The U.S. State Department yesterday issued a statement "welcoming" the resumption of peace talks in Juba and announcing that "Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, has asked her Senior Advisor for Conflict Resolution, Tim Shortley, to be present in Juba on January 30 to work with the mediator and parties on moving the peace process forward." This announcement undoubtedly signals a greater level of U.S. engagement in the peace process.

The Victims’ Trust Fund yesterday announced plans to fund projects that provide physical rehabilitation, psychological rehabilitation and material support to victims of conflict in northern Uganda. The Fund works closely with the International Criminal Court (ICC), acting in situations where the Court has jurisdiction. The projects will be implemented by intermediaries to ensure that beneficiaries are not endangered or stigmatized through association with the ICC.

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An exciting bit of news: War/Dance, a film about youth displaced in northern Uganda, has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards! War/Dance will be shown at the Northern Uganda Lobby Days next month in Washington D.C. - sign up here to join the historic event!

The New York Times is reporting that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and the rebel army led by Laurent Nkunda have reached an agreement to end their fighting. In the past year, violence in eastern DRC has forced more than 450,000 people from their homes. Persistent instability in eastern DRC has made peace in neighboring Uganda even more elusive.

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We reported a week ago about the post-election violence in Kenya that was causing regional strains and a growing humanitarian crisis. The New York Times reports today that the violence has continued with at least seven people killed over the weekend. Kenya Television Network and other local news media outlets said the death toll from fighting at a monastery in western Kenya, which began Friday, was much higher, with as many as 22 people killed and dozens of homes burned to the ground. Witnesses said a group of more than 1,000 people attacked families who were trying to escape what appeared to be a cycle of ethnically driven violence.

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With the peace process' future uncertain, the international community appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach to unfolding events. After Vincent Otti's brutal death in October, U.S. officials were encouraging further rebel defections but were disappointed when a predicted mass exodus of 300 rebels in December did not happen. Since, U.S. officials have pulled back, supporting the January 31st deadline as a way to pressure the rebels back to the negotiating table in Juba. However, this military threat has not been matched by the necessary diplomatic engagement to rebuild confidence in the peace process. The Government of South Sudan mediating team, led by its Vice President Riek Machar, has been increasingly strained by domestic pressures and diminishing political support. The UN Special Envoy Joaquim Chissano has also played a crucial mediation role but remains part-time. Reviving momentum in such a volatile peace process is a nearly impossible task for a part-time operation with limited resources and a fatigued international community. A coordinated surge of diplomatic engagement has never been more needed to support the mediating team and rebuild confidence in this historic opportunity. If you're a U.S. citizen, click here to send an email with that very message to your elected officials!

US military forces have launched a veterinary project in Gulu and Amuru displaced persons’ camps that aims to vaccinate 12,000 cattle and 130,000 goats over the next month. The US team, working with the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, will be treating the livestock free of charge.

The US military has taken on an increasingly high profile in Africa recently, announcing plans to open an Africa Command headquarters, AFRICOM, on the continent last year. The US military is also directly active on the contintent through the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, a force based in Djibouti that focuses on regional stability and the “war on terror.” The US military has also provided funding to train Ugandan troops that comprise the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia. However, the US will cut diplomatic posts by 10% worldwide this year due to funding constraints and staffing needs in Afghanistan and Iraq, raising concern that the US government is privileging military approaches in Africa and elsewhere while limiting the potential for diplomatic engagement.

We don't typically report on politics in Uganda's eastern neighbor, Kenya, but it's hard to ignore the events of the last week. A dispute over whether Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki fairly won re-election last week has caused increasing violence. Protesters furious at alleged electoral fraud, went on the rampage, killing scores of people and torching churches, businesses and homes. This caused violence that many observers fear is increasingly tribal or ethnic in nature.

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