The Ugandan embassy in America lacks needed staff, the current ambassador has said. Perezi K. Kamunanwire, meeting seven northern Uganda delegates headed by Acholi Paramount Chief David Onen-Acana II, said the embassy in Washington DC needs an officer to specifically handle the matters relating to the war-ravaged northern Uganda. The delegation is in the US to lobby for support for the ongoing peace process in Juba and a comprehensive development of the north from the US government. Read more at The New Vision.

The United States , United Kingdom and other international donor countries must intervene to help prevent peace talks in Juba from failing, a leading group of non-governmental and faith-based organizations said today. NGOs including International Crisis Group, Oxfam and Refugees International have said that in the face of total breakdown, the US had to end its position of total silence. "The peace talks could completely disintegrate, yet the international community is responding with silence," said John Prendergast, Senior Advisor at International Crisis Group. "We could be witnessing the collapse of the best chance we've had to end twenty years of brutal war. International pressure must be applied to ensure the LRA and Ugandan Government to adhere to the ceasefire and continue negotiating."

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With exactly one month until GuluWalk Day, some of Canada’s most vocal advocates for children affected by war, including Lt-Gen Romeo Dallaire, former foreign affairs minister Dr. Lloyd Axworthy and former Ambassador to the United Nations Allan Rock, have all signed up in support of GuluWalk. "War has a much more intense effect on children than on adults. This doesn't mean that adults are not scared or horrified by it; it's just they have a stronger capacity to cope," explained Dallaire, who is most known for his work with the United Nations and his internationally-recognized book Shake Hands With the Devil - The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. "This is why the work being done by GuluWalk is so very important. With proper education and support, these children can be empowered. They can be a potent, positive force in building their future and the future of their country. I urge you to join today, and help make that difference." Sign up now to be part of this very special and important GuluWalk Day 2006!

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled out on Tuesday any possibility of lifting the arrest warrants for LRA leaders as part of a peace deal. ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said war crimes could not go unpunished. "If we do not execute the arrest warrants, the crimes can start again," Moreno said at a public hearing with non-governmental organizations. Uganda-CAN urges Moreno to show more flexibility as Article 53 of the Rome Statute specifically contemplates situations where the ICC should defer prosecution in the interests of victims and meaningful justice.

The Shout for Uganda campaign, a new grassroots push in the United Kingdom, is circulating a petition calling on the British government to take leadership for helping to end the 20-year war in northern Uganda. Click here to check out the campaign and print out a petition sheet.

In the last week, both Ugandan government officials and LRA representatives have made new inflammatory statements and threats, which have left many in northern Uganda worried that, even given the positive momentum of the cessation of hostilities, the peace process may yet still fall short. First, it is important to remember that parties in peace processes often take more rigid and hostile stances in the final stages of negotiations, mostly to gain greater concessions from the other side. The mediator and increasingly attentive international community will need to manage these inevitable obstacles carefully. However, that noted, we must reiterate our urging of both parties to not lose sight of the stakes, namely the basic rights and lives of the 2 million northerners caught in the throes of this conflict. For this time around, the world is watching more closely than ever and will well record who had the courage and imagination to break the impasse of violence. And who fed into it.

A resolution led by Senator Feingold of Wisconsin has passed the U.S. Senate calling for greater support to ongoing peace negotiations for northern Uganda. "The time to bring a permanent end to the conflict in Uganda is now. The key to achieving lasting peace in Uganda is the implementation of a coordinated and comprehensive effort by the Ugandan government, regional partners, and the international community," Feingold said. "Any missteps or failure to execute this agreement in good faith on all sides will have serious negative consequences. We have to capitalize on this recent agreement and turn it into a victory for the people of Uganda and for the region." The resolution commends the progress made by the Government and LRA towards a ceasefire and encourages all parties to fully implement the cessation of hostilities agreement. It calls upon the U.S. and other countries and organizations to provide technical, financial, and diplomatic support necessary toward sustainable peace in Uganda.

The State Department has not commented on the Resolution. Click here and search for S.RES.573 to read the full text.

In an address to the UN General Assembly yesterday in New York, Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa asked the world body to support Uganda in its efforts to negotiate a peace deal with the LRA. He also called on the UN to support its conditional offer of amnesty to LRA commanders indicted by the International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court. “It was after a careful analysis of the situation that Uganda decided to take a painful decision of offering amnesty to the LRA top leadership in order to facilitate the peace talks. Painful in the sense that we do not condone impunity. We are, however, convinced that the alternative traditional justice system that we intend to apply is an equitable solution. We call on the international community to support the process we have embarked on. We are determined to resolve the conflict peacefully. Peace is what our people want and it is peace that we are determined to give them,” he said. Read more at The New Vision.

In an op/ed in today's Sudan Tribune, two prominent academics have called on the international community to adopt a responsible and ultimately supportive role in the Juba peace talks. Sverker Finnström and Ronald Atkinson argue that the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and other local actors have proven to be most capable of navigating the contentious politics of the talks, an ability manifested in the surprising progress the Juba talks have made in pushing the LRA towards demobilization and the Ugandan government towards commitment to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. They challenge the international community to maintain a balance between fulfilling its potentially supportive role in mediating a peace agreement and recognizing the limits of its role given a history of unrealistic, and even harmful, interventions and its unfamiliarity with the nuances of local politics.

The New York Times has published a lengthy article on the peace talks and dilemmas of justice in northern Uganda, titled "Uganda Peace Hinges on Amnesty for Brutality." The article is complemented by video footage and a photo slideshow of northern Uganda. Though overlooking many of the complexities and history behind the conflict, the very presence of such a feature article in a major American newspaper shows that the U.S. is finally after 20 years starting to pay attention to the horrors of northern Uganda. Read the full article at The New York Times.

Invisible Children, one of the co-sponsors of the upcoming Northern Uganda Lobby Day and Symposium, has produced a video promoting the importance of the events. The historic Lobby Day and Symposium will take place October 9-10 in Washington D.C. Visit the events' web site to register and learn more. See the video at InvisibleChildren.com.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has suggested a two-pronged approach to ensure that ongoing talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel LRA finally end the 20-year conflict. In its latest policy briefing, ICG says that the current phase of the talks should focus on ending the war and encouraging LRA rebels out of the bush, as well as addressing disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. The second phase of the peace process would deal with the underlying political grievances held by the people of northern Uganda against the government, accused by many of marginalizing them. "Sustained international engagement will be essential to keep the government motivated to deal with the difficult political problems of the north once the LRA has signed a peace agreement," the briefing reads. Uganda-CAN applauds this reports as an insightful and important assessment of what is necessary for lasting peace in northern Uganda. Read more, including the full report, at the CrisisGroup.org.

Sarah McLachlan, three-time Grammy award winner and music legend, has signed up in support of GuluWalk 2006 and is number 560. "I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn about what is happening to the children of northern Uganda," said McLachlan. "GuluWalk is shining a much needed light on the their struggles, offering us all a way to give hope to the innocent children there. I urge everyone who can, to please sign up. Together, we can make a difference." Visit GuluWalk.com and sign up to one of 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda!

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland told a press conference on Monday night that the fast-emerging popular view was that the indictments of top LRA commanders by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was a stumbling block to peace in northern Uganda. Egeland said, "I will be reporting to the Secretary General [Kofi Annan] and the prosecutor of ICC. I will tell the prosecutor that I have been told by the people that the ICC indictment is a stumbling block to the peace process...We [the UN] will make sure that the process continues." While the UN condemns impunity, Egeland said, justice could be served in a different way as long as it can create peace. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan government has appealed to the UN Security Council to delay a resolution calling for joint military action against the LRA and arrest its indicted leaders. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem said Uganda had communicated to Britain, the sponsor of the Security Council debate, to delay passing of the resolution. Read more at The New Vision.

The United Nations will finally send observers to the Juba talks between the Government and LRA. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland announced this after a closed meeting with chief mediator Dr. Riek Machar yesterday. Egeland said he was in Southern Sudan on behalf of Secretary General Kofi Annan to express "our admiration for Southern Sudan mediation effort and offer some facilitation." "Our hope is that these talks will lead to a durable peaceful solution and we will do our utmost in helping that," Egeland said. Read more at The New Vision.

Sarah Margon, conflict policy advisor for Oxfam America, has just written an Op/Ed in The Baltimore Sun, titled "Seize opportunity for peace in northern Uganda." Margon writes, "The United States was a leader in the effort to bring lasting peace to Sudan, and its open support of these negotiations would symbolize the talks' potential to contribute to a broader regional peace. The United States and other core donors need not meddle in the African-led process but could use their support to signal to the marginalized local communities in the north that their right to peace and security is as important as anyone else's." Read the full article at The Baltimore Sun.

UNICEF, in preparing to care for former abductees of the LRA, has said it believes there are up to 3,000 women and children under the control of the rebel group. These estimates are far higher than earlier reports. "We are ready to accept these women and children when they leave their camps in the bush," said a spokesman for UNICEF. "UNICEF welcomes the end of the hostilities. It is, however, important not to forget the children and women," said the spokesman. Read more at The Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland has called upon President Museveni and LRA leader Joseph Kony to reach a consensus and sign a peace agreement to end the 20-year-old insurgency. "I have always said this is the worst neglected crisis in the world. We shall help in mediating the South Sudan talks to end this longest rebellion," Egeland said on Saturday. Egeland was visiting the region and will today visit the delegations at peace talks in Juba. "I will visit Juba to encourage those in peace talks to be serious," Egeland said. Read more at The Monitor.

LRA rebels walking from hideouts in the northeastern DR Congo were ambushed last weekend by Congolese security forces, who last week issued a three-week deadline for LRA rebels to leave the country. After the attack the rebels retreated into dense forests in Katanga, raising concerns that they will not make the deadline for assembling in southern Sudan by September 19 – a condition of the recent cessation of hostilities truce signed between the Ugandan government and LRA. Ugandan officials said that the rebels had been walking away from the assembly points in an effort to join other LRA rebels before the Congolese security forces attacked. Read more at The New Vision.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has launched a new petition, calling on the U.S. government intensify their political action to stop the violence in northern Uganda and support the historic peace talks underway. CLICK HERE to sign the petition!

Two-time NBA most valuable player Steve Nash has signed up in support of GuluWalk 2006 and is now one of the 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda. GuluWalk 2006 is a one-day worldwide event (October 21, 2006), focused on raising awareness, support and a push for peace for the abandoned children of northern Uganda. Nash said: these kids are far away, but they are no less children, and their lives are being ruined by a silent war. Children all over the world deserve the attention and voice of everyone anywhere in a position to do anything. Join GuluWalk. Be one more reason for hope. Sign up at GuluWalk.com!

The central committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to endorse a plan for a sustainable peace process between the government of Uganda and LRA. In a statement on the plight of children in conflicts, with a focus on Northern Uganda, the central committee condemned the atrocities being committed by the LRA and called on it, "to abide by the terms of any cease fire, desisting from all acts of violence, including abductions." The WCC central committee urged the Ugandan government to ensure the protection of all civilians.

In an explosive session before the UNAA Convention in New York this weekend, former UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Olara Otunnu accused the LRA of having been in a secret alliance with the Ugandan government to commit deliberate genocide against the people of northern Uganda. Otunnu said the genocide was a carefully planned and executed master plan that has reduced a once vibrant and dynamic society to "an existential shadow of its former self." Government officials at the event disagreed with Otunnu and challenged his claims. Uganda-CAN further challenges Otunnu to present evidence on these claims or avoid making inflammatory statements that could hurt the current historic talks to end the 20-year suffering of the people of northern Uganda. Read more at The New Vision.

A group of prominent U.S. Senators have demanded in a letter sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the Bush Administration take a more active and supportive role in the ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA. Written by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI), the letter states that "elevated attention and support from the United States will be decisive to the success of the negotiations." It calls on the State Department to "monitor the talks closely and to hold all actors accountable to the process" and "create a package of incentives" to ensure a sustainable and comprehensive peace deal. Read more at The Monitor.

The letter also decries the continuing humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda's IDP camps. Said signatory Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), "There are an estimated 1.5 million displaced people throughout the region. If all that doesn't cry out for America to stand up and act, I don't know what does." Uganda-CAN urges the Bush Administration to heed the Senators' call to action and end its inexcusable ambiguity and indifference towards the peace talks in Juba. Click here to read Uganda-CAN's analysis of the peace talks and the role of the US and international community in them.

Peace activists are set to challenge this weekend’s Uganda National American Association (UNAA) convention to focus on ending the war in the north. The directors of Gulu Walk and Uganda-CAN, Adrian Bradbury and Peter Quaranto, said the greatest investment that the UNAA could make was to end violence in the north. The convention, which starts today, plans to focus on lobbying Ugandans in the diaspora to contribute to national economic development. A statement by Uganda-CAN said, "By using their voices and investments, the diaspora can demand that peace be a priority for Uganda...It would be a mistake for such a powerful gathering to join the rest of the world in overlooking the immense suffering of people in northern Uganda." Read more at The New Vision.