A recent report published by the Refugee Law Project, a partner of Uganda-CAN, reveals that Congolese and Sudanese nationals living in international refugee camps in northern Uganda have begun to flee the destitute camps. The report also reveals that these international camps suffer from the same lack of adequate medical facilities and livelihood opportunities that northern Ugandan IDP camps suffer from. Read more at The Daily Monitor.

The plight of international refugees in northern Uganda highlights the regional scope of instability in the Great Lakes region and the need for peace-building efforts to address conflicts at a regional scale and in a comprehensive that addresses their many interconnections. Read more about Uganda-CAN’s effort to be address the regional scope of conflicts in the Great Lakes region here.

Deadly attacks on foreign aid workers by LRA rebels in northern Uganda and southern Sudan could prevent the delivery of vital assistance to hundreds of thousands of people, says Reuters AlertNet. Aid agencies have scaled back many operations following the attacks.

AllAfrica reports that a recent joint USAID and Wildlife Conservation Fund study has exposed the harmful effect on northern Uganda's environment that the 19-year old conflict between the LRA and Ugandan government has had. Aerial plane surveys revealed significant forest loss, especially in areas surrounding IDP camps and town centers, where people have been forced to give up traditional agricultural practices and rely on inadequate resources in areas immediately surrounding the camps.

The study not only sought to highlight the conflict's impact on the natural environment, but also the consequences of these impacts on water supplies and livelihood opportunities in areas the IDPs will resettle in after the conflict ends. Read more of the findings here.

Today's Sunday Monitor reports that Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni has issued orders for all IDP camps in the Teso and Lango sub-regions (see map) to be disbanded and their occupants resettled by this coming December. He said that the LRA is now unable to carry out significant attacks in the two regions because of the gains of a recent UPDF offensive, and directed parlimentarians from Teso and Lango to draft resettlement plans.

Uganda-CAN welcomes the disbandment of IDP camps and return of IDPs to their homes in northern Uganda. However, we urge the Ugandan government and international community to work together to ensure that the return is adequately planned and funded to prevent land ownership conflicts from developing and to ensure that returnees are able to secure a livelihood.

Uganda-CAN also urges the Ugandan government and international community to give IDPs substantial input into the plans, which will decrease distrust towards the government and increase the likelihood of a smoother transition from IDP camps to rural homesteads.

The Daily Monitor reports that a recent survey of IDP living conditions in Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader districts has revealed that human suffering and hopelessness continue to plague northern Uganda. The report, carried out by a Norwegian Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies, affirms that conditions for IDPs in Acholiland have not improved in the three months since an August World Health Organization report revealed 1,000 IDPs die every week in northern Uganda from malnutrition and disease.