The Ugandan military has begun sending troops to the border between the DR Congo and Sudan in response to a recent spate of attacks on southern Sudan from LRA rebels based in the DR Congo. A large contingent of LRA rebels, including LRA leader Joseph Kony and his chief deputy Vincent Otti, are believed to be hiding out in the northeastern corner of the DR Congo. Read more at the Sudan Tribune.

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The U.N. Security Council must act to end suffering brought by two decades of war in northern Uganda, a coalition of local and foreign aid agencies said on Thursday as U.N. aid chief Jan Egeland flew into the country. Egeland will hold talks with government officials before visiting camps in the north. Civil Society Organisations for Peace in Northern Uganda (CSOPNU) demanded the Security Council add its voice to their call for peace talks to end the violence. "It should express its conviction the crisis ... can only be ended via a process of political engagement, diplomacy, and peaceful negotiation," the coalition said in a statement. The Security Council should investigate the LRA and its supporters, CSOPNU said, and it urged U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to send a special envoy on the war to Uganda. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

Tomorrow in Kampala, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland will chair a meeting of representatives from the Core Donor countries (US, UK, Netherlands, Norway and Canada) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) to discuss a more comprehensive and effective response to the crisis in northern Uganda. This meeting will follow up on discussions held on 20 March in Geneva. Uganda-CAN hopes that this meeting will push the GoU and international community to think creatively and boldly about how to collaboratively arrest LRA leadership, expedite resettlement of IDPs with security and engage in a broad political process toward reconciliation/reintegration.

The founders of GuluWalk said on Saturday that they had been inspired by children in war-torn northern Uganda during their recent visit. "We were inspired by both the terrorized Acholi of northern Uganda as well as all of the incredible people in the region, who are doing absolutely everything they can to bring peace in the middle of one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies," co-founder Adrian Bradbury said. Read more at The Daily Monitor.

On Friday evening, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1663 concerning the situation in Sudan. The resolution strongly condemns the activities of the LRA and urges UNMIS (UN Mission in Sudan) to use its mandate and capabilities to stop this activity. Resolution 1663 is an important step in the Council's action to address this threat to regional peace and security.

The New Vision reports that the United Nations Security Council has again condemned the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels for spreading terror and violating human rights. The condemnation is contained in the global security watchdog’s call for faster preparations for the African Union (AU) to hand over its peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s war-torn western Darfur region to the UN. The UN Security Council "strongly condemned activities of militias and armed groups such as the LRA, which continue to attack civilians and commit human rights abuses in Sudan." Uganda-CAN hopes such condemnation will lead the Council to act boldly to cut off LRA funding, arrest LRA leadership and support a broad political process in Uganda that includes secure resettlement of IDPs and national reconciliation.

The U.N. Security Council agreed yesterday to ask Secretary-General Kofi Annan to prepare a report with recommendations on how the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Sudan (UNMIS) can help to address the regional security crisis created by the LRA. The text of the draft resolution, put forth by the United States, was agreed to on Thursday and it was expected that it would be officially adopted by the council today. The LRA has recently been blamed for a number of violent incidents in southern Sudan involving UN personnel. The draft resolution indicated that the Secretary General's recommendations should be sent to the Security Council within the next month. Read more here.

Last Monday in Geneva, Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Donor countries and Ugandan government that there is momentum to change the situation in northern Uganda if the opportunities are seized. At the meeting, the Ugandan government proposed its new Joint Country Coordination and Monitoring Committee (JCCMC) to be chaired by the Prime Minister. The JCCMC plans to have national budget allocations to the north, strengthening police and justice system, more decongestion of IDP camps, voluntary return and better service delivery.

In response, the Donor countries affirmed their commitment to make this a priority issue and work for comprehensive action. The Donor countries also raised the need to support the mediation work of Betty Bigombe and the need for Security Council action to coordinate regional response.

Uganda-CAN hopes this meeting and the follow-up meeting in Kampala on 30 March will provide momentum for comprehensive action to end this war. We believe Donor coordination must be complemented by Security Council action. With UNSC resolution 1653, which proclaims the LRA as a regional security threat, the Council recognized its key role in supporting regional action to arrest top LRA leadership, support return of IDPs with security and a broad political process toward reconciliation. It is critical that Council attend to this matter, creating a UN Regional Envoy to coordinate the various stakeholders.

The New Vision reports today on the joint press conference of GuluWalk and Uganda-CAN last Tuesday in Kampala. "With 1,000 people dying every week in camps, we feel it is too much and it must stop. The government has the mandate to safeguard and provide security to its people at all times," said Adrian Bradbury, one of the Gulu-walk co-founders. "How many more people must die before action is taken. Let the number of people supposed to die let known so that when it strikes, then action can be taken." Michael Poffenberger, the advocacy director for Uganda-CAN, said Uganda-CAN was working with the United States government to mount pressure on the Ugandan government to end the 20-year-long war in the north. Read more here.

The Toronto Star has published an article about GuluWalk's visit to northern Uganda. At a press conference jointly with Uganda-CAN on Tuesday, GuluWalk founder Adrian Bradbury asked, "How many people then need to die before it's a (world) priority?" He continued, "Is it 50,000? Is it 100,000? Is it half a million? Tell us the number." Read more here.

High-level talks were held Monday in Geneva to discuss the crisis in northern Uganda. The talks involved representatives from the Core Donor Group (USA, UK, Norway, Netherlands, Canada) and representatives from the Government of Uganda. Ten leading non-governmental agencies led by the Norwegian Refugee Council have called on the international community, in light of these meetings, to urge the Ugandan government to resolve the conflict peacefully and ensure that the 2 million people internally displaced in the north of the country are properly protected and assisted without further delay.

The United Nations has organized a meeting with the government of Uganda and a core group of donor countries, including the US, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada, to discuss the creation of an action plan to address the war in northern Uganda. The meeting, which began today in Geneva, follows a January Security Council resolution which recognized the regional threat the LRA poses. In response to the meeting, ten leading non-governmental organizations have called on the UN and donor countries to "urge the Ugandan government to resolve the conflict peacefully and ensure that the 2 million people internally displaced in the north of the country are properly protected and assisted without further delay." To read more about the meeting and the text of the NGO statement, go here.

Dennis McNamara, the U.N. special adviser on internal displacement, has warned of a "human rights crisis" in northern Uganda where "the rule of law does not apply." McNamara just spent a week touring the conflict-affected regions of the north and meeting with senior government officials and UN agencies working in the region. "They [internally displaced people] live in unacceptable conditions, are not getting adequate basic services and are unprotected," said McNamara, speaking to reporters.

"We have to work to improve the situation," he said, recognizing that the government of Uganda has failed its responsibility to protect its own citizens. Living conditions are worsened in the camps, said McNamara, because "the government is not protecting them properly... [IDP's] are violated and abused with impunity by many sides, not just the LRA." The government of Uganda has consistently downplayed the crisis in the north, a point McNamara made note of. "When we visit Kitgum and Gulu and we are told that it [the war between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)] is nearly over, then we are escorted by two armoured cars and 35 soldiers, it is inconsistent with what we have been told," he said.

Jan Egeland, the U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator will visit Uganda at the end of March to discuss the U.N. proposal that all aspects of the war, not just the humanitarian aspect, be more systematically addressed. "This is an important first attempt by the UN to go beyond relief assistance and to try and develop a comprehensive plan of action for the northern Ugandan crisis" said McNamara. He hoped that the issue would be taken up by members of the U.N. Security Council, which has never issued a resolution on the conflict. "We hope they might be more courageous than they have been in the past," he said. He also announced that some reforms have been proposed, including UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, taking over the protection and management of the displaced. "For the first time, we have got the key actors - the UN, the government, the donors - all committed to some extent to try to make some change. We can't have business as usual. We can't do 10 more years of the same," he said.

The Washington File reports on the showing of Invisible Children yesterday, which was co-sponsored by Africa Faith and Justice Network (Uganda-CAN's parent organization) and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. Read more here.

Carolyn Davis of The Philadelphia Inquirer has published a powerful editorial questioning why the United States has provided more support to the shady character Jongomoi Okidi-Olal than the peace negotiator Betty Bigombe. She writes, "Why hasn't it [the U.S.] given more support to Betty Bigombe, a highly regarded peace mediator in this crisis? Why, instead, have officials been talking to, even empowering, Jongomoi Okidi-Olal, who may be complicit with the LRA's vicious leader, Joseph Kony? Maybe some of these questions can be answered this afternoon, when the Congressional Human Rights Caucus is scheduled to hold a members' briefing on the war in northern Uganda. Anyone who cares about helping the most abused and ignored kids in the world ought to be furious."

She continues, "If Okidi-Olal is that close to an accused war criminal, State Department staff - including Donald Yamamoto, the deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs - should not be talking to him by phone or inviting him into their offices as they have done. They should be wary of his assessment of events in Uganda, and cautious about having him arrange meetings. The access Okidi-Olal has enjoyed does not mean he represents the United States. But it emboldens him to pursue his own agenda, which distracts people from Bigombe's efforts...The United States should carefully choose its contacts in conflicts - no matter how thick the shadows of war are. Our credibility erodes when we favor the wrong people. That is not just a shame. It's a sin in a world that has so few resources and so many vulnerable people like the children of northern Uganda." Read her article here.

The New Vision reports that the founders of GuluWalk, Uganda-CAN's partner, will arrive in Uganda on Friday for their first trip to the war-torn region. Members of Uganda-CAN will accompany them. Read more here.

ABC News has briefly reported on the crisis in northern Uganda, particularly the challenges facing relief organizations in the region. Read the article here.

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus is sponsoring two events in Washington DC this week that will highlight the ongoing crisis in northern Uganda. A screening of the documentary Invisible Children will take place Wednesday, March 8th from 5:30 to 8PM in 2172 Rayburn HOB and a legislative briefing on the crisis will take place on Thursday, March 9th, from 3:30 to 5PM in 2255 Rayburn HOB (room subject to change).

Created by three young filmmakers from California, Invisible Children packages powerful footage that provides a window into the lives of children affected by the conflict. All three of the documentary’s creators as well as several members of Congress will be present at the screening.

Thursday’s briefing will be chaired by Congressmen Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and Donald Payne (D-NJ). Panelists will include representatives from the U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development, as well as Rima Salah, Deputy Director of UNICEF, John Prendergast of International Crisis Group, Jemera Rone of Human Rights Watch, and Colleen Mone-Hardy of International Rescue Committee.

“The situation in Northern Uganda, of the night commuters and Joseph Kony, is one of the world’s worst tragedies,” said Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), who co-chairs the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. “The ruthlessness of the Lord’s Resistance Army—who cuts off ears and lips, rapes women, and forces children to kill their own parents—requires our immediate attention.” These events are being co-sponsored by the Africa Faith and Justice Network, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and the Uganda Caucus. They are open to the public, and no RSVP is required.

The Monitor reports that there is growing pressure among UK lawmakers to address the lack of a decisive international response to the crisis in northern Uganda. Last Tuesday members of the House of Lords pressured the Under Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord David Triesman, to ensure that the UK takes appropriate steps to support an end to the war.

Responding to the members of the House, Triesman said that, "ending the conflict in northern Uganda is government priority. We encourage the government of Uganda to fulfil their responsibilities, including taking all steps to protect the people, to effect the International Criminal Court warrants for the Lords Resistance Army commanders and to encourage LRA members not indicted to benefit from Amnesty provisions."

However, when asked whether the UK would encourage Uganda to declare northern Uganda "a disaster zone and invite outside assistance of every appropriate kind", Triesman avoided making a direct response.

Caritas Internationalis in Vatican City and other international organizations are calling on the government of Uganda to address continuing human rights violations in the north and east of the country. The organizations are calling on the United Nations to formally recognize the conflict and the suffering it has brought upon Ugandan civilians as a humanitarian crisis.
To date, the President of Uganda has refused to recognize it as such.

They criticize the Ugandan government's response of rounding up Ugandans into "protected" camps for internally displaced people as a separate but equal offence, added to the long list of human rights abuses suffered by civilians at the hands of the LRA. That action has resulted in some 1.7 million people living in IDP camps, where up to 1000 people die each week due to poor health conditions, according to the government's own Ministry of Health.

The signers of the joint statement are calling for the international community to give additional support if Uganda is unable to protect its citizens' human rights and provide a basic level of security. The resolution would also stress the importance of bringing people to justice and protecting witnesses involved in the judicial process, to ensure a sound return to peace.

The signers of the joint statement are: the American Jewish World Service, Caritas Internationalis, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights, the International Rescue Committee, the International Save the Children Alliance, Jesuit Refugee Service, Mennonite Central Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council and World Vision International. The document will be presented to the 62nd Session of the Commission on Human Rights on March 13.

The Voice of America News Service reports on the crisis in northern Uganda, which has been largely ignored by the West. They report, "Observers say Mr. Museveni has either ignored or downplayed the seriousness of the conflict in northern Uganda, a poor region where Mr. Museveni has had very little support. But during the most recent election campaign, Mr. Museveni promised to end the war in the north and facilitate the return of the displaced to their homes."

They continue, "For many, it's as if Uganda were two countries: the prosperous south, with its shiny shopping malls, luxury hotels and growing middle class, and the war-ravaged north, with its ghost villages and squalid camps for the displaced."

The Daily Monitor reports that the International Criminal Court said yesterday that it had readied prison cells to receive indicted leaders of the Lords Resistance Army. LRA leaders are accused of committing crimes against humanity. Officials said the court hoped indictees would be arrested this year.

"We have 12 cells for Ugandan suspects in Scheveningen," International Criminal Court Registrar Bruno Cathala told a press briefing as the court opened its media centre. "We are ready to welcome detainees," he said. "We need the help of states in order to arrest these people but as soon as these people are here, there could be a trial."

Some sources told Daily Monitor that Ugandan officials had already inspected the cells. The UPDF Deputy Spokesman, Captain Paddy Ankunda, said yesterday that Kony was in western Equatorial in Southern Sudan. "Recently, he fled to DR Congo but we have also received information that he is currently in western Equatorial," Ankunda said. He said Kony's deputy, Vincent Otti has remained in Garamba National Park in DR Congo, where he reportedly clashed with UN troops in January killing eight.