William Bionx Akena, Uganda-CAN news correspondent, reports from Gulu town -

The army in northern Uganda has refuted claims made by some members of the general public that the UPDF stands poised to punish the people of northern Uganda for not voting for the NRM-O party in the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections. Speaking to Uganda-CAN this afternoon, the northern UPDF spokesman Lieutenant Chris Magezi said the army’s roles and responsibility does not hinge on any party, but rather to provide security to the nationals of this country and its guests.

He further said the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) no longer have any capacity to challenge the UPDF because they have been weakened. He said they are now on an upward trend to bring this long conflict to an end. However, the general public believes the re-election of President Yoweri Museveni will lead to increased attacks by the LRA on civilians for the next five years.

William Bionx Akena, Uganda-CAN correspondent in Gulu, reports -

Uganda's former child soldiers, haunted by exposure to violence at a young age, often find little solace when reintegrated into their home communities. Abducted as youth into the throes of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), children are forced to commit acts of violence against the country's northern population until they escape or are captured by the Ugandan military. But when they return home, the nightmare continues, as they face stigmatization from their family and peers.

Today, a woman who identified herself only as Akello and who is the chairperson of a formerly-abducted child mothers association told Uganda-CAN that she went with a friend--who is also a former combatant--to seek enrollment at a nursing school. But her friend was refused entry after admitting that she was formerly in the rebel ranks.

Akello, on hearing and witnessing what happened, lied about her past experiences as a rebel and was offered admission to the school. She told Uganda-CAN that former combatants are perceived as unproductive members of society, even though most are eager to return to studies and to live normal lives.

The Ugandan government has not implemented a comprehensive program to help reintegrate former soldiers and to reconcile communities at odds over how to deal with the returning combatants. For Uganda's children, who are the primary victims of this war, the future is uncertain.

William Bionx Akena, Uganda-CAN correspondent in Gulu, reports -

The hundreds of thousands of people living in the displaced-persons camps of Uganda's northern district of Gulu are daily growing more desperate, as the effects of a twenty-year war overwhelm their capacity to respond.

In Koro Abili camp, about eight miles south of Gulu town on the Gulu Kampala highway, a population of 10,300 live in cramped conditions and lack basic necessities for survival. Many women in the camp have resorted to prostitution as a means of survival.

One woman, Grace, told Uganda-CAN, "There is nothing I can do to survive. My husband has nothing to do within the camp, and we don’t have any piece of land since we left our original home miles away and are now stuck in the camp. I end up cheating on my husband with the military so as to earn something for my children to eat.”

The camp's commandant, Mr. Ojok Nekanori, expressed similar woes, observing that the war has forced many into immoral behaviors, and that the future of children in the camps are at stake, with no education and losing touch with the traditions of their forebears.

"They don’t have respect for their elders. Having been born in the camp setup, they have even gotten involved in lots of very bad acts like smoking as early as 7 years, something that was almost impossible before the war," he said.

No one knows when the war will end, and most are wary to assume that next week's presidential elections will change anything. With recent mortality surveys estimating that 1000 people die weekly due to the effects of the war, the situation appears bleak if no serious international response is galvanized.

WASHINGTON D.C. – A coalition of 34 American religious, humanitarian and political advocacy organizations have sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, calling for sustained attention and action to stop atrocities in war-torn northern Uganda. The letter, sent on the eve of the February 2006 U.S. presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calls for northern Uganda to be placed on the UNSC agenda. With the passage of UNSC Resolution 1653 to address conflicts in the Great Lakes Region, these concerned organizations hope the time has finally come for the world to act in northern Uganda.

“Further international indifference to the crisis in northern Uganda will continue to fuel widespread instability,” said Rory Anderson, World Vision Senior Policy Advisor for Africa. “We are calling for greater political engagement by the international community, led by the U.S. and the United Nations. This is the only way the crisis will end.”

Beyond Security Council action, the letter calls for direct U.S. support for mediation and protection for civilians and humanitarian workers. The two-page letter reads, “Establishing a secure environment requires urgent leadership from the U.S. Government to put in place a comprehensive regional approach that addresses LRA cross-border movements and prioritizes a resolution to the conflict, while simultaneously ensuring civilian protection, humanitarian access, and the reintegration of former combatants.”

The letter particularly requests that the U.S. State Department appoint a senior level advisor to support the mediation efforts of Betty Bigombe. “International support for political resolution and reconciliation is critical, especially with the Ugandan government’s clear lack of investment in such initiatives,” said Michael Poffenberger, advocacy director for the Uganda Conflict Action Network. “It must be part of a comprehensive strategy that integrates negotiation, civilian protection and humanitarian relief.” The concerned organizations argue that sustained and greater U.S. engagement is a necessity to enact such a comprehensive strategy.

The signing of this joint letter by 34 organizations shows remarkable unity among American organizations involved with northern Uganda. Signatories include Christian Children’s Fund, Human Rights Watch, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam America, Save the Children and World Vision among others. Poffenberger said, “The signing of this letter by such a wide and diverse group of organizations shows a united commitment and vision to greater international action to end this war. We believe this unity will send a message to Secretary of State Rice, the State Department and the White House.”

For copies of the letter, visit http://www.ugandacan.org/riceletter.pdf.