NORTHERN UGANDA NOTES (February 27-March 9, 2007)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 000449

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID AND OFDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL MOPS ASEC CASC EAID UG SU
SUBJECT: NORTHERN UGANDA NOTES (February 27-March 9, 2007)



1. Summary: Post presents the fifteenth edition of Northern Uganda
Notes to provide information on the situation on the ground and
activities aimed at meeting Mission's objectives in northern Uganda.
These objectives include promoting regional stability through peace
and security, good governance, access to social services, economic
growth, and humanitarian assistance. Post appreciates feedback from
consumers on the utility of this product and any gaps in information
that need to be filled. End Summary.

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PEACE AND RECONCILIATION PROCESSES
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2. There were various efforts to get the peace talks restarted at
Juba. The Acholi Conference, held in Juba from March 2-4, brought
together religious, political and business leaders; elders; women;
youth; and professionals from the wider Acholi community to discuss
ways in which to put the peace process back on track. The LRA did
not attend the meeting which attracted some 150 participants. The
meeting was organized by Acholi cultural leader Rwot Acana and
funded by DANIDA and the Canadian Government. On February 27,
President Museveni stated that the Ugandan military would not pursue
the LRA if they did not try to re-enter Uganda. During a session on
February 28, Parliament urged the Government and LRA rebels not to
resume hostilities, but to restart the peace talks and reach a
peaceful settlement quickly


3. UN Special Envoy Joaquim Chissano briefed the diplomatic corps
on March 2 about his travel in the region and meeting with LRA
leaders Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti. The meeting took place near
Bunia in Congo. Kony reportedly told Chissano that he was no longer
interested in war and stated that the LRA would remain committed to
the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Kony said he would count on
Chissano to address the issues that forced the LRA to quit the
talks. Chissano also met with Sudanese President Omar Bashir, who
clarified his statements on the LRA's presence in Sudan. According
to Bashir, the LRA was welcome to attend negotiations but otherwise
its presence in Sudanese territory would not be tolerated.


4. Chissano led a delegation to meet with Kony and Otti at
Ri-Kwangba starting on March 10. Uganda's lead negotiator, Minister
of Internal Affairs Rugunda, and Minister of State Henry Okello
Oryem, Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao and Gulu Resident District
Commissioner Walter Ochora, and at least five Acholi religious,
traditional, and elected leaders will participate in the meetings.
The delegation spent one day with the LRA leadership to find a way
to get the talks restarted. The LRA's complaints were largely
technical and administrative demands regarding the mediation team,
per diems, and personal security. Another meeting was planned
between Kony, the GOU, and the GOSS in two weeks to determine the
date for the resumption of the talks. (Septel)


5. Local district officials tell us that Kony and Otti remain in
Garamba National Park and have not traveled to Central African
Republic.


6. USG Activities: Olamide Abedalja, MONUC's new representative in
Uganda, paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Browning on March 6.
According to Abedalja, MONUC would not be engaging in operations
against the LRA.


7. Government mediator Ruhakana Ruganda expressed his appreciation
for the U.S. Congressional resolution on northern Uganda.


8. On March 5, the Governments of South Sudan and Uganda signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding their support for
"Conservation Landscapes for Peace" to be created along the shared
border. Trans-boundary natural resource management, peace parks,
and peace landscapes are conservation tools that can help maintain
peace and alleviate tension over shared resources. This is
particularly important as IDPs and refugees return home. USAID's
Office of Transitional Initiatives funded the technical meetings in
Juba and Kampala.

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SECURITY UPDATE
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9. Kitgum security officials reaffirmed their commitment to protect
the public and noted that there was a marked improvement in security
in the district since the beginning of the year. Officials remain
concerned about the presence of a small group of LRA in Labone,
South Sudan, about 20 kilometers from the border with Uganda.


10. The judiciary's program to eliminate backlogged court cases and

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decongest prisons in northern Uganda will begin another round of
court sessions in five cities. Although it was supposed to begin on
March 5, the launch, was postponed until Uganda's courts resumed
business, which was suspended over the invasion of the High Court
premises by government security forces to re-arrest individuals who
had been granted bail.

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HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
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11. USG Activities: USAID's Office of Food for Peace made a $10
million food aid contribution to World Food Program/Uganda. To date
in FY07, FFP has contributed USD 27.4 million for food aid to WFP,
targeting the IDPs, refugees, and those affected by drought in
Karamoja.


12. From March 2-5, the Mission hosted a six-person USG delegation
led by David McCormick, Deputy National Security Advisor for
International Economic Affairs and Dina Powell, Assistant Secretary
of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. The delegation
traveled to both Gulu and Kitgum in northern Uganda to see the
impact of U.S.-funded humanitarian and development assistance
projects, as well as meet Ugandan alumni of USG exchange programs.
During their visit to the North, McCormick and Powell observed a
World Food Program food distribution at Ongaku IDP camp, and toured
Gulu's Lacor hospital to look at the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief and Presidential Malarial Initiative programs.


13. The delegation also met with night commuters at a USAID funded
shelter and former LRA combatants at a World Vision rehabilitation
center. (The number of clients at both facilities is markedly lower
than during the heights of the LRA insurgency.) The delegation also
met with representatives of numerous non-governmental organizations
working in northern Uganda, including the Invisible Children
organization. In Kitgum, the delegation visited the USAID-Dunavant
public-private partnership project which is supporting cotton
cultivation, processing and marketing in northern Uganda. In Kitgum
district, some 2,900 families have organized themselves into cotton
"producer organizations."


14. On March 6, Ambassador Browning and Deputy USAID Director
Elzadia Washington briefed Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials on
the new USAID/OFDA office in Gulu. Ambassador James Mugume, the
Acting Permanent Secretary, expressed the Government's appreciation
for the establishment of a U.S. presence to work on development
activities in northern Uganda.

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FROM THE MEDIA AND THE WEB
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15. International Crisis Group's John Prendergast and actor Ryan
Gosling published an opinion piece "At War in the Fields of the
Lord: The Best Chance for Peace in Uganda" which was posted on the
ABC News Online website. In the op-ed, Prendergast and Gosling
state that, "although the U.S. government hasn't paid much attention
to this conflict, ordinary Americans have. When they learn what is
going on, their reactions are swift and compassionate." They also
suggest that neither U.S. troops nor billions in aid dollars are
needed: "Dispatching a senior American diplomat - with the blessing
of the White House - to work all the issues necessary to end the
conflict" would be sufficient to give both sides the confidence and
motivation necessary to pursue peace.
BROWNING