The New Vision reports that three defected LRA fighters have said that deputy LRA commander Vincent Otti is dead. Senior-level rebel commanders Otto Sunday, Richard Okema and Odong-kau, calling from their hide-out in Congo, said the second-in-command was killed on instructions of LRA leader Joseph Kony at 10:00am on October 2, together with many others. They named other commanders killed as Ben Accelam, Otim ‘Record’ and Swaib Adjumani. The three, who have contacted the UN mission in Congo in the past days with a view to surrender, said their group (estimated by the UPDF as 300) had fled after the killings. They described the way Otti was murdered as "too horrific to discuss on phone." The commanders, they said, were killed by firing squad and their bodies were left unburied for three days "to strengthen Kony’s spirit." Some analysts believe the rebel group may be disintegrating, though Kony still retains a not insignificant force. Moreover, we cannot ignore that the people of northern Uganda today face a multitude of security threats that have developed beyond the rebel group.

This week we return to our Thursday update on what’s happening in Uganda outside of the north.

Karamoja: October updates from the UN show that cattle raiding in Uganda’s northeast Karamoja region is at its highest levels since March 2007, with nearly 20 attempted raids reported. Armed civilians also continue to resist efforts by the Ugandan military to disarm them. Meanwhile, fear of Karamojong attacks continues to be one of the primary reasons tens of thousands of civilians in the Teso region of northern Uganda remain displaced.

West Nile: This week members of the LRA delegation conducting consultations on justice and reconciliation visited Uganda’s northwestern region of West Nile. "We ask for forgiveness and I can assure you that we are ready to be punished not by the ICC but through mato-oput [Acholi traditional justice system]." West Nile leaders emphasized the importance of forgiveness but also stressed that victims be compensated.

CHOGM: Preparations for next week’s historic Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Uganda have reached a frantic pitch in Uganda. Let’s hope that the international spotlight does not simply ignore the hopes for and challenges to peace and recovery in northern Uganda.

This week two very different representatives from the LRA arrived in Uganda’s Entebbe airport near the capital of Kampala, highlighting the prospects and challenges of the ongoing peace process. On Tuesday members of the LRA negotiating team arrived to begin a landmark trip to meet with President Museveni face-to-face and to launch a six-week consultation across the country concerning the peace process. Though the visit is welcome, the LRA delegation’s consultations are beginning after nearly four months of delay, highlighting the slow pace of the peace talks that has frustrated many.

On Wednesday, Patrick Opiyo Makasi, a former LRA commander, arrived in Entebbe. Makasi surrendered to Congolese authorities outside of the LRA military command’s camp in northeastern DR Congo in October before being transferred to Uganda this week. He has reportedly been granted amnesty and hopes to now receive a resettlement package to smooth the transition to civilian life. Makasi’s transfer from Congolese to Ugandan authorities represents a positive example of cooperation between two countries that have often been at odds. However, his defection was in part spurred by infighting between top LRA commanders Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti. It is unclear what impact the rift could have on the structure of the LRA leadership or their willingness to engage in negotiations.

Stay tuned to our blog for more updates on how these stories develop in coming weeks.

Patrick Opiyo Makasi, a former LRA commander who surrendered to the Congolese army in October, has reportedly been granted amnesty. Makasi was returned to Uganda yesterday from the DR Congo. Under Uganda’s 2000 Amnesty Act all persons who renounce rebellion and surrender are granted amnesty and given resettlement packages. Read more at The Monitor.

Two humanitarian workers were killed and one injured yesterday in northern Uganda when unidentified gunmen ambushed the vehicle they were traveling in. The victims were local staff of the humanitarian group Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED). Banditry is common in northern Uganda due to lack of adequate civilian protection mechanisms and weak police and judicial institutions. Read more at Reuters.