their survivors." However, the article quotes ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo: "As a prosecutor, I want to arrest Kony and his men...His destiny is the dock...There is no conflict between peace and justice. Apprehend them tomorrow, and you have peace and justice on the same day." Read the full article at The Washington Post.

The LRA has invited about 500 people for a major meeting this month in Ri-Kwangba, their assembly point under the Cessation of Hostilities. The list includes northern Uganda politicians, church leaders, relatives of the LRA top commanders, the rebel sponsors in and outside the country and Ugandans in the Diaspora. LRA peace delegation spokesman Godfrey Ayoo confirmed the meeting in Ri-kwangba but said the delegation has been let down by lack of resources. Read more at The Monitor.

The Washington Post today has an article on Betty Bigombe, "the woman behind Uganda's peace talks." The feature story describes how Bigombe's initiative in 1993-1994 and then 2004-2006 was critical to establishing the groundwork for the current peace talks. Read the article at The Washington Post.

Members of the U.S. Congress have publicly urged President Bush to provide diplomatic support to the ongoing peace talks to end the 21-year war in northern Uganda, Resolve Uganda announced today. 17 members of the Senate and 27 members of the House of Representatives signed and sent a letter to the White House, requesting that the President dispatch a senior diplomat to Juba to act in direct support of the negotiations. "Dispatching a senior U.S. diplomat to the peace talks between the Ugandan Government and the LRA will demonstrate our commitment to bringing peace and stability to the people of northern Uganda," said Senator Russ Feingold, who led efforts to get support for the letter in the Senate. "A strong U.S. presence will contribute much-needed urgency and legitimacy to these negotiations, which offers a chance to end more than two decades of suffering."

In particular, the letter to President Bush says that a senior-level U.S. diplomat could better identify strategies to strengthen negotiations. The letter reads: "This individual could convey critical legitimacy on the talks and would provide valuable advice on the ground and information about the U.S. government’s support for the African-led process and our willingness to provide assistance as appropriate." The letter to President Bush comes after a number of congressional resolutions and public demonstrations requesting greater U.S. engagement of the peace process. "This letter demonstrates the growing sense, not just in Congress, but in all of America, that our government’s public absence in this process is unacceptable," said Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director of Resolve Uganda.

Following the letter’s release, Ambassador to Uganda Steven Browning said that the U.S. government supports the peace talks and has been "in constant, behind-the-scenes contact with people at the table." Browning further announced that U.S. assistance to northern Uganda would increase this year to over $100 million. "These efforts fall short of the public engagement needed to bring leverage and trust to the process. The emphasis on private over public involvement evades accountability and feeds suspicion about U.S. intentions," said Poffenberger. Read the full release at The Sudan Tribune.

In a letter to the Inspector General of the Ugandan Police Force (UPF), Human Rights Watch has called on the UPF to improve civilian policing in northern Uganda. The letter, sent in May of this year, details corruption and inadequate training within the UPF, including instances of police officers demanding payment for services. The report also acknowledges the resource restraints police officers in the north face and efforts by the UPF to improve policing there. Read more at The Monitor or at Human Rights Watch.

The LRA has said its fighters will remain in hiding even if a peace deal with the government is reached, unless ICC indictments against four of its leaders are lifted. "The ICC remains a big stumbling block to peace in Uganda," LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo said. "Unless and only when the matter of the ICC is settled, none of our soldiers will get out of the bush and government should forget about any signature," he said. Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who is also the government's lead negotiator, said he believed the ICC would only consider lifting the indictments if the issue of justice was adequately addressed under the envisaged peace agreement. Read more at IRIN News.

The LRA leadership has dropped three members of its negotiation team, accusing them of promoting tribalism. "I want to inform the public, on behalf of the LRA, that we have dropped three members of the LRA delegation because they were causing misunderstanding and confusion in the team," LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti announced on Friday. The three, named as Quinto Kidega (Kony’s uncle), Okello Ocii Mission and Obina, falsely claimed that the LRA were fighting for the Acholi, yet they were fighting for the whole of Uganda, Otti explained. Three lawyers had been hired to replace them, he announced. Otti further expressed satisfaction with the progress of the peace talks, particularly the signing of item three on the agenda, concerning reconciliation and accountability. Read more at The New Vision.

Acholi Members of Parliament are compiling a list of crimes and atrocities committed by the LRA rebels and the Ugandan army from 1986 to 2006. Reagan Okumu, the vice-chairperson of the Acholi parliamentary group, said the reports would be submitted to Dr. Riek Marchar, the chief negotiator at the Juba talks. "We are demanding compensation from the Government for the mass killings, destruction and abductions by either the LRA or UPDF from 1986 to last year when the peace talks started," Okumu said. Four memorial centre are to be built in Gulu, Kitgum, Amuru and Pader districts as symbols of reconciliation. The names of those killed will be inscribed on the walls. Read more at The New Vision.

The LRA has reportedly agreed to open discussions at the Juba peace talks over the fate of thousands of children kidnapped over the last 20 years. Captain Bahoku Barigye, spokesman for the government's negotiating team, said that the government would argue for the children's release. The LRA team affirmed this report. "The issue of abducted children will be thoroughly discussed soon. We will get a solution," LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayo said. Read more at Garowe Online.

The chief government negotiator, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, explained today that the agreement signed last Friday at the Juba peace talks provided for a fusion of the formal and traditional justice systems. "The parties noted the strengths of the existing formal justice mechanism (which ensures no impunity) and the traditional cultural mechanisms (which are restorative and promote reconciliation)," Rugunda said. Rugunda warned that LRA rebels who were known to have committed crimes but refuse to admit to them would not benefit from the arrangement. Rugunda said consultations would be made in the formal justice sector during the one month recess with the Director of Public Prosecution, the Law Reform Commission, the Human Rights Commission as well as academic and civil society organisations. Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan government should seize illegal guns owned by auxiliary forces in internally displaced people's (IDP) camps, the Uganda Human Rights Commission has suggested. The commission noted that many illegal guns were being misused to create lawlessness and hamper efforts of resettle displaced people. "Assurance of security will be the pre-condition for people to leave the camps," said Margaret Sekaggya, the head of the commission. If the guns are not withdrawn, Sekaggya warned that armed robberies, illegal shootings and other forms of crimes would replace the 20-year-old insurgency in the North. Read more at The New Vision.

More today on the GoU-LRA agreement on "accountability and reconciliation": The agreement says that "traditional justice mechanisms, such as Culo Kwor, Mato Oput, Kayo Cuk, Ailuc and Tonu ci Koka and others as practiced in the communities affected by the conflict" shall be a main part of the alternative justice framework. Yet, it also reads, "Formal criminal and civil justice measures shall be applied to any individual who is alleged to have committed serious crimes or human rights violations in the course of the conflict." In other words, there will be a hybrid of traditional mechanisms and adapted formal justice measures. The latter may take place in formal courts or tribunals. The agreement also calls for "comprehensive, independent analysis of the history and manifestations of the conflict," seeming to imply a truth commission of some kind. Furthermore, it lists several forms of reparations for victims, including compensation, rehabilitation and symbolic measures like apologies and memorials. Notably, there is a special section focusing on the grievances of women and girls in the conflict.

The parties have reportedly now agreed to return to their "constituencies" for most of July to discuss the agreement and technical details that will need to be worked out. On the Ugandan government side, the details will be crafted into legislation to be passed. The government will also plan to approach the ICC to state its case for the withdrawal of indictments in favor of the adapted justice framework. It is unclear if the ICC will be flexible and willing to consider this case. On the LRA side, there remain questions about whether the military leadership will follow through with this agreement. The LRA's second-in-charge Vincent Otti today said, "Now we've signed this, we want to see progress on the government side with the ICC...We shall go for national reconciliation only after the indictments have been withdrawn. We shall see about penalties and national courts later."

Reports from non-governmental organizations and the UN working in north Uganda show further changes in displacement through May. Of the 1,840,000 people displaced at the end of 2005, 988,000 (55%) remain in the original camps. Another 395,000 are in new "decongestion" camps or in transit, while 461,000 have returned home. Over 75% of those who have retured home are in the Lango region.

Today there is more information about the agreement on 'accountability and reconciliation' signed Friday night by the Ugandan government and LRA. The agreement reads, "Accountability mechanisms shall be implemented through the adapted legal framework in Uganda." This likely means a hybrid of revitalized traditional practices (Mato Oput) and national legal mechanisms. "Legislation shall introduce a regime of alternative penalties and sanctions which shall apply, and replace existing penalties, with respect to serious crimes and human rights violations committed by non-state actors in the course of the conflict." The Government also committed itself to striking the LRA off the terrorist list as soon as the rebels renounce rebellion and sign a comprehensive peace agreement. Read more at The New Vision.