Boston GuluWalk 2008

"The Situation

An Unresolved Crisis

After two decades of neglect, peace may finally be on the horizon for the people of northern Uganda. Current negotiations between the Ugandan government and Lord's Resistance Army present the best opportunity yet to achieve an end to this war, which has displaced millions of people and condemned generations of children to lives unsettled by insecurity, violence and fear. But international support and engagement is urgently needed to ensure a peace agreement is reached and to address the longstanding consequences of displacement and insecurity. Having long overlooked the conflict, policymakers can now show decisive leadership to support the people of northern Uganda in their unwavering desire for peace.

Here's a look at how the conflict has developed and why current negotiations present such a crucial opportunity.

A History of Division

The war in northern Uganda arose out of a divisive political climate, originating in British colonial policies and perpetuated by post-independence Ugandan politics. This climate created deeply entrenched regional and social divisions, particularly between the North and the South. When the current president, Yoweri Museveni and his southern-based army took power through a military coup in 1986, northerners were marginalized, and mobilized for war. However, by 1988, two stages of this popular rebellion had ended peacefully. Still, a remnant of fighters refused to negotiate. It was these fighters, led by Joseph Kony, a self-proclaimed spiritual messenger who formed the cultish Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Though initially claiming to represent northern grievances, the rebel movement received little public support. It has since terrorized the local population, abducting as many as 60,000 children, to fill its ranks.

The Consequences of War

The toll of this crisis has been massive, not only on the people of northern Uganda, but also on the surrounding region. Current negotiations have seen a significant decrease in LRA activity, but until recent months the rebels wreaked havoc in three countries, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, causing widespread instability. The Ugandan government's strategy of moving northerners into "protected villages" has turned into a displacement nightmare for 1.7 million people - over 80% of the region - who now live in squalid camps and lack access to basic resources. According to recent reports, 1,000 people are dying each week as a result of camp conditions. Again, children have been the primary victims. One-half of those displaced are under fifteen years of age and more than a third of boys and one-sixth of girls bear the scars of forced soldiering and sexual slavery in northern Uganda. For many years, upwards up 40,000 of these children "commuted" up to two hours every night to sleep on town streets to avoid abduction.

Attempts to Resolve the Conflict

In 1994, the parties were hours away from signing a peace agreement, but negotiations collapsed due to mistrust and lack of international support. Since then, the Ugandan government has primarily attempted to end the conflict militarily, but this has only perpetuated violence and exacerbated northern grievances against it. However in July 2006, changing dynamics led the Government of South Sudan to mediate peace talks between the warring parties, a development widely hailed as the best opportunity for peace since the war began. In August 2006, a breakthrough truce, renewed several times and now extending until the end of January 2008, brought relative calm to the region for the first time in years. Yet, negotiations have remained fragile due to lingering mistrust and a lack of capacity and accountability to keep the parties at the negotiating table.

Role of the International Community

Given this unprecedented opportunity for peace, the international community has a critical role to play in building confidence and bringing leverage to the negotiations. Despite this potential, the U.S. government, the most powerful external actor, has remained largely silent and chosen to perpetuate its legacy of neglect in the region. For the Juba peace process to succeed, it will require that this legacy be overcome through serious engagement by policymakers. The July 2007 appointment of a State Department official, Tim Shortley, with a mandate to support the Juba peace process was a welcome shift, but has been tempered by statements from US officials that the US might support a renewed “military solution” to the conflict. World leaders must renew their commitment to a negotiated agreement at the Juba talks as the most viable means for ending the conflict and allowing displaced northern Ugandans to return home. International leadership to support the efforts of UN special envoy Joaquim Chissano, address regional instability and help implement recovery efforts in the north also will be crucial if any lasting peace is to be attained. "

- ResolveUganda, http://www.resolveuganda.org/situation

For more information:

www.resolveuganda.org

www.guluwalk.com

www.invisiblechildren.com