Senate Briefing on the Continued Crisis and
Conflict in Northern Uganda
Date: June 1, 2005
Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Location: Room 325, Russell Senate Office Building
Panelists:
- Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East
African Affairs, State Department
- Rory E. Anderson from World Vision will discuss child protection
- Michelle Brown from Refugees International will discuss the
humanitarian situation
- Joyce Neu from the University of San Diego will discuss the peace process
- Jemera Rone from Human Rights Watch will discuss human rights
Northern Uganda is experiencing one of the most serious, yet
neglected, humanitarian and human rights crises in the world. A
brutal war between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army LRA has resulted in the displacement of 1.6 million
civilians and thousands of deaths over the past 19 years. Over 20,000
children have been abducted to serve as fighters and sex slaves in the
LRA. More than 80 per cent of the LRA is made up of abducted child
soldiers. For years the LRA conducted these activities with the aid
and support of the Sudanese government in Khartoum, and the LRA has
continued to cross back and forth across the border. The Ugandan
military has also been implicated in human rights abuses against
civilians in northern Uganda.
In December 2003, Ugandan President Museveni called for the
International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against humanity
and war crimes committed by the LRA. In April 2004, the LRA began
contacts with former Ugandan Minister for the North Betty Bigombe as a
prelude to peace talks.
In November 2004, President Museveni announced a limited ceasefire to
pave the way for a negotiated settlement. There is a widely held
consensus among civil society organizations that a military victory
against the LRA is not possible, particularly given the large numbers
of child soldiers who are the primary victims of the war. Acholi
mediator Betty Bigombe facilitated the first high level meeting
between the government and the LRA in December 2004. Most people view
this process as the best chance for peace in northern Uganda that has
occurred in the last decade. While Bigombe has made some progress,
she has been unable to get both sides to reach an agreement. Hope for
a peaceful solution is beginning to fade.
In the past month, the security situation in northern Uganda has
deteriorated. LRA attacks on civilians and abductions have resumed,
and there are reports that the LRA will now target humanitarian
convoys in search of supplies. It is still too unsafe for the
displaced population to return to their villages, and they will remain
in camps for yet another year. Funding for humanitarian assistance
has dropped, and there is a high probability that food will not reach
the people of northern Uganda. An already disastrous situation is on
the verge of further deterioration without significant attention and
pressure by the international community.
--
Yonas Mehari DVM, MSc,
School of Computational Sciences
George Mason UniversityBr>
