As campaigning for the 2008 U.S. election heats up this fall, we can't help thinking how the possible candidates might impact U.S. policy relating to northern Uganda. Earlier this month, the Council on Foreign Relations produced a web page documenting "The Candidates on U.S. Policy toward Africa." This resource provides an excellent overview of the candidates' stances relating to general aid and the atrocities in Darfur, but has no mention of northern Uganda. Thus far only a few of the candidates have even addressed northern Uganda, but it is worth mentioning their positions. In the coming months, Uganda-CAN will consider how Election 2008 matters for northern Uganda. You can make sure it matters by urging your favorite candidates to articulate their position to help end Africa's longest running war!

Sam Brownback: There has probably been no more vocal or consistent advocate for northern Uganda in the Congress than Senator Brownback. In 2004, he was a co-sponsor of the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act, which mandated the State Department to support peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts. He has visited the war-torn region and Uganda several times. Brownback has since co-sponsored other legislation urging greater U.S. awareness to the conflict and engagement for peace. He has also worked closely with advocacy campaigns, including Uganda-CAN, to raise the profile of the issue. On his campaign website, Brownback emphasizes a role for the U.S. in taking the lead to stop genocide and humanitarian crisis.

John Edwards: In October of 2006, Senator Edwards visited northern Uganda with the International Rescue Committee. Upon returning, he wrote an Op/Ed in The Washington Post, urging U.S. support for the ongoing peace talks to "end Uganda's nightmare." Edwards wrote, "As these African-led negotiations continue, the United States and the international community must step forward to support the talks -- not stand on the sidelines and hope for the best." On the campaign trail, Edwards has sporadically mentioned northern Uganda as one case where America can restore its moral standing in the world.

John McCain: To our knowledge, Senator McCain has not been particularly active regarding northern Uganda; however, he was a co-sponsor of the Senate resolution earlier this year to urge greater U.S. support for the Juba peace talks between the Government of Uganda and LRA.

To our knowledge, these are the only three candidates that have actively been involved in policymaking relating to northern Uganda. Others have voted for bills and resolutions helping northern Uganda, but they have not articulated a specific policy position or demonstrated leadership on the issue. If this is wrong, we welcome any of the candidates to correct us. Otherwise, we urge all the campaigns to express a clear policy on northern Uganda, particularly one for an end to this 21-year nightmare. Most likely though, this will only happen when YOU, the voter, urge them to do so.

The Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, called on Tuesday for the international community to ensure that LRA leader Joseph Kony is arrested and put on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was speaking at the UN headquarters in NY at a high level meeting concerning peace and security in Africa. Verhofstadt, who has a 14-year-old adopted daughter who was abducted by the LRA, called on the UN peacekeeping force in the DR Congo (MONUC) to help arrest Kony. Verhofstadt’s comments echo recent calls by the US, Ugandan and Congolese governments to apply more military pressure on LRA forces in northeastern DR Congo. However, many analysts fear that incautious military pressure on the LRA could severely disrupt the fragile peace negotiations in Juba. Read more at The Monitor.

A report released this week by the Ugandan government highlights how extreme poverty in northern Uganda’s IDP camps forces young girls and women to sell themselves for sex or enter into forced marriages. Ronald Kalyango, a lead researcher of the report, said, "The situation is terrible in these areas. Children as young as 11 years offer sex for a coin of 200 shillings (less than $0.10).” One girl interviewed for the report spoke of the need to sell her body despite the dangers of acquiring HIV, saying, "I prefer death by HIV/Aids than hunger. Through sex, I can at least get 500-2000 shillings. With this I can buy basic commodities like salt, soap, clothes and sanitary pads." Read more at The Monitor.

Starting this week, every Wednesday we will provide a quick look at any big news or key developments in southern Sudan. A new report released by the Small Arms Survey highlights that LRA rebels have terrorized the area since 1994, when the rebels moved their bases into southern Sudan. Yet, "In Sudan, the LRA are just one of the many faces of war." South Sudan remains devastated from its 21-year civil war with the North that caused more than 2 million deaths and the displacement of over 4 million people. Though a peace agreement was signed in 2005, the region has only minimally recovered. Recent field visits by Resolve Uganda staff showed the area to be awash with arms, crippled by extreme poverty and lacking in any basic capital.

The New York Times last weekend reported that festering tensions threaten the collapse of the peace agreement in Sudan. Failed disarmament, fighting over the region's oil reserves and the lack of development create a recipe for the resumption of violence. Meanwhile, last week's flooding hit southern Sudan, affecting over 40,000 people. In a bit of hopeful news though, two groups - the South Sudan United Democratic Alliance and South Sudan Democratic Forum - have merged to form a new political party. It is hoped that this will enable the groups to add to political development, not remain outside as "spoilers." Finally, after wild rumors on Sunday that he was killed, South Sudan President Salva Kiir spoke publicly, urging all parties to work together for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Six civilians were killed on Monday when Ugandan soldiers opened fire on a Congolese passenger boat on Lake Albert. In a conflicting version of the shooting incident, Uganda's military reported two soldiers killed, one from each country, in what it said was a gunfight during a dispute over an oil exploration vessel working on the border lake. Ties between the two countries have been badly strained in the past by border disputes and incursions. Uganda has twice invaded Congo saying it wanted to flush out rebels, triggering a 1998-2003 war that drew in five other nations. The two countries share Lake Albert, which has become an important new frontier in the search for oil on the continent. The two countries signed a historic agreement earlier this month to mediate disputes, but there is still fear that inter-state conflict may resume. Read more at The Monitor.

Some human rights organisations have criticised the recent deal between the Ugandan and Congolese presidents to flush out the LRA in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Christopher Hall, senior legal advisor at Amnesty International’s international justice project, describes the landmark agreement between Museveni and Kabila as a "recipe for impunity." Amnesty believes the two leaders should instead be concentrating on their obligations to deliver to The Hague four LRA commanders indicted by the International Criminal Court. Others however argue that the deal threatens the Juba peace talks that have already made progress toward a comprehensive agreement. Archbishop John Baptist Odama, chairperson of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative said, "It’s an unfortunate agreement. The agreement jeopardises the trust put on the peace talks...If the peace talks succeed, it will be victory for IDPs, the LRA, Uganda, South Sudan, Congo, Africa and the whole world. The hope of the people lies on the talks." Read more at IWPR.

Uganda’s government has assured affected-communities of the 21-year conflict that it is determined to find lasting peace so that the displaced would return to their villages. The assurance followed a report by Oxfam that victims of the war doubt the ongoing peace talks between the government and the LRA will bring lasting peace to northern Uganda. Speaking on Voice of America, Ruhakana Rugunda, leader of the government negotiating team, said that the government would do everything in its power to bring about peace. "For the population who have lived under the insurgency and in the camps for quite some time now, their skepticism and doubts are understandable...But I want to assure them that the peace proves is on course and that the question of going back to armed conflict is out," Rugunda said. He further said the recent agreement signed between Uganda and DR Congo should have little effect on the peace talks with the LRA rebels.

The Ugandan government has asked the former leader of the National Rescue Front II, Maj. Gen. Ali Bamuze, to meet the LRA top commanders as part of confidence-building measures aimed at bolstering the Juba peace talks. The Government’s chief negotiator, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, said on Wednesday that Bamuze had an "enormous wealth of experience" to share with LRA leader Joseph Kony and his fighters. UNRF II was a rebel group fighting against the government in West Nile until 2002 when a peace agreement was reached. The agreement gave the rebels amnesty, while offering them reintegration support and military positions with the UPDF. Read more at The New Vision.

Oxfam released a new study today, showing that most of the internally-displaced people in northern Uganda are skeptical that ongoing peace talks in Juba will bring lasting peace. Though 57% said that security had improved since the start of peace talks and 60.5% were hopeful that conditions would improve further, people still remain highly skeptical. Some 85% of respondents agreed that achieving a formal peace agreement was the most important challenge that had to be tackled for peace to prevail. The vast majority of focus group respondents felt they were not adequately informed or consulted about the peace process and feared that the commitment of the negotiating parties might not last until a successful end of the negotiations. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that sustainable peace will require improving security, engaging more robustly with communities affected by the conflict and scaling up resettlement and essential services assistance.

Claire Putzeys writes in today's Christian Science Monitor that communal healing in northern Uganda is more important than Western-style prosecutions. She writes, "In dealing with war crimes, the West has emphasized criminal proceedings and punishment, including use of the International Criminal Court (ICC); anything less, advocates say, leads to impunity and possibly future violence. Without justice, the adage goes, there is no peace." Yet, she writes, "For northern Ugandans, without forgiveness, there is no peace; justice is achieved through the restoration of relationships. And they have a cultural tradition in place for achieving this: mato oput, a longstanding practice that involves truth-telling and accountability, forgiveness, and reparations." Putzeys urges the international community to support northern Ugandans in this practice. Even more, she says that the West must contront "the well-meaning but harmful attitude that Africa needs to be 'saved,' a theme in much of today's social activism." Read the full Op/Ed here.

The New York Times has an article and online video today about "cracks in the peace" between the North and South of Sudan. The article points out that military tensions are high and the peace agreement between the two is in danger of collapse. The agreement gives southerners a referendum in 2011 on seceding from the country, however most observers believe the central government in Khartoum will never allow that to happen because of the rich oil reserves in the South. The LRA, which has terrorized northern Uganda, may again be used as a proxy militia to destabilize the region. For this reason, many in southern Sudan are closely following the negotiations in Juba and hoping for a final agreement. Meanwhile, recent field visits and reporting on southern Sudan suggest that the region is still devastated, with people living in squalid poverty in an arms-ridden and lawless environment. Many believe the conditions in south Sudan are far worse than any other area in the wider region. Yet, recent exclusive focus on Darfur, and to some extent northern Uganda, has meant that many in the international community continue to overlook the continuing tragedy of southern Sudan.

The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed this week to the international community for appealed for $64.6 million for people displaced by war and flooding in northern and eastern Uganda. "We are struggling to meet both existing and new, growing needs in Uganda," said WFP Country Director Tesema Negash. "We particularly need cash now so that we can buy food locally and move it swiftly to those who need it most. Our teams are on the ground distributing food to flood victims, but access is difficult and without new funds, everything is in jeopardy." This money is especially critical to assist an estimated 300,000 people affected by recent devastating flooding. Many of these were people who has just began returning home after being displaced for years by the war.

300,000 people have been affected by Uganda’s heaviest rains in over 35 years, which have caused severe flooding in northern and eastern Uganda. People already displaced by insecurity in northern Uganda make up over 100,000 of those affected. The floods have destroyed bridges and roads, isolated communities, ruined crops and disrupted water and sanitation facilities. The incidence of malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections has already increased, reportedly by as much as 30 per cent. UN agencies in Uganda have launched appeals worth over $100 million to assist the flood victims. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Threats by the LRA rebels that they will launch attacks in northern Uganda if their bases in DR Congo are attacked are causing tension in the north. The Lira resident district commissioner, Joan Pachoto, on Monday told the Government chief negotiator, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, that she had to call a security meeting last week to calm the growing fears. Rugunda however said the peace process is "irreversible." Rugunda said a new force comprising of the Police, local administration law enforcement officers, militia and the UPDF would be on ground to ensure that peace prevails. Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan military announced yesterday that it is sending a formal complaint to Human Rights Watch over its recent report detailing UPDF abuses in Uganda’s northeastern Karamoja region. The HRW report, released last week, documents human rights abuses committed by the Ugandan military during efforts to forcibly disarm civilians in Karamoja, while recognizing a reduction in such incidents in recent months. Ugandan Defence Minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga called the report “abusive and provocative” and accused HRW of “intentionally presented inaccuracies.” A recent UN human rights agency report on Karamoja documented continued violations of human rights in the region, but noted significant progress by the UPDF to curb abuses. Read more at The New Vision.

The UN’s World Food Programme announced today that it needs $65 million to support 1.7 million Ugandans affected by droughts, floods and conflict until March 2008. Recent extreme flooding has destroyed crops in northern and eastern Uganda, leaving 300,000 in need of support. In northeastern Karamoja ongoing droughts and insecurity has left 500,000 people in need of support. The WFP is also providing crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of northern Ugandans as they take advantage of improved security and begin to return home. Read more at UN News.

Officials and religious leaders in Uganda’s northeastern West Nile region called last weekend for national truth-telling and reconciliation mechanisms to be developed that address the history of post-independence violence in Uganda. The West Nile region has endured cycles of marginalization, violence, and rebellion similar to northern Uganda’s, though a 2002 peace agreement brought a halt to most rebel activities there. Reflecting the findings of recent studies of northern Ugandan's views on justice, the speakers highlighted the necessity that truth-telling and reconciliation be accompanied by economic security and an end to marginalization. West Nile Archbishop Fredrick Drandua said "Uganda badly needs this reconciliation committee more than South Africa. This is because our people are still divided. They are still pointing fingers at one another and this is not good for development. We cannot fight poverty unless we are one." Read more at The Monitor.

Civilians in the Lango sub-region of northern Uganda have expressed fears that uncertain progress at the Juba peace talks and poor provision of health and education services in areas of return will slow recovery efforts. Local official Benson Dila said, "The population is enthusiastic to get settled in their villages as per the government plan but the unclear peace talks are delaying the process.” Officials began closing down IDP camps in Lango last week, allowing people to take advantage of improved security to return to their homes. Poor roads, HIV infections and lack of agricultural tools also remain key challenges to recovery in the region. Read more at The Monitor.

A doctor from the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in northern Uganda has said that youth in northern Uganda suffer from mental illness, many from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. Thomas Oyak said, "These young people were born during the insurgency, they have grown up seeing nothing but guns and people being killed.” Read more at The Monitor.

The UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo (MONUC) is ready to back the Congolese army to flush out the LRA and other armed groups from eastern Congo to ensure security in the Great Lakes region. "We are very concerned about the presence of the LRA and other armed groups in the DRC. Now we have the mandate to use force. We are deploying together with the DRC army to make sure that the LRA or other armed groups don’t make the DRC their safe haven," said William Lacy Swing, the head of MONUC. Swing has been in Kampala for the meeting of the Tripartite Plus Joint Commission, which was attended by ministers of defence and foreign affairs, as well as security chiefs, from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC. Read more at The New Vision.

The International Crisis Group has issued its latest briefing on northern Uganda, calling on the international community to increase leverage to push forward the Juba peace process. The brief, "Northern Uganda Peace Process: The Need to Maintain Momentum," examines the ongoing negotiations and the necessity for the international community to remain committed to the process. "The Juba peace process has matured in the last year and improved the lives of millions of civilians, both in northern Uganda and southern Sudan", says Crisis Group Analyst Adam O'Brien. "But negotiating the remaining details and implementation require more leverage, focus and discipline." The brief says that a two-track strategy – negotiating away the LRA security threat in Juba, and dealing with long-term redevelopment in northern Uganda – remains the best approach to ending the conflict.

The Ugandan army has said that the LRA is violating the terms of a truce deal it signed with the Government by being in neighbouring DR Congo. This comes after the rebels vowed to resume war in Uganda if attacked in Congo. UPDF spokesman, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, said according to the Cessation of Hostilities deal reached at the peace talks, LRA fighters were meant to have left Congo months ago and assembled at Ri-Kwangba in South Sudan. Read more at The New Vision.

The LRA has warned that any attacks on its bases in eastern Congo will be an invitation to resume war in northern Uganda. "Any attack on our military positions by forces of the NRM or any armed groups allied to the Uganda dictatorship shall be strictly treated as a declaration of war, resumption of war and above all an invitation to bring war back to Uganda," LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo said this week. The LRA was reacting to an agreement signed last Saturday between President Museveni and his Congolese counterpart to stamp out the 'negative forces' in eastern Congo, including the LRA. Ayoo said the pact violated the cessation of hostilities agreement and the spirit of the ongoing peace talks. Ayoo also attacked U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, who declared last week that the talks could not last forever. "The LRA rejects the U.S. administration's arrogant call for a deadline. What does the U.S. administration want? Peace or war?" Read more at The New Vision.

Residents of an internal displacement camp in northern Uganda sang and ululated at a ceremony to mark the formal closure of the settlement and the return of most of the 18,000 inhabitants to their villages. "I declare the camp closed, for God and my country," declared Musa Ecweru, the minister of state in change of disaster preparedness, as he formally announced the shutting-down this week of the Atwal Railway Camp in the new district of Oyam. The number in the displacement camps of northern Uganda has decreased from 1.8 million in 2005 to an estimated 916,000 in June 2007. 381,000 others have moved to new transit camps closer to their villages. While this shows huge process, many are still hesitant to get comfortable because a final peace agreement remains elusive. Moreover, returnees face significant challenges. "People are disempowered. There are no water and sanitation services in the villages. We shall need to do our outmost to empower these people trying to regain their dignity," said Catherine Amal, chief administrative officer of Oyam district. Read more at IRIN News.

The LRA reacted angrily yesterday to the news that Uganda and DR Congo have signed an agreement “to eliminate all negative forces operating from the two countries…within 90 days.” LRA commander Vincent Otti said, "We strongly condemn what Mr Museveni and Mr Kabila have agreed on. We are ready to fight anyone who attacks us. This deal is not in good faith. It is against the spirit of peace. Though we are ready to face anyone who wants to fight us we still want to talk peace." The agreement, signed on Saturday, came on the heels of US diplomat Jendayi Frazer’s statements last week that the US would support efforts to “mop up” the LRA in the DR Congo if peace talks faltered. Despite the need for accountability and continued progress at the Juba peace talks, military threats run the risk of undermining confidence in the negotiations and jeopardizing the process. Read more at The Monitor.

A report released this week by Human Rights Watch calls for the Ugandan government to curb human rights abuses committed during its disarmament operations in volatile Karamoja. It documents alleged unlawful killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, and theft and destruction of property committed during military operations to confiscate illegal weapons since May 2006. The HRW report, similar to a recent UN human rights report on Karamoja, also recognizes steps taken by the Ugandan military in recent months to investigate abuses, strengthen human rights guidelines and training and engage with Karamajong civil society. In addition to continuing to improve the disarmament operations, the report calls for a more comprehensive strategy for improving security in long-marginalized Karamoja that includes increased humanitarian and development aid and reinforced police and judicial institutions.

The first IDPs camps will be closed today in the northern Lango region, where most IDPs have returned home. This is the result of the improved security situation, ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and generally improved freedom of movement. The camps will not become entirely uninhabited, as the UN Refugee Agency plans to transform the sites into viable communities. Read more at Reuters.

Heavy rains in northern and eastern Uganda has forced the relocation of 15,000 people in 25 IDP camps. IDPs face major food shortage, since flooding has made many roads inaccessible, preventing the timely delivery of food aid. The food insecurity caused by these rains could last up to six months, since flooding is negatively impacting this season's agricultural practices.

Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday signed a landmark agreement that will reportedly see the LRA rebels flushed out of Garamba Park within 90 days. In the final agreement, which Museveni described as "fantastic," it was also agreed that "the process of apprehension, disarmament and demobilisation of the negative forces including the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels shall, within 90 days, be demonstrably undertaken in either countries." This will be done through joint military operations with the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC). Both countries agreed to deny sanctuary to any person opposed to the disarmament. It is unclear how this action will impact the ongoing peace talks in Juba that most believe is the best opportunity for lasting peace in northern Uganda. Read more at The New Vision.

The war in northern Uganda has dragged on largely because some government soldiers are profiteering from the war, former mediator Betty Bigombe has said. In her upcoming book, "Turning War into Peace: An Insider's Story," Bigombe says that her resolve to initiate peace talks was strengthened by reports she received about the conduct of some unscrupulous NRA (now UPDF) officers who had exploited the war for their own monetary benefit. Bigombe alleges that some senior officers were involved in the illicit sale of fuel that was meant to facilitate army operations in the war zone. Bigombe further describes her frustration by the lack of political will for dialogue by the government. "When underlying causes of conflict remain un-addressed, there is a reasonable likelihood that conflict will flare up again. A political statement gives the opportunity to address underlying causes of the violent conflict," Bigombe writes. Read more at The Monitor.

In meetings this weekend, DR Congo has asked Uganda to withdraw troops that it claims says are deployed in the east of the vast central African country. The meetings were meant to address continued border tensions between the two, particularly over oil reserves recently found in Lake Albert. Mahagi, where Ugandan troops are said to be deployed, is one of the several small towns in eastern Congo that was at the centre of a five-year civil war. An independent security source told The Monitor that the UPDF uses Mahagi as a guard post against any return of any LRA rebels who are stationed in Congo. The Ugandan army has denied these claims. At the meetings, both countries did agree to make further efforts to rid their countries of destabilizing rebel groups, including the LRA. Any such military efforts however should consider their impact on the fragile, yet opportune peace talks ongoing in Juba, southern Sudan.

Over 3,000 bombs, guns and unexploded ordinances still remain buried in different parts of northern Uganda, Vincent Otti, the deputy commander of the LRA has claimed. Otti said the guns can only be removed by the LRA when they return to Uganda because they know their location. The army’s 4th Division spokesman Lt. Chris Magezi said the army has recovered up to 300 bombs of different types from northern Uganda. Read more at The Monitor.

The New Vision reports today that sex has become a nightmare for women in northern Uganda's internally displaced camps. The article reads: "They have to choose between giving their husbands pleasure and protecting children from witnessing adult exploits. In almost all the IDP camps, congestion and lack of privacy is a common phenomenon, which also influences the lifestyle of the people. It is common to find a family of 10 people living in a tiny hut." These realities, combined with the prevalence of alcoholism by many males, have led to high levels of domestic abuse. "In a survey of 65 women in six camps, The New Vision found that 23% of them had divorced or separated from their husbands because of such tortuous sexual relationships. Two thirds of them confessed to denying their husbands sex due to congestion."

The Special Summit between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) opened officially yesterday morning with Congolese foreign minister Mbusa Nyamwisi announcing that Kinshasa would start fighting Ugandan rebels on Congolese territory. "The DRC will start an operation against the negative forces of Uganda this month," Nyamwisi said in his opening speech, without specifying which rebel groups. Rebel forces of Uganda operating from eastern Congo include the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the People's Redemption Army (PRA) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). This Summit comes after months of border tensions between the two countries. Face-to-face talks between President Yoweri Museveni and Congolese president Joseph Kabila will take place today. Read more at The New Vision.

The International Herald Tribune has joined Ugandan media sources in covering the visit of Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, to Kampala. On Wednesday, Frazer said that the U.S. would support regional efforts to apprehend LRA rebels if peace talks fail. "We feel that we have the basis, especially under the U.N. Security Council resolutions, to assist an effort to mop up the LRA," said Jendayi Frazer, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs. For the rebels, "the peace talks are their way out," Frazer said. While this signals much greater attention by Washington to the 21-year conflict, most civil society groups would like to see the U.S. put more energy into supporting the peace talks before preparing a military "Plan B." Military threats can bring leverage to negotiations, but they also run the risk of diminishing confidence and trust. The war-weary people of northern Uganda strongly believe the current peace talks are the best chance to end their nightmare.

The Ugandan government is reportedly strongly considering the establishment of a special war crimes court to try the top leaders of the LRA as an alternative to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s internal affairs minister, who is the lead government negotiator at peace talks in Juba, said that a final decision on the formation of a special court will be taken after consultations with victims of the war are finished. "We have discussed this issue with legal experts - local and international - and there is a possibility of government forming a unique legal system designed to achieve lasting peace and accountability," Rugunda said. Read more at the Institute for War & Peace Reporting.

The US State Department’s top-ranking official on Africa, Jendayi Frazer, expressed support for progress at the Juba peace talks between the LRA and Ugandan government but said that they should not be “open-ended.” Frazer, who met with Pres. Museveni in Uganda yesterday, also articulated US support for military action against the LRA if the peace talks failed, saying, “We asked MONUC (the UN peace keeping mission in Congo) and the Congolese Government to take action against the LRA, to assist mop up the LRA and get them out of Garamba...” The LRA has been angered recently by talks between leaders in Uganda, Central African Republic and DR Congo over possible military action against their positions. Frazer also expressed support for Uganda’s peacekeeping role in Somalia and urged Pres. Museveni to defuse recent border tensions with DR Congo. Read more at The New Vision.

An update report by the UN human rights agency on Uganda’s northeastern Karamoja region highlights efforts by the Ugandan military to improve its human rights record there. In reports released in November 2006 and April 2007 UN human rights chief Louise Arbour brought attention to pervasive violence in the area and human rights abuses committed by the Ugandan military’s forcible disarmament programme in Karamoja. However, the report also noted continued human rights abuses committed by both the military and illegally armed civilians, as well as an increase in cattle rustling. Instability and cattle rustling in Karamoja has also spilled over into northern Uganda, causing displacement and slowing recovery efforts there.

The report recommends a strengthened civilian judicial structure, further efforts to end impunity within military ranks, deployment of human rights monitors and an increase in development aid in Karamoja to build on security gains and address root causes of violence.

The Director for International Cooperation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) today called on Uganda, DR Congo and Sudan to arrest four commanders of the LRA indicted by the international court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Beatrice Le Fraper du Hellen also said that the LRA should be cut off from its financial and supply networks. Though she stated that pursuing peace and justice in northern Uganda is not contradictory, a move to immediately arrest the indicted leaders would be sure to disrupt the ongoing Juba peace talks. The LRA and Ugandan government are currently holding consultations on justice and reconciliation in an effort to find a domestic alternative to the ICC. Recent reports detailing northern Ugandan views of justice and reconciliation show strong support for holding both the LRA and Ugandan government accountable for crimes, but reveal clear priorities on peace, returning home and improving failing health and educational systems. Read more at The Monitor.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has more than doubled its funding for the emergency relief and rehabilitation programme in northern Uganda. The agency will this year spend $12.3m up from $5.1m which it spent last year on the activities. The money will service nine projects expected to benefit over 254,000 in Acholi, Lango, Teso and Karamoja sub-regions. Read more at The New Vision.

Sanitary conditions in the internally displaced persons’ camps in the north are deteriorating following the heavy rains which washed away latrines. Cases of malaria have increased three-fold and officials fear possible outbreaks of dysentery and cholera. Read more at The New Vision.

Relatives of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) spokesman at the Juba talks, Lt. Geoffrey Ayo, have sent him a confidential letter asking him to be committed to the talks. Details of the letter were not revealed butDr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the head of government delegation and the internal affairs minister, described it as a sign of confidence building to the all players in those in Juba. Read more at The New Vision.

The LRA has reacted with shock and dismay at suggestions that President Museveni is aligning himself with neighboring countries to launch a pre-emptive strike against rebel positions. This comes after President Museveni reportedly met with the President’s of Congo and the Central African Republic. David Matsanga, technical advisor to the LRA said, "Every time when the Ugandan government sees that peace is about to return to northern Uganda, the Ugandan government brings scapegoats and its uses all exits and all malice from all angles to make sure that the peace process collapses." He continued, "If President Museveni wants to align with the Central African Republic and Congo to attack the LRA, that is very regretful, unforgivable crime against the humanity of the people of northern Uganda in particular." Read the full interview at Voice of America.

Northern Ugandan civil society has urged the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) this November to discuss the problem of landmines in the war-torn region. This was one of many views from ongoing consultative workshops, organised by the Commonwealth Peoples’ Forum to gather views on the summit. "Most of the land (in the north) has been battlefields, with landmines. Although the de-mining process is going on, it is very expensive," said Henry Nickson Ogwal, the national coordinator of the Commonwealth Education Fund. "The people in northern Uganda would like to feel that there is no conspiracy of silence. They believe in peace and would like to see it on the agenda. Like everybody else, they are seeing CHOGM as an opportunity to talk," said Warren Nyamugasira, the chairperson of the Commonwealth People’s Forum steering committee. Read more at The New Vision.

The Ugandan government has strongly criticised a United Nations report that quotes civilians in the north of the country as blaming the army as well as rebel forces for causing casualties in 21-year conflict. The UN report, issued on August 14, which gathered the views of 1,725 northerners, showed that many felt that not just LRA leader Joseph Kony, but also President Yoweri Museveni, were responsible for the war. Many of those interviewed said atrocities were committed by both rebels and army troops. "I can't waste my time commenting on such an empty report. The report is empty and baseless," Ruth Nankabirwa, Uganda's state minister for defence, said. "My government has not committed any crimes in the north. How then can that report compare atrocities committed by LRA to my government?" Read more here.

Peter Kagwanja and Manasseh Wepundi of the Africa Policy Institute have written that the "Uganda peace process needs a regional stamp." They write, "The regional spread of the northern Uganda conflict calls for a strong involvement by regional players to effectively deal with issues of accountability, justice and reconciliation." The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) operates now in southern Sudan's Equatoria region, eastern DR Congo, and possibly even the Central African Republic. They thus argue, "In a sense, Uganda is increasingly being drawn into a four-way proxy war involving the CAR, Chad, the Darfur rebels and Khartoum." The authors urge the AU to play a more active role in the peace process. Further, they argue, "IGAD and the East African community - now comprising Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi — have an opportunity to make a mark on the northern Uganda peace process by helping fashion a transitional justice mechanism that will secure the north for refugees and IDPs to return." Read more at The East African.