The ENOUGH Project has released its latest report, titled "A New Strategy for Peace in Northern Uganda and the LRA." They write, "LRA leader Joseph Kony’s failure to sign a peace deal in April drove a nail into the coffin of the Juba peace process—a process that is grinding to an unsuccessful end. The talks have certainly contributed to northern Uganda’s current state of relative peace and created a mechanism to address tensions between the people in the North and the southern-dominated government in Kampala. But without real leverage and without a direct channel of negotiations to Kony himself, the LRA leader has exploited this last year of negotiations..."

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The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has renewed calls for international efforts to arrest LRA leader Joseph Kony and two other commanders indicted by the court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Speaking at a conference in Chicago recently, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that if Kony is arrested, “we will have peace tomorrow”. He also recently criticized the peace talks, saying, "all negotiations did was lead to impunity.” In addition, Ocampo maintained that UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo could be equipped with "special forces" able to arrest the indicted commanders. Read more at IWPR.

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In a resolution extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Sudan (UNMIS), the UN Security Council yesterday expressed support for ongoing efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the LRA and Ugandan government. The Council also urged the UNMIS to play a role in implementing a final peace agreement between the two parties should one be signed. The resolution echoed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s April 2008 report on Sudan, in which he urged “all parties to address the remaining concerns and enable the conclusion of an agreement that will provide the basis for a lasting peace with justice and support development in Northern Uganda.”

Both the Council resolution and the SG report also express concern over insecurity caused by the LRA in south Sudan and hint at the military and protection of civilians role UNMIS might play should the peace talks break down and LRA attacks on civilians continue. The SG report noted that those responsible for LRA attacks in south Sudan in recent months seem to be mid-ranking commanders acting independently of the central command. It also highlighted the need for greater regional cooperation between UNMIS and UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo in regards to the LRA.

Long-time experts Ron Atkinson and Sverker Finnstrom have written about the challenge of "building sustainable peace in northern Uganda" in the Horn of Africa Bulletin (No. 4, 2008) available here. They write, "It is important to note that Kony's failure to sign does not necessarily mean that LRA activities in northern Uganda will resume. Most LRA fighters are simply too far away from north-central Uganda for this to be a viable option, and unless South Sudan descends into renewed chaos and violence, the LRA will unlikely be able to re-establish bases there. At the same time, however, diplomats and others in the international community need to make every effort to get the talks back on track, as well as keep the GOU from initiating any military moves.

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TIME Magazine has published an article on "Uganda's unfinished peace." It reads, "For many, the [peace] process has descended into farce. For those clinging on to the process, Kony's next chance to come out of the bush is on May 10th, when Ugandan elders will return to Southern Sudan to supposedly discuss questions of justice. No one has any idea if he will turn up. and patience, too, is wearing thin, especially among those in the international community, which has paid over $10 million for the process."

A brief released this week by the UN children’s agency reports that funding for humanitarian work in northern Uganda and Karamoja is “critically low.” Donors have disbursed only 21% of the funds needed to fulfill the 2008 UN humanitarian appeal for Uganda, and these funds are spread unevenly over different sectors of humanitarian aid. Not one dollar has come through for UNICEF’s emergency non-food distribution, HIV/AIDS and water and sanitation projects in northern Uganda and Karamoja. The failure of international donors to respond adequately to the appeal is widening the gap between crisis and recovery. Displaced persons in Acholi, 80% of whom are women and children, are going home at slow rates in part due to a “stark lack of basic infrastructure and social services in areas of return.” Read the full brief here.

Io Schmid, former head of Oxfam's international campaign on Uganda, writes in European Voice, "The peace process may be fragile, but it remains the best bet for peace and justice. The EU should continue to support that bet." She writes further, "And there have been very worrying signs since the disappointment of 10 April: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has indicated he might revert to military action, and the sponsors of the peace process – most of them European – have indicated that they will not put more money into a process that may have little chance of succeeding...Soul-searching is natural after a setback, but the sponsors should not lose sight of what has been achieved during the peace process to date..."