In November 2007 the Ugandan government will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHoGM), a bi-annual event bringing together the leaders from the 53 countries that comprise the Commonwealth. Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa recently expressed the government’s recognition of the summit’s PR opportunities, saying, "We should use the chance to showcase our country as a success story to our world." Within the past week alone the Ugandan government has announced plans to spend over $11 million to rebuild roads and install security cameras in the Kampala region where the summit will be held.

However, it remains glaringly obvious that the 1.4 million northern Ugandans living in squalid IDP camps have yet to find their role in Uganda’s "success story." Why are there no new 'CHoGM roads' being built to Gulu? And why are hundreds of Karamajong beggars displaced by fighting and drought in northeastern Uganda being cleared off the streets of Kampala before CHoGM’s security cameras are installed? Perhaps the evidence of two decades of violence and displacement in the northern half of the country has not been deemed worthy of inclusion in Uganda’s "success story." It will be a shame – and a lost opportunity - if 53 heads of state come to Uganda this November and fail to recognize that once again the voices of those marginalized in northern Uganda are being written out of the story…

The UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs has reaffirmed the organisation’s support for the Juba peace talks. John Holmes, as he announced a scaledown of the UN humanitarian operations in South Sudan, told reporters that there would not be a complete withdrawal "of emergency relief until there’s a resolution of the LRA conflict." "What is clear is that we all need a resolution for the people of south Sudan and the people of northern Uganda," Holmes said. Read more at The New Vision.

The European Union (EU) has vowed to exert pressure on the countries blocking the Juba peace talks. The EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Roeland Van De Geer, did not name the countries. He said, however, that the EU will pressure the countries in the region to refrain from involving themselves in the Ugandan conflict. The EU has also urged the Government and the LRA, as well as other parties involved, to show greater commitment to the peace process. Read more at The New Vision.

Welcoming a recent meeting between the Ugandan Government and the LRA, the UN Security Council today expressed hope that peace talks could soon resume. The 15-member panel issued a presidential statement that also called for the extension of last year's cessation of hostilities agreement after being briefed on the latest developments by Joaquim Chissano, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the conflict. Noting the progress made at that meeting towards a resumption of formal peace talks, the Council stressed the need for a negotiated settlement to be concluded quickly and for those responsible for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law to be brought to justice. Read more at the UN News Service.

The Sudanese government has said it will suspend all cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to accusations that Sudanese officials have committed war crimes in Darfur. The action will also affect Khartoum's commitment to cooperate in the arrest of LRA leader Joseph Kony and his commanders who are under indictment by the ICC. On October 3, 2005, the ICC, Uganda, the DR Congo and Sudan signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the arrest of the LRA commanders. That memorandum may be jeopardized by this latest announcement. Uganda's Regional Cooperation Minister Isaac Musumba acknowledged that the suspension of cooperation between Sudan and the ICC "has huge implications for the dynamics of the Kony case." Read more at The Monitor.

GuluWalk's co-founder and director Adrian Bradbury is touring the war-torn northern region. "During the two-week trip, which will include visits to Gulu, Pader and Kitgum districts, Bradbury will connect with local officials and spend time with residents directly affected by the war," the press statement from GuluWalk reads. The GuluWalk initiative has in the past two years raised over $590,000 through charity walks and fundraising drives to support education, rehabilitation and youth and health programmes for children affected by the 20-year conflict. Read more at The Monitor.

Stressing the need to end the suffering in northern Uganda, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon today welcomed the latest pledges by the parties to maintain the ceasefire. The Secretary-General voiced hope that the discussions begun yesterday "can lead in the near future to a resumption of the Juba peace talks," spokesperson Michele Montas said. "The Secretary-General looks forward to further discussions on the situation of the LRA-affected areas when his Special Envoy visits New York later this month to brief the Security Council," she added. Read more at the UN News Service.

The ENOUGH Initiative, a newly formed campaign to galvanize public and political leaders to effectively confront mass violence against innocent civilians, today released the first in a series of reports detailing the current realities in Darfur, northern Uganda and eastern Congo. ENOUGH will issue a series of policy papers focused on what the international community, and particularly the United States, can do now to prevent mass atrocities and genocide in the future.

ENOUGH employs what it calls a "3-P" strategy focused on promoting durable peace efforts; providing protection for the innocent victims of mass atrocities; and punishment of the perpetrators to break the cycle of impunity and will use field analysis and policy advocacy to empower a growing activist movement for change. "Stopping atrocities requires a calibrated combination of peacebuilding, civilian protection, and accountability," says ENOUGH co-founder John Prendergast. "A policy that falters on any of these fronts is doomed to failure, and failure means more innocent lives are lost." Visit Enough's website and sign up for their bimonthly updates.

This week, the first group of 370 Ugandan soldiers arrived in Somalia to contribute to the controversial African Union (AU) peacekeeping force. The force is tasked with assisting the Transitional Federal Government in stabilizing the country. Upon their arrival on Tuesday, heavy gunfire and mortar bomb explosions were heard near the Mogadishu International Airport. Yesterday, two Ugandan soldiers were wounded after unknown gunmen attacked an AU convoy. "Peacekeeping" in present-day Somalia will face immense challenges as some Islamist groups have vowed to wage guerrilla war against the foreign troops.

The advent of the AU peacekeeping force is not only controversial in terms of Somali politics, but also for Uganda. First, with mass insecurity and gross displacement continuing in northern Uganda, more police and security are needed there to finally bring peace to Africa's longest running conflict. However, despite this reality, the government is commiting 1,400 soldiers to Somalia. This certainly raises doubts among northerners that Kampala is committed to their welfare and protection.

Second, it is clear that the U.S. Government (USG), though unwilling to send troops, is the biggest supporter of the AU peacekeeping force. Since the 1990s, Washington has been worried about Islamic groups gaining control of the strategically-located country. By being the first to send troops, Ugandan is deepening its already-close alliance with the USG. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with such good will, except that it is keeping the USG from taking decisive action to support and strengthen peace talks in northern Uganda. Afraid to perturb this new strategic relationship, Washington is avoiding its potential to help the people of northern Uganda overcome the throes of war.

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced today the passage of a resolution he introduced, along with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), calling for the warring parties in northern Uganda to recommit to peace talks. The resolution urges immediate and substantial support for the ongoing peace process from the U.S. and the international community. "During two decades of violence in northern Uganda, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed or mutilated and tens of thousands of children have been abducted, forced into combat and subjected to torture and sexual violence," Feingold said. "Getting the parties back to the negotiation table offers the strongest opportunity to end the war and begin the healing process for Ugandans."

United States Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ) yesterday announced the introduction of a House of Representatives resolution urging the Ugandan government and LRA back to the negotiating table. Payne also announced that Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) are introducing a similar resolution in the Senate. Payne made this announcement at yesterday's Congressional briefing on the peace process in northern Uganda. Michael Poffenberger, executive director of Resolve Uganda, spoke at the briefing: "There has been no thoughtful leadership from State Department officials in the region to strengthen the viability of the negotiations process." On Wednesday, thousands of you participated in Uganda-CAN's action, calling Congress to pass this resolution to support the stalled peace process. Your calls have clearly made a big difference!

Inaction by the United States runs a risk of letting the northern Uganda peace process disintegrate and prolong the vicious 20-year war, according to a panel of experts that spoke at a Congressional briefing yesterday. More than 100 people crowded into a Senate hearing room for the discussion. "If the U.S. does not step up engagement, then we are not going to get a peace deal," John Prendergast, Africa expert of the International Crisis Group. Uganda-CAN's own Michel Poffenberger, the new executive director of Resolve Uganda, assailed what he said was a lack of State Department support for the Juba negotiations. "The U.S. should play an important part in marginalizing those who are not playing a constructive role," Poffenberger said. Read more at the International Herald Tribune.