Today President Museveni met privately with President Bush in the White House to discuss the ongoing Juba peace process, regional security, bilateral economic ties and efforts to combate HIV/AIDS. If President Bush listened to the hundreds of emails we sent him this week or read our recent policy brief, he’d have known that the need to commit to the peace talks and refrain from military operations against the LRA was a crucial message to deliver to his counterpart face-to-face. In fact, a spokesperson for the White House Security Council said after the meeting, "President Bush asked President Museveni for his assessment of the situation on the ground and then they had a discussion about the need for the peace talks to go forward."

However, in a post-meeting press conference in the White House, neither President Bush nor President Museveni mentioned that they had confered about the Juba peace talks. They instead emphasized their discussions of regional security issues in Somalia and Sudan, HIV/AIDS and economic partnerships. We can only hope that President Bush did lose this chance to emphatically echo the voices of millions of northern Ugandans depending on the precarious peace talks to enable them to rebuild their lives.

A State Department has issued a press release summarizing US foreign policy and engagement with Uganda to coincide with summit between the leaders of the two countries today in Washington, DC. The statement outlined five key areas of engagement; peace and security, governing justly and democratically, health and education, economic growth and humanitarian assistance. It highlights support for the peace process, civilian police force, protection of displaced persons, reintegration of ex-combatants and professionalizing the military as key priorities in northern Uganda, along with the provision of humanitarian assistance. Read the full press release here.

John Prendergast, co-chair of ENOUGH and long-time advocate for northern Uganda, has authored a new report, titled "What to do about Joseph Kony?" The report reads, "The fate of a war that has crossed three international borders, displaced nearly two million people, and created the highest child abduction rate in the world hinges on the fate of one man: Joseph Kony, the notorious leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)." The report continues, "The time to strike a deal is now. President Museveni has issued a January deadline for a negotiated settlement before he would resume military action." The report says that Kony should be presented with three clear, credible choices: (1) accountability (domestic justice mechanisms), (2) asylum, (3) arrest. Prendergast argues that third country asylum or exile may well be the most practical solution.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor has expressed concern that food aid supplied to the LRA is being sold by them so that they can rearm if current peace talks fail. "Joseph Kony and the three other indicted commanders have regained strength and financial means," Luis Moreno-Ocampo told diplomats earlier this month. "We ask partner states to monitor with utmost vigilance supply networks, possible diversion of aid and funds to the benefit of the sought individuals." Caritas, a Catholic humanitarian organisation, has been supplying the rebels with food in support of the peace talks. UN special envoy Joachim Chissano has defended the food supplies to the LRA. "When the international community asks the LRA to assemble in Ri-Kwangba, it is our responsibility to feed them," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

Reuters reports that Mozambique's former President Joaquim Chissano, the current UN Special Envoy for LRA-affected areas, won the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for African leadership on Monday. The $5-million prize - the world's largest individual award - was presented by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony in London's city hall. Chissano was not in London though because he is currently in Juba trying to rejuvenate peace talks between the Ugandan government and LRA after recent fears of military buildup. He met with President Museveni on Saturday and briefed the diplomatic community on Sunday. Chissano warned against military action and threats at this time. Read more at The New Vision.

As part of a successful GuluWalk 2007, the Canadian ambassador to Uganda has urged patience with the LRA in order to bring a peaceful resolution to the 21-year war. "The challenge for the ongoing peace talks is that the LRA lack experience, having spent over 21 years fighting in the bush. The peace talks are a learning process that has to take time," said Ambassador Bryan Burton at the Kampala walk. Meanwhile in Toronto, more than 1,000 people took to the streets for GuluWalk. Over 100 cities in 15 countries participated with walks on Saturday.

US President George Bush has invited President Museveni for a meeting at the end of this month. An October 12 press release from the White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Museveni is expected on October 30 to discuss a number of issues. "[Mr Bush] and President Museveni will discuss Uganda's leadership in Somalia, the LRA, and Mr Museveni's development plan for northern Uganda, as well as their strong partnership to combat malaria and HIV/AIDS in Uganda," Perino said. On the LRA, Museveni will brief the US government about the progress of the peace talks that have been ongoing in Juba for over a year. Read more at The Monitor.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has suspended its involvement in the national unity government in Khartoum until its northern partners meet a long list of demands. The SPLM has accused Khartoum of failing to implement parts of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the 21-year civil war. These especially include boundary demarcations and the redeployment of northern troops from the south. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir warned recently there could be a return to war if the deal was not respected. Last week, U.S. envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, said that North-South relations had deteriorated into a "poisonous" political atmosphere. The Bush Administration had once hailed the CPA as one of its greatest achievements. This development, especially if the CPA collapses, could have devastating consequences for northern Uganda. Read more at The Monitor.

Meanwhile, today the International Crisis Group released a new report on southern Sudan, urging the international community to re-engage on implementation of the CPA. They write, Mounting tensions in the oil-rich Abyei region are the most dangerous threat to reignite that war...The ruling National Congress Party is violating the CPA by refusing the 'final and binding' ruling of the Abyei Boundary Commission, leaving an administrative and political vacuum." Read the full report here.

Uganda has reportedly blocked a move by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to include on the Agenda of the UN General Assembly a report on the human rights situation in northern Uganda. Uganda's Permanent Representative to the UN, Francis Butagira, successfully put up a fight that resulted in leaving the report out of the Agenda. He said adopting the report would amount to, "political interference in Uganda's internal affairs." "The report may poison the progress so far achieved in the Juba Peace Talks," Butagira said. He added that the report could be the work of politicians "fighting the regime and working to tarnish the image of the country." Read more at The Monitor.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, has insisted that the ICC will continue to urge regional governments and UN peacekeepers to arrest 4 LRA commanders indicted by the court in 2005. Ocampo said, “Those warrants must be executed. There is no excuse. There is no tension between peace and justice in Uganda: arrest the sought criminals today and you will have peace and justice tomorrow. Victims deserve both.” Ocampo also accused the LRA of regrouping and committing atrocities in the DR Congo during the ongoing Juba talks. Read more at The New Vision.

Here is our Wednesday look at a few key stories about northern Uganda's neighbors - southern Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This week the stories speak for themselves.

"US envoy sounds alarm over danger of renewed north-south Sudan civil war" (International Herald Tribune) - On a 10-day tour of Sudan, U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios warned that the country could fall back into civil war if the peace deal between the government and former southern rebels is not properly implemented soon. The most serious danger is the heavy militarization of the contested areas around Sudan's oil fields, where neither the government nor southerners have followed their pledges to pull out troops, he said.

"UN chief says 'rape epidemic' in eastern DR Congo is worst in the world" (New York Times) - "Eastern Congo is going through another one of its convulsions of violence, and this time it seems that women are being systematically attacked on a scale never before seen here. According to the United Nations, 27,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2006 in South Kivu Province alone, and that may be just a fraction of the total number across the country."

"UNHCR Sees Military Build-up in Eastern Congo" (Voice of America) - The United Nations refugee agency says there are worrying signs that fighting could erupt again among government forces, renegade troops and rebels in the DR Congo's North Kivu province.

"Elders visit south Sudan to support peace" (Reuters) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday urged a group of "elders" statesmen to pressure the northern government to implement key parts of the north-south peace deal. The "elders" including anti-apartheid hero Desmond Tutu, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, veteran peace mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, and women and children's rights activist Graca Machel travelled to southern Sudan to hear what was stalling the peace process since the deal signed in January 2005.

"Congo Rebels Seize Gorillas Habitat" (Associated Press) - Rebels have seized an area in eastern Congo that serves as a wildlife habitat for endangered mountain gorillas, threatening one of the last known populations of the animals

Finally, if you're interested in news about continuing violence in Darfur, we advise you to check out Eric Reeves' site, Alex de Waal's blog, and Genocide Intervention Network.

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold spoke on the Senate floor last Thursday about his recent trip to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Speaking about the LRA, Feingold said, "On a recent trip to Uganda, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs signaled that the U.S. would support regional efforts for a more militarized policy towards all rebel groups...Mr. President, this is not the time to start talking about our support for a military solution to these conflicts. Instead, we should seek to build upon current diplomatic initiatives - both in the region as well as at New York last week at the opening of the UN General Assembly." Read more at AllAfrica.com.

Today's New York Times includes a deeply disturbing account of the systematic rape that is devastating women in Uganda's western neighbor, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The article reads, "Eastern Congo is going through another one of its convulsions of violence, and this time it seems that women are being systematically attacked on a scale never before seen here. According to the United Nations, 27,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2006 in South Kivu Province alone, and that may be just a fraction of the total number across the country." The UN humanitarian coordinator John Holmes said "the sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world." UN officials say that Congolese government troops are often the perpetrators of this rape. The Times reports, "Large swaths of the country, especially in the east, remain authority-free zones where civilians are at the mercy of heavily armed groups who have made warfare a livelihood and survive by raiding villages and abducting women for ransom." Read more at The New York Times.

The Ugandan government has urged the international community to pressure the LRA rebels to honor the commitments signed under the Cessation of Hostilities agreement at the Juba peace talks. According to the UN news service, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kuteesa told the UN General Assembly that the international community must step up pressure because peace talks "cannot go on forever." Kutesa informed the assembly's annual high-level debate that the LRA had not met any of the terms of the agreement it signed with the Government in August 2006. The minister also asked the community to put a time frame on the peace talks. Read more at The New Vision.

LRA spokesman Godfrey Ayoo has said the Uganda peace talks have been dragging on aimlessly because of the attitude of the Uganda government. In a recent interview with The East African, Ayoo also scoffed at the recent threat by U.S. officials that it would support a regional military operation to flush out the LRA if peace talks fail. "It is unfortunate that the US is rallying regional governments to fight the LRA, when we are not involved in the ceasefire violations. We know the US has always branded us as terrorists. This attitude should change, with the US looking for a better way to assist in the talks," said Ayoo. He further warned that provocation by the U.S. will not be tolerated. "If we are attacked, we shall consider it an extreme act of provocation, an act of aggression, a declaration of war, a reopening of the war theatre in Uganda and an end to the Juba peace talks," he threatened. This militaristic "war of words" is the last thing people in northern Uganda want: they are simply asking for the security and freedom to leave the squalid camps and return home.

The East African is reporting that President Kabila of the DR Congo recently sought assurances from President el Bashir of Sudan that the Khartoum government will cut off support to the LRA rebels. Congolese sources told the newspaper that the Congolese Regional Co-operation Minister met President Bashir in Khartoum two weeks ago to discuss ways of handling the LRA rebels. The Government of Sudan has been the main institutional supporter of the LRA over the conflict, though the Bashir government claims it has cut links since the 1999 Nairobi Peace Accord. Yet, intelligence sources cite an airdrop of uniforms and supplies that the LRA rebels received in February that originated from Sudan as evidence that the rebels are still receiving external support. Congolese officials are seeking regional cooperation to pressure the LRA so that they do not become a more potent military threat in the already volatile eastern DR Congo. Still, many worry that sudden military action may disrupt peace talks expected to resume later this month in Juba.

Uganda’s Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa called for the international community to increase diplomatic and military pressure on the LRA to comply with agreements signed during the ongoing Juba peace talks. Speaking yesterday before the UN General Assembly in New York, Kutesa accosted the LRA for not assembling in Ri-kwangba in South Sudan, as stipulated by the August 2006 cessation of hostilities agreement. Kutesa called on the international community to respond, saying, “As we inch towards a comprehensive peace agreement, international support and understanding is required to balance the need for durable peace and stability on one hand and the imperative for justice on the other.”

Kutesa also joined a chorus of world leaders from Uganda, DR Congo, the US and Belgium who have recently called on UN peacekeepers in the DR Congo to deploy near LRA bases there to force them into the Ri-kwangba assembly point - despite fears that such a deployment could disrupt the Juba peace talks. Read more at UN News.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced yesterday that the Ugandan military will redeploy within Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja to focus on securing its borders from armed cattle rustlers from Sudan and Kenya. For over a year the UPDF has tried to forcibly disarm illegally armed civilians in Karamoja, which is awash in small arms, but many Karamojong claim that uneven disarmament patterns leave them vulnerable to internal and foreign armed cattle rustlers. Read more at The New Vision.