The Ugandan government has held closed discussions with donors and asked them for financial support to demobilize and resettle LRA rebels in the event of a peaceful end to the conflict in northern Uganda. "These are our development partners and we brought them up-to-date on what’s happening in Juba and Garamba," the International Affairs minister Okello Oryem said yesterday after the meeting. Oryem said that the donor community was impressed with the way the government has handled the talks so far. Read more at The Monitor.

Human Rights Watch has issued a statement criticizing the Ugandan government for considering amnesty for LRA rebel leadership indicted by the International Criminal Court. HRW writes, "Genuine initiatives aimed at ending the devastating armed conflict in northern Uganda are welcome, but amnesties for war crimes and crimes against humanity must not be on offer." "The LRA Five are accused of widespread sexual slavery, murder, and brutalization of children over two decades," said Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program. "Amnesty or similar measures can not be on the table when it comes to these kinds of crimes."

Uganda-CAN disagrees with this statement's timing and its priorities. Northern Uganda leaders have expressed full support for President Museveni's offer of amnesty, conveying that longer term issues of justice can be addressed after the cessation of active violence. The war has denied justice, in the broadest sense, to millions of Ugandans by depriving them of such basic rights as security, freedom of movement, cultural expression and livelihood opportunities for the last twenty years. Once those basic rights have been restored, the traditional, religious and political leaders of northern Uganda will help set the agenda for longer term restoration; in Acholi tradition, restorative justice is well respected and can be employed within the context of reintegrating former LRA rebels. The people caught in this war have made their voices clear: peace is the priority and the current historic talks should be engaged in full. Click here to read Uganda-CAN's full analysis of peace talks.

19 of Italy's largest non-governmental relief organizations have signed a letter to Ugandan President Museveni, urging him and the Ugandan government to engage peace talks, secure the return of all IDPs and bring lasting peace to northern Uganda. This is another sign of the growing international attention to Africa's longest running war and one of its most gruesome.

In response to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report to the Security Council on the crisis in northern Uganda, the Government of Uganda has written a strong letter. The letter urges that an appointed UN envoy should help to coordinate a regional military response to LRA attacks. The letter calls for the UN to be a "real partner," not an "observer" in addressing this crisis and arresting LRA leadership. Finally, the letter condemns the report's claim that the Ugandan military has been involved in human rights abuses against the civilian population. The Security Council is set to discuss the Secretary-General's report and recommendations tomorrow.

Uganda has complained to DR Congo over the continued presence of LRA rebels on Congo soil Uganda raised concern about Congo’s lack of commitment to engaging the LRA in Garamba National Park. The issue was key on the agenda in the two-day bilateral security meeting that ended in Kampala on Thursday. Read more at The New Vision.

Today, U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed Salva Kiir, president of the government of Southern Sudan to the White House. The press release from the White House says that the two men discussed many topics, but has not mention of the ongoing peace talks in Juba between the Ugandan government and LRA to end Africa's longest running war. This is an abomination. Over recent weeks, the Bush Administration and State Department have waffled U.S. position on the talks, missing opportunities to support an end to the war. Uganda-CAN urges U.S. support for these historic talks, which many believe are the best opportunity in over a decade to end the 20-year war. High-level U.S. engagement can hold actors accountable to the peace process and provide a peace dividend to help with implementation of any agreement. History will recall where we stood when we had the occasion to help end one of the world's worst wars.

France has hailed the initiative taken by the Uganda government towards ending the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, establishing just and lasting peace and helping the internally displaced people (IDPs) return home. Ambassador Bernard Garancher said in spite of the death of John Garang, Uganda’s interaction with the new government of Southern Sudan was about to lead to a solution, which has been elusive for many years. Read more at The New Vision.

On 3 July, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan finally sent to the Security Council his report pursuant to Resolutions 1653 (2006) and 1663 (2006). Though slim on concrete recommendations, the report does provide a comprehensive understanding of the conflict and a framework for international action. The Secretary-General notes that lasting peace in northern Uganda will require addressing both LRA violence and the exclusion of northerners from national political and economic processes. The Secretary-General encourages the Council to consider both a Special Envoy and Panel of Experts to support peace in the region. However, he argues that the regional governments have the capacity and responsibility to address this crisis and protect civilians. Uganda-CAN urges the Security Council to act on these recommendations to bolster civilian protection, improve the humanitarian situation and support political processes to end the conflict.

The Minister for Security, Amama Mbabazi, has traveled to The Hague to make a case for Uganda's offer of amnesty to the indicted rebel leader Joseph Kony. The minister will brief the International Criminal Court about the peace talks that will get underway this week. In another development, Kony has sent 20 LRA fighters to Rajaf, which is 12 km east of Juba. Sources believe these forces were sent to provide security for the 15-man LRA negotiating team. Read more at The Monitor.

A new campaign, The Don't Sleep Campaign, has been launched to "encourage African-Americans and the Hip Hop generation not to sleep on the crisis concerning Uganda's 'night commuters.'" The Don't Sleep Campaign will be a great asset in the ongoing efforts to build an international movement for peace in northern Uganda. Click here to get involved.

The French ambassador to Uganda, Bernard Garancher, has said big crimes like those committed by the LRA cannot be ignored for the sake of long-lasting peace. Meeting journalists on Thursday, Garancher said, "Justice must be observed. I am sure the big judges at the International Criminal Court believe that a major crime has been committed against humanity and they will not rest." Read more at The New Vision.

The United States said on Thursday that it respects Uganda's decision to offer amnesty to a LRA leadership, but believes perpetrators of atrocities during its two-decade civil war should still face justice. "The United States respects Uganda's decision on this matter, but we believe those who have committed atrocities in this long-standing insurgency should be held accountable for their deeds," the U.S. embassy in Uganda said in a statement. Washington has taken an increasing interest in the Ugandan conflict, saying in May it was a U.S. priority to help get rid of the LRA threat by the end of this year. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

LRA rebels may be using peace talks as a guise to secretly reorganize and rearm, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said yesterday, urging the arrest of their leaders. But the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, stopped short of challenging Ugandan President Museveni to break off peace efforts with the rebels or to retract his offer of amnesty if the talks succeed. 'We believe the best way to stop the conflict and restore security to the region is to arrest the top leaders," Moreno-Ocampo said, adding that it was the duty of the international community to carry out the arrests since the court has no enforcement arm of its own. Read more at The Boston Globe.

Uganda, Sudan and Congo should coordinate the activities of their security forces to deal with the lingering threat from the rebel LRA, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a new report. The U.N. missions in Sudan and Congo can provide limited assistance to the governments in the two countries within their capabilities "but should not be seen as an alternative to authorities in the LRA-affected region in the maintenance of law and order," he said. The report was a response to a Security Council resolution in March asking Annan for proposals on how U.N. agencies and missions, especially in Sudan, could more effectively address the problem of the LRA. "It should be emphasized that the regional countries have an overwhelming capacity to address the LRA threat," the report stressed. Read more at The Sudan Tribune.

The International Criminal Court, upon news of the Ugandan government's amnesty offer, has insisted that indicted LRA leaders must be arrested. "The governments of Uganda, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo are obligated to give effect to the arrest warrants, and we are confident that they will honour their joint commitment to do so," Christian Palme, the acting ICC spokesperson, said on Wednesday. However, northern leaders have challenged the ICC on this. Archbishop John Baptist Odama, said, "We hope the ICC does not interfere with the peace process going on in the Sudan because we want the people of northern Uganda to see peace." Read more at the UN's IRIN News.

The British government, traditionally Uganda's biggest aid donor, said on Monday that it would reduce its planned budgetary aid to Kampala next year by about $36 million due to worries about governance. Last December, amid concerns about governance before Museveni's re-election in February, Britain withheld about 20 million pounds in direct budget aid, channelling 14 million pounds into U.N. humanitarian projects in the north. The remaining 20 million pounds which had been earmarked for direct budgetary support next year will instead go to humanitarian relief in the north of the country. Read more at Reuters.

In both of the resolutions passed this year by the UN Security Council on the Great Lakes Region (1653 and 1663), the Council has requested the UN Secretary General to provide further recommendations for action. To date, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has not provided formal recommendations due to internal disagreements between the UN’s Department of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations. Civil society groups have recommended that the Secretary-General appoint a high-level envoy to coordinate efforts to address all aspects of the crisis and report back to the UN Security Council, as well as to appoint a panel of experts to investigate how the LRA is resourced.