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.

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.

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.

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.

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.