The New Vision reports that LRA leader Joseph Kony is walking to the Sudan-DR Congo border to sign the Final Peace Agreement this week with the Government. Kony will sign at the Ri-Kwangba site two days ahead of the official ceremony in Juba, because he fears arrest. Meanwhile, part of the LRA negotiations team, led by David Matsanga, has moved to Ri-Kwangba to prepare the venue and to receive guests that are reportedly swarming the place to witness the historic event. LRA sources also said a number of people from northern Uganda and the diaspora were preparing to travel to Ri-Kwangba to witness the signing.

Inner City Press reports that France's Ambassador to the UN Jean-Maurice Ripert said the Security Council could suspend ICC arrest warrants for top LRA leaders for months or a year "if the government pursues its own tribunal or...traditional pursuits." According to the agreements in Juba, the Ugandan government will approach the UN SC after a final deal is signed to get suspension of indictments (Article 16 of Rome Statute). "I'm not saying we'd support it," France's Amb. Ripert said. However, the willingness of the UN SC to even discuss the issue is a show of their flexibility if in fact the LRA is truly committed to disarming.

We don't often do this, but please take a few minutes to watch this New York Times slideshow about the crisis in Somalia. Last month, The Independent called it "the world's forgotten catastrophe" and UNICEF said it was "the worst place for children."

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Reuters reports that LRA leader Joseph Kony will sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) at Ri-Kwangba the South Sudan-DR Congo border two days before the official signing ceremony on April 5th in Juba. The Monitor reports that the South Sudan government will provide a battalion of soldiers to guard Kony and his fighters once they agree to disarm after the signing of the FPA.

The progress of the Juba peace process to end northern Uganda's 22-year war has been named one of the UN's 2007 list of "Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About." Read northern Uganda's "story" here, along with the other nine.

Reuters is reporting that gunmen still have 55 children in captivity that were abducted during raids on villages in Central African Republic. Some 300 armed men attacked the four villages between between Feb. 19 and March 10, abducting more than 150 people. They were tied with ropes at the hips and forced to carry away stolen food and supplies. Nearly 40 people have been released by the fighters, many of the women reporting they had been gang-raped. Local authorities are blaming a group of LRA rebels that have reportedly moved to the area. However, after allegations of LRA attacks in southern Sudan were recently dismissed, we should be cautious about accusations. Nevertheless, an unofficial UN report issued earlier Friday said that the atrocities "bear all the hallmarks of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)."

The New Vision reports that the Ugandan government is requesting LRA leader Joseph Kony to come to Juba for the signing of the Final Peace Agreement on 5 April. "We agreed on Juba as the venue. Kony is scheduled to sign for the LRA, while President Yoweri Museveni will sign for the Government. We would like to see Kony personally present. He will be safe and protected," the government's chief negotiator, Ruhakana Rugunda, said yesterday. However, in a Voice of America interview, Rugunda said the government is willing to sign with any other credible representation authorized by Kony. The lead LRA negotiator has said Kony will sign the FPA from the Ri-Kwangba assembly point.

AllAfrica.com is featuring Resolve Uganda's newest press release hot of the press. It reads, "After nearly two years of negotiations, the Government of Uganda and rebel LRA are likely days away from signing the historic Final Peace Agreement (FPA) that will end Africa's longest running war. However, the intransigence of a few individuals in the rebel army still threatens to delay the final signing and disrupt implementation of the agreement. With the signing deadline a week away, international human rights activists are urging both parties—with the backing of the U.S. and international community—to sign the FPA and immediately begin implementation to allow the over one million displaced people to return home and begin rebuilding their lives.

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In a softening of position, the LRA has said it will sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) next week, but then will only disarm if ICC indictments against its top leaders are deferred. "A signed copy will be given to (the Ugandan) government. Then the government will have the obligation to take the copy to the UN Security Council and ask for a 12-month suspension of the warrants before the LRA could disarm," David Matsanga, the head of the LRA delegation at the talks, said. Up until a few days ago, the rebel movement had insisted the indictments be dropped altogether before an agreement signed. Read more at IRIN News.

The New Vision reports that LRA chief negotiator has said that rebel leader Joseph Kony will personally sign the Final Peace Agreement, now slated for April 5, at the Ri-Kwangba assembly site in southern Sudan. David Nyekorach Matsanga said that Kony assured him he would sign but at the assembly point, not in Juba. However, the leader of the Government delegation, internal minister Rugunda Ruhakana, said it was impossible to move the entire ceremony to Ri-Kwangba given the big number of dignitaries, including presidents, expected to attend.

The Independent, Uganda's newest weekly newspaper run by Andrew Mwenda, reports that intelligence sources claim LRA leader Joseph Kony is unlikely to hand himself over the Ugandan government for trial, even if he signs the final agreement next week. Kony has allegedly made contact with rebels in Central African Republic, while at the same time officials in Khartoum may be trying to re-establish ties with him. Though the UPDF calls the LRA is a "spent force," independent observers still believe Kony could cause trouble in the region and even possibly return to Uganda. However, The Independent reports that this time the UDPF would be bolstered by intelligence and technological support from other Great Lakes governments and especially the U.S. military.

Reuters reports that the Ugandan government and LRA yesterday signed documents outlining the Final Peace Agreement and implementation timetable, setting the stage for the final signing by 5 April. "We have completed all the negotiations successfully. We have moved from enemies to be brothers and sisters again," said Ugandan lead negotiator Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. However, the chief LRA negotiator, David Nyekorach Matsanga, said the rebels would not begin to implement the deal until the ICC lifted its arrest warrants for top rebel leader Joseph Kony and his deputies. "We cannot assemble or disarm when the ICC warrants are still on our heads," said Matsanga. He said Kony would sign the deal, but not in Juba because of the threat of arrest.

The deadline to sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the Ugandan government and LRA has reportedly been pushed back a week from 28 March to 3 April. Apparently both the LRA negotiating team and chief mediator Dr. Riek Machar asked for the delay. "The LRA requested for more time to discuss with leadership in the bush on the final text of the agreement," UPDF spokesman Chris Magezi said.

Leaders from northern Uganda are traveling to Juba at the invitation of the LRA negotiating team to discuss next steps to break the deadlock over ICC arrest warrants and finalize the Final Peace Agreement (FPA). Read more at The New Vision.

The New Vision reports that the LRA negotiating team is still vowing not to sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) unless arrest warrants for rebel leader Joseph Kony are dropped. "We have told the Uganda government that they must drop the warrants...We want to make it categorically clear that the obstacle is the warrants," David Matsanga said. Voice of America reports that chief mediator Dr. Riek Machar summoned the LRA delegation to meet with him today to find a solution to this deadlock.

The U.S. State Department has issued a major press statement urging the Ugandan government and LRA to sign the Final Peace Agreement to end their 22-year war. The statement further says, "As an observing party, we intend to participate fully in the proposed Oversight Forum, which would be formed to assist with implementation of the agreements. We will continue collaboration with the Government of Uganda to provide development support for northern Uganda and demobilization, disarmament, and resettlement assistance for ex-combatants." As the parties feud over the signing of the agreement, U.S. commitment to respect and help implement the FPA should be a boost of confidence. Read the full statement here.

The Ugandan government has confirmed reports that LRA leader Joseph Kony and a group of rebels have crossed into Central African Republic. However, international relations state minister Henry Okello Oryem said Kony's flight would not deter the Government’s commitment to the Juba peace process. "But we shall continue implementing the undertakings that we have covered and signed in Juba. The Judiciary, Parliament, the army and other government organs are putting together mechanisms to implement the agreements," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

BuaNews reports that the South African cabinet has approved the deployment of members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) to northern Uganda, as part of an African Union mission there. It is unclear whether these SANDF forces are meant to just bolster the Ceasefire Monitoring Team or will play a greater role in implementing the peace agreement and protecting civilians. Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved the extension of the deployment of SANDF members to the Central African Republic and the troubled Darfur region in western Sudan to help strengthen of the UN/African Union Hybrid Force (UNAMID) there.

Our sister (& political action) website of Resolve Uganda has posted the texts of all the agreements signed thus far at the Juba peace negotiations. Click here to access this excellent resource.

Uganda-CAN co-founder and now Resolve Uganda executive director Michael Poffenberger is quoted in today's Washington Post in an article about prospects for peace and justice in northern Uganda. The article reads, "But before signing the peace accord -- something many Ugandans had hoped would happen later this month, following a permanent cease-fire reached last month -- Kony has demanded that the international court drop the [ICC] arrest warrants and indictments against him and two deputies now in hiding...The standoff has highlighted a debate with potentially far-reaching implications for other countries seeking to end civil wars marked by atrocity and displacement: How can international demands for justice be balanced with local demands for peace?" Read the full article here.

Just days after reporting that Joseph Kony has shifted camp from the DR Congo to the Central African Republic (CAR), The Monitor today quotes “multiple sources” as confirming that the rebel leader has “established contact” with Chadian rebel leader Mahamat Nouri. Nouri is one of the leaders of the Chadian rebel grouping that stormed the Chadian capital of N’Djamena last month, allegedly with the support of the Sudanese government in Khartoum. If the news is true, it would be a further indicator that Kony may be unwilling to abide by the final peace agreement being negotiated in Juba. However, the head of the LRA delegation there denied the allegations, saying, "Kony will be in Ri-Kwangba (on the Sudan/DR Congo border) to meet religious leaders on March 22 and all those pessimists will be embarrassed." Read more at The Monitor.

A short article in today’s Monitor examines the lasting physical and psychosocial effects that the 1981-1986 civil war in the Luwero Triangle in central Uganda has had on survivors - a reminder of both the national scope of conflict in Uganda’s history and the need for a robust national reconciliation process. Read more at The Monitor.

The Beyond Juba Project, a groundbreaking civil society initiative to promote national reconciliation and a sustainable peace in Uganda, has launched a new website. The website includes extensive background information and analysis of conflict and transitional justice in Uganda, a monthly “Peace Talk Newsletter” for teens and news on upcoming Ugandan civil society events.

The three-year Beyond Juba Project “aims to generate support for a national reconciliation process in Uganda by demonstrating the extent to which conflicts and their legacies are a national problem and by assisting in the development of appropriate transitional justice mechanisms with which to address these legacies.” It is a joint initiative of the Refugee Law Project, the Human Rights and Peace Network, and the Faculty of Law at Makerere University. Read more at the Beyond Juba website.

A feature in yesterday’s edition of The Monitor highlights the ongoing insecurity and humanitarian crisis in Uganda’s Karamoja region. The latest UN figures show that less than 1 in 10 Karamojong have food security, while more than half are experiencing an acute food and livelihood crisis. However, neither the Ugandan government nor the international community has responded adequately to provide emergency relief, strengthen faltering livelihoods or support local peacebuilding efforts. Reflecting on decades of political, cultural and economic marginalization, local leader Samson Lokeris asks, “Is Karamoja not part of Uganda?” Read more at The Monitor.

The February 2008 UN humanitarian brief for Uganda reports that although security continues to improve in the north, over 1.15 million people remain displaced in camps and transit sites, primarily in the Acholi region. The brief cites lack of thatching grass, inadequate basic services in return areas, personal insecurity and landmines/UXOs as reasons for the slow rate of return. Some IDPs appear to be under pressure from landlords and local authorities to leave the camps, a violation of the principle of voluntary return. Gender-based violence also remains of particular concern, with Gulu and Amuru districts reporting an increase in recorded incidents during February. Read the full brief here.

The UN’s World Food Programme has announced plans to cut relief food aid to 600,000 people in Lango and Teso regions of northern Uganda. The food agency said that the humanitarian community is transitioning from distributing emergency relief supplies to implementing early recovery projects. The two regions have experienced increased security since the Juba peace talks began in 2006, and nearly 99% of IDPs in Lango have returned home, while 115,000 people remain displaced in Teso. However, so far the humanitarian community has been slow to transition from emergency relief to early recovery in the region – last year mortality and malnutrition rates in Lango increased due to a lack of basic services in areas where people returned home. Read more at The New Vision, and also read more here about how rising food prices may force the WFP to scale back its global operations.

In article published this month the International Crisis Group examines the International Criminal Court’s role in northern Uganda, asking, “What happens – and what should happen – when efforts to prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocities coincide with a peace process?” Read the full article here.

The Monitor reports today that LRA leader Joseph Kony and a group of LRA rebels have crossed into southeastern Central African Republic (CAR). Ugandan authorities said on Friday that the CAR government and French military forces in CAR confirmed Kony’s presence near the small town of Obo. Last month hundreds of LRA rebels were seen moving towards CAR, but Kony was believed to have remained in his Garamba camp in DR Congo. If true, Kony’s move to CAR raises further doubts that he is willing to sign the final peace agreement being negotiated in Juba. David Matsanga, the head of the LRA negotiating team in Juba, called the allegations that Kony had shifted camp “total rubbish.”

CAR’s President Bozize has agreed to cooperate closely with the Ugandan government regarding the LRA. However, the CAR government is very weak, with widespread insecurity in northwestern CAR, while a European peacekeeping force is deploying in the northeastern part of the country in coming weeks. The area around Kony’s alleged new camp in southeastern CAR is controlled by the rebel Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD), which allegedly has links with the Government of Sudan – raising fears that the LRA hopes to rejuvenate its own historical ties with Khartoum. CAR is a signatory to the Rome Statue governing the ICC, and the world court is currently investigating crimes committed there. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan military announced last week that it has seized a massive cache of illegal weapons and ammunition in the northwestern region of West Nile. Thousands of sub-machine guns, as well as grenades and mines, were captured in two different operations by security and intelligence agencies this month. Though a peace deal with UNRF II rebels in 2002 reduced insecurity in West Nile, its proximity to unstable regions in northern Uganda, southern Sudan and eastern DR Congo have made it a prime route for the thriving illegal arms trade in the region. Read more at The New Vision.

The Sudan Tribune reports that the Vice-President of South Sudan, also chief mediator of the Juba negotiations, has confirmed an earlier report from the CHMT that the LRA rebels were not responsible for attacks last month in southern Sudan. Dr. Riek Machar Teny has confirmed that investigations on last month’s killings of innocent civilians in Kajo-Kaji, Lanya and Yei Counties in Central Equatoria state revealed that the culprits were Southern Sudanese, not the LRA as previously alleged.

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Angelo Izama, reporter for The Monitor and current National Endowment for Democracy fellow, wrote in a column earlier this week that "the Juba peace deal is still short on peace." Izama argues that lasting peace will require more than signing a piece of paper; it will "depend heavily on dismantling the military machine of the LRA and its support networks as much as it does on closing the gap between marginalised (largely non-Bantu) northerners and their more privileged (mainly Bantu) southerners." He writes that there is reason to be optimistic, but "ethnicised corruption (increasing complaints that the President and a few of his relatives and cronies are sponging off the public purse), a weak economy and grave challenges to Museveni's legitimacy suggest a tough road ahead." Read the full column here.

In a staff editorial, The New Vision has called on LRA leader Joseph Kony to "seize the opportunity" offered by President Museveni's "good gesture" this week. Museveni said that Kony and other top rebel leader can escape prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he signs a final peace agreement. The New Vision writes, "Kony and his peace negotiating team led by Nyekorach Matsanga should move quickly to conclude the peace deal, if possible, by the end of this month as scheduled."

The International Crisis Group has released a new policy briefing on threats to the fragile peace in southern Sudan. ICG writes, "Sudan’s North-South peace will remain at risk and Darfur will be unsolvable unless the parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the international community actively recommit to its implementation." ICG reports that "the risk of new fighting is growing in the oil-rich Abyei area" and that the northern-based National Congress Party may still provoke violence before the promised 2009 elections. Meanwhile, the southern Sudanese People Liberation Movement "remains divided on its priorities, between those who favour a southern-first strategy and those who support a national agenda." Finally, ICG argues, "The international guarantors and the UN remain dangerously disengaged, due in part to preoccupation with Darfur and in part to a lack of consensus on the way forward." Instability in southern Sudan in the near future would surely undermine the progress made through the Juba peace process.

The US State Department released its 2007 Uganda human rights report this week, part of a series of reports mandated by the US Congress on country-specific human rights situations around the world. The Uganda brief says that security and human rights conditions have “improved significantly,” but that the Ugandan government’s human rights record “remained poor.” The report finds that no LRA abductions or killings occurred in the north last year, though unlawful killings and other abuses by military forces (often not held accountable) continued. Continued drought, insecurity and human rights abuses have displaced over 700,000 people in Karamoja. One of the report’s most shocking findings is the impunity perpetrators of gender-based violence enjoy – women and girls fear reporting rape and abuse, and many cases which do get brought to court remain unresolved. A disturbingly high rate of harassment and abuse of independent journalists and opposition politicians also occurred throughout the country. Read the full Uganda brief here.

Kenny Ferenchak, Resolve Uganda's field researcher in northern Uganda, reflects on the issues of land, community leadership, conflict resolution, and ethnicity in northern Uganda as displaced persons begin returning to their homes.

It seemed like a winning situation for everyone. The public market hadn’t been functioning for more than a decade because of the terrible war. By helping to construct permanent stalls, international agencies had found an ideal intervention for rehabilitating community infrastructure. The market would immediately benefit the population on the long path to recovery and would remain to provide economic opportunities long after the IDP camps have been abandoned. Everyone present at the community meeting verified the benefit the market would deliver, and local leaders and landowners assured agency representatives that the plans had the blessings of all involved.

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With an agreement on the DDR of LRA rebels signed and hopes for a final peace agreement on the horizon, we thought it important to point out two recent SWAY reports on war-affected youth in northern Uganda. A November 2007 brief highlights the need for assistance programs that target specific needs (such as literacy and livelihoods) rather than certain categories of youth (such as formerly abducted LRA rebels). A February 2008 brief focuses on women and girls, demonstrating the difficulties they face accessing secondary education and being exposed to domestic violence and family and community conflicts. It argues for an emphasis on gender mainstreaming, livelihood development and targeted health and conflict resolution interventions in policies and programs.

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More on President Museveni's comments in London: The New Vision is reporting that Museveni said the Ugandan government can "save" LRA leader Joseph Kony and his co-accused from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he signs a final peace agreement. "Because he was not under our jurisdiction, we sought assistance from the ICC. If he signs the peace agreement and returns to our jurisdiction, it becomes our responsibility not any other party’s, including the ICC," he said. These remarks signal a new willingness by President Museveni to not let the criminal indictments stand in the way of the LRA ending their rebellion and signing a final peace deal.

Speaking on Voice of America, the LRA's chief negotiator David Matsanga has said that, if true, President Museveni's recent comments that the LRA rebels will not have to face the International Criminal Court are a good development. "If that is the situation that the government can put it in practical terms and assures us in black and white and say they have actually no longer acknowledge the ICC as a warranting body, that it can issue warrants against Kony and others, then that is a very good development for us...And if that is the information that has come from President Museveni's mouth, then that is very, very good news for the peace process. And we shall go back and talk with General Joseph Kony," he said. Matsanga further said Kony would likely come out of the bush to sign the final peace agreement but only if President Museveni puts into writing that Joseph Kony and his lieutenants would not face the ICC.

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The Monitor reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked the Ugandan government to provide it with information on the competence of the proposed special courts that would try indicted LRA commanders. The order was contained in a letter signed by the three ICC judges addressed to the Justice Ministry in Kampala. This is a shift by the ICC which had insisted until now that it would only accept the arrest and punishment of indicted LRA leaders at the Hague.

A local member of parliament and other officials are accusing a group of LRA rebels of raiding a remote border town in Central African Republic (CAR) last week and abducting 80 residents. "We heard from our compatriots in Obo that the rebels invaded and looted the town, and forcefully abducted 80 people. They left, but we do not know where they are now," Obo's member of parliament, Auguste Agoude said. CAR authorities and the U.N. mission in the country have sent teams to investigate. If true, like other recent allegations, this could cast doubt that the rebels are truly committed to disarming and demobilizing through the Juba peace deal. Read more at Reuters.

Speaking in London today, President Museveni said that the top rebel leaders of the LRA will face traditional justice mechanisms and avoid prison if they sign a final peace this month. Under this system, someone who has "committed a mistake" asks for forgiveness and pays some compensation, Museveni said. "In that case, we can approach the ICC and say, yes, those people who we have brought to your attention have now come (back)...Therefore we ask you to withdraw our complaint." These comments reaffirm the Ugandan government's commitment to request removal of the ICC indictments upon the signing of an agreement. However, Museveni's talk of a "traditional blood settlement mechanism" for indicted rebel leaders seems to conflict with the Agreement on Accountability & Reconciliation signed in Juba that calls for a "special division of the Ugandan High Court to be established to try individuals alleged of committing serious crimes during the conflict." Read more at Reuters.

Speaking with The Monitor today, Gulu district chairman Norbert Mao said that failure by the Ugandan government to implement a Juba peace agreement could risk reversing progress made in the peace process. Mao called on the Government to ensure that both victims and former LRA combatants are able to rebuild their lives, and suggested that it move to “enact a war victims compensation Act which should define who a war victim is, what type of entitlements a war victim should get irrespective of their political affiliation.” He also commented on the Ugandan government’s refusal yet to approach the UN Security Council to suspend ICC arrest warrants against top LRA leaders, saying that it should not be expected to do so until a final peace agreement is signed. In addition, Mao said that the LRA should be expected to implement a final agreement by disarming and demobilizing. Read the full interview at The Monitor.

The Uganda Amnesty Commission has requested $8 million dollars from the World Bank and other donors to facilitate the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of LRA rebels should a final peace agreement be signed. The commission was created in 2000 by the Amnesty Act, which stipulates that any rebel who peacefully surrenders and renounces rebellion will be granted amnesty and given reintegration assistance. However, potential differences between the provisions of the Amnesty Act and those laid out in the Juba agreements on accountability and reconciliation and DDR may have to be ironed out. Read more at The New Vision.

A LRA legal team met today with a body of the International Criminal Court to discuss “procedural issues” relating to the ICC indictments of three top LRA commanders. The team reportedly visited the Netherlands-based ICC with the intention asking that the Court drop the indictments. However, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo refused to meet with them and they instead met with the Registry, which does “not engage in substantive discussions with any of the parties on the merits of cases before the court.” Instead, the body gave clarifications on procedures and time limits for the filing of documentation and materials to the LRA delegation. Read more the IHT, or read the ICC press release.

Salva Kiir, leader of South Sudan, visited Uganda this week and committed his government to continuing its role as mediators in the Juba peace talks. He said it was premature to talk of a military “Plan B” solution to the LRA conflict and expressed hope that a final peace agreement could be signed, saying "We are mediators. We still hope peace is imminent." Read more at allAfrica.com.

The Sudan Tribune writes that the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team (CHMT) has reported to chief mediator Riek Machar that the LRA were not responsible for attacks earlier this year in various parts of the Greater Equatoria region in South Sudan. CHMT head, SPLA Major General Wilson Deng Wek issued the statement after the monitoring team carried out investigations into last month’s attacks in Kajo-Keji County by unknown gun men, leaving dozens of people dead and wounded. The CHMT is composed of representatives from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the Ugandan army, the LRA, and the African Union observer countries. This report likely brings a certain degree of relief to those who feared that rebel attacks last month in Sudan might derail the momentum of the Juba peace process. Nevertheless, allegations of fresh LRA attacks have continued this month, including the recent killing of a Congolese prince.

Amuru district in northern Uganda usually escapes the media attention that its more famous neighbor, Gulu, seems to attract. However, in recent months several large scale investment projects in the region have shifted the spotlight (somewhat) to Amuru. Two oil firms recently announced plans to continue oil exploration in northeastern and northern Uganda in preparation for preliminary drilling in the region later this year. The area slated for oil exploration includes parts of Amuru, which is also the proposed locale of a controversial sugarcane plantation. Though there is widespread support for recovery and investment initiatives in Amuru, weak state land institutions, widespread suspicion of Ugandan government land policies, and the reality that most people remain displaced and separated from their land make such investment proposals very sensitive.

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Here's the full text of yesterday's half-page ad in The New Vision by Civil Society Organizations for Peace in Northern Uganda: "CSOPNU congratulates the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army upon the recent agreements on accountability and reconciliation (annexure), permanent ceasefire and DDR under the Juba Peace Talks.

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Female leaders from around the world appealed this week for a larger political role for women in solving conflicts and eradicating poverty. Political and civil leaders, foreign ministers, top EU and U.N. officials, and more gathered in Brussels to promote women's empowerment ahead of International Women's Day on Saturday. This is quite relevant to the Juba peace negotiations, where there have been a disproportionate number of women participating. Yet, including women’s voices and leadership is critical for sustainable peace in northern Uganda.

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A study released last week by the Justice and Reconciliation Project and Quaker Peace and Social Witness highlights the need for a more effective DDR strategy for ex-LRA combatants. It argues that disarmament, demobilization and reintegration efforts must take into account questions of justice, reconciliation, gender and livelihood of lower-level LRA. The report examines the unique challenges that formerly-abducted girls and women who return from captivity with children face. It also highlights the effects that community stigma, preferential treatment of former LRA commanders and inadequate reintegration support have on the ability of formerly-abducted combatants to rebuild their lives. Read the full report and recommendations here.

According to The New Vision, the Ugandan army is reporting a skirmish between their troops and a group of about 30 LRA rebels in eastern Equatoria, southern Sudan. The fighting reportedly took place on Tuesday evening near the former LRA camp of Rubangatek, about 75 kilometres from the Ugandan border. One UPDF soldier was killed. This is clearly a violation of the cessation of hostilities, but it is unclear whether the skirmish was accidental or planned. Nevertheless, it adds to fears that the rebels will not come out of the "bush" even if a final peace agreement is signed.

Just a quick note: The UN Security Council, under the Russian presidency this month, has announced that a briefing on the peace process in northern Uganda is planned for the week of 24 March. If a final peace agreement is signed by then, the Security Council may have to begin discussion of suspending the ICC arrest warrants in the interests of peace and security.

Support continues to grow in northern Uganda for the UN Security Council to suspend the ICC arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and top LRA leaders. A key civil society coalition in northern Uganda, Civil Society Organizations for Peace in Northern Uganda (CSOPNU), today released a statement that urges both parties to respect the peace agreements signed in Juba. It urges the Ugandan government to "move faster on its promise to approach the UN Security Council to suspend the ICC indictments of the LRA," while calling on the LRA to respect the permanent ceasefire and assemble peacefully in Ri-kwangba. Several members of Uganda’s parliament from northern Uganda also urged the UNSC to suspend the warrants while speaking to reporters last week.

An essential factor in building local and international support for a UNSC suspension of the ICC warrants will be credible evidence that Joseph Kony will abide by the Juba peace agreements - specifically by signing a final peace agreement in coming weeks and moving to assemble his forces in the Ri-Kwangba assembly area in southern Sudan.

UNHCR reports that UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres pledged Tuesday to do more to support the return of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDP) in northern Uganda. During a visit to the north, Guterres said it was "our obligation to help," adding that Uganda had been a generous host nation to refugees from neighboring countries and deserved support from the international community. "It is clear that you all want the peace deal to be signed and after that you want investments to be made in health, water, education and roads to help you go home," the High Commissioner told people. "I am sure that a large majority want to go home to farm the land and we are here to support that," he said.

Our sister political organization, Resolve Uganda reports that last week's hugely successful Northern Uganda Lobby Days have led more U.S. Senators then ever before to lend their names to the cause of lasting peace in Uganda. 23 Senators this week signed onto a letter to the U.N. Secretary General calling for sustained engagement of the ongoing Juba negotiations and an increase in U.N.-led recovery efforts on the ground in Uganda. Read more about this and other successes of the Lobby Days at Resolve's blog.

Details continue to emerge about how the recent flurry of agreements signed in Juba will be implemented. Last Friday the parties, in addition to signing a deal on agenda item #4 (DDR), inked an agreement on implementation and monitoring mechanisms for the final deal expected to be signed later this month. It foresees a significant for role for the US and international community to act as guarantors of a final peace agreement. A few of the highlights:

- a transitional period of one month after a final peace agreement is signed to allow the parties to prepare for its implementation. During this time the LRA is obligated to observe the permanent ceasefire and assemble in Ri-kwangba, while the Ugandan government works on setting up the accountability and reconciliation mechanisms provided for in the agenda item #3 agreement and requests the UN Security Council defer ICC investigations and prosecutions of top LRA leaders.

- A “Joint Liaison Group” (JLG) composed of LRA and Ugandan government representatives tasked with monitoring and making recommendations on the implementation of the final peace agreement, a proposed “stakeholder’s conference” and "national programmes" relevant to the agreement.

- An “Oversight Forum” to address any disputes arising between the two parties and the JLG and to promote confidence-building measures between the parties. Chief mediator Riek Machar will chair the Forum, UN envoy Joaquim Chissano will be its spokesman and membership will include the US and other observers to the Juba peace talks.

- A “Ceasefire Monitoring Team” (CMT) to monitor the implementation of the agenda item #4 agreement on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the LRA combatants. Membership will include senior officers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA), LRA, Ugandan government, AU observer countries and UN.

The LRA and Ugandan government are scheduled to reconvene later this month to work out an implementation schedule for the final peace agreement. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

Gulu district chairman Norbert Mao said that LRA chief Joseph Kony assured him today via telephone that he is willing to sign a final peace agreement in person. Mao also urged the UN Security Council to suspend the ICC indictments against top LRA leaders in order to allow the peace process to move forward and for the parties to implement the accountability and reconciliation mechanisms agreed to in agenda item #3 of the Juba negotiations. Peace talks stalled this week after the LRA and Ugandan government failed to reach an agreement on whether to sign a final deal before or after initiating efforts to persuade the UNSC to defer the ICC indictments. Read more at The New Vision.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said today that he will not meet with a LRA legal team that is reportedly traveling to The Hague to urge the ICC to drop its indictments against top LRA leaders. He defended his case and said that any challenge would have to be lodged before the ICC’s pre-trial chamber. The Court’s registry has expressed willingness to meet with the LRA delegation to discuss procedural issues regarding the indictments. Read more at The New Vision.

In an interview with The Monitor last week, Ambassador Vincent De Visscher discusses the role of the European Union in supporting the ongoing peace process. He also highlights the crucial role the international community will have as guarantors of a final peace agreement, saying, “The most important [thing] is not to sign a piece of paper but rather to start implementing the agreement on both sides. We hope that both parties will implement faithfully this agreement. It’s a question of time, and we have to be very vigilant and remind both parties of their obligation to deliver.” Read the full interview at The Monitor.

The Daily Nation reports that the Ugandan government is insisting that they can only approach the UN Security Council about suspending the ICC arrest warrants if the LRA delegation signs the final peace agreement by the end of this month. The LRA have insisted however that the government begin that process before the final deal is signed. State minister for defence, Ruth Nankabirwa said the only way to have the indictments suspended temporary is for the rebels to sign the deal first and place themselves under the jurisdiction of Ugandan authorities.

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Kenny Ferenchak, Resolve Uganda's field researcher in northern Uganda, reflects on the struggle to respect the humanity and dignity of people displaced by the conflict that partially rely on the international community for survival.

“They’re looking at me like I’m an animal.”

As mere observers to the ongoing food distribution at Pabbo internal displacement camp, my colleague and I were at a loss as to how to respond to the desperately pleading eyes of this elderly man. From what we could see, the staff of international NGO volunteers, consisting of nearly 100 highly-trained and experienced Ugandans, were performing a remarkable feat in orderly dispensing one-month rations to the 40,000 inhabitants of the camp.

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The International Criminal Court has once again rejected a demand by the LRA rebels to have indictments against their top three leaders lifted before they sign a final peace agreement. The LRA delegation is expected to go to the Hague tomorrow, but the procedures in the ICC reportedly do not allow them to meet the prosecutor. If the ICC position holds, the only avenue for suspending indictments will be the UN Security Council as granted by Article 16 of the Rome Statute. Read more at The New Vision.

The New Vision reports that, along with signing an agreement on the final agenda item, the parties in Juba agreed Saturday to extend the cessation of hostilities to the end of March, when the final peace agreement is expected to be signed. The negotiations have broken off until March 12, when the teams are expected to reconvene to iron out the remaining issues and fix the date of signing. "If we have to respect this document, we have to sign before March 28," chief mediator Dr. Riek Machar stressed.

More groundbreaking news from the negotiations in Juba! The Ugandan government and LRA delegations have today signed the last of the five agenda items, paving the way for a final peace agreement to be signed. A peace deal is now literally "on the table." Yet, just hours later, the LRA delegation stormed out of a meeting, refusing the chief mediator's insistence that a date be set for the final signing. The delegation said again they will not sign a final agreement until ICC indictments against the top rebel leaders are removed. Apparently, according to Reuters, the Ugandan government agreed to ask the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution requesting the ICC "defer all investigations and prosecutions against leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army." More analysis to follow later.