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.

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.

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.