Weekly Roundup for July 19-25: Regional leaders meet in Uganda, but Kony silent

July 25th, 2008 by paul in: Main Site, Update from HQ

The Good: South Sudan President Salva Kiir traveled to Kampala to meet with President Museveni of Uganda to discuss regional peace and security issues, including the stalled peace process between the Ugandan government and LRA.

The Bad: After renewing direct contact with mediators earlier this month and fuelling speculation that he might sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA), LRA leader Joseph Kony has once again gone silent on his intentions.

The Ugly: The Ugandan army has been implicated in a recent attack on Sudanese civilians, the second time in as many months such allegations have surfaced.

The Peace Process:

  • Speaking in Kampala, South Sudan President Salva Kiir reiterated his government's commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the LRA conflict, but warned that South Sudan army will move to protect civilians from LRA attacks.
  • A local official in South Sudan implicated the Ugandan military in a raid earlier this month that left 10 people dead, the second time in as many months the UPDF has been accused of attacking Sudanese civilians. Despite these tensions, South Sudan leader Salva Kiir denied recent reports that he has ordered the Ugandan military to cease operations in South Sudan.
  • A top Ugandan general urged a gathering of regional military chiefs to develop a clear timeframe for initiating coordinated military operations against the LRA. He also accused the rebels of mining and selling minerals in the DR Congo with the intent to buy weapons.

Situation on the Ground:

  • A report released this week highlights the role of extreme poverty in fuelling child sexual abuse in northern Uganda. Over 1,300 cases of sexual abuse of girls were reported in the first half of 2008.
  • Local residents in Amuru district of northern Uganda, many still displaced, expressed strong disproval for a proposal to allocate 20,000 hectares of land to a Kampala-based corporation for a sugarcane plantation. The controversy, along with a land dispute involving a senior military officer, highlights the increasingly high profile of land issues as displaced persons return home.

Regional Impacts:

  • African Union leaders called on the UN Security Council to ask the ICC to defer any investigation or prosecution of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. AU leaders said that further action against Bashir would jeopardize the ongoing peace process in Darfur.
  • Human Rights Watch reports that human rights abuses and ceasefire violations continue unabated in the Kivus region of eastern DR Congo six months after 22 armed groups signed a peace accord. Earlier this month the UN reported that instability in the Kivus is absorbing much of MONUC's capacity, hampering efforts by the UN peacekeepers to protect civilians in northeastern DR Congo from LRA attacks.

International Response:

  • A new report from Refugees International argues that US humanitarian funding for northern Uganda is earmarked too rigidly, preventing funds from being used flexibly to address rapidly changing needs. Of nearly $125 million in aid dedicated to the north for FY 2008, only $2 million is flexible.