NORTHERN UGANDA NOTES (December 1 - 31, 2007)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KAMPALA 000005 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID AND OFDA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF ASEC EAID UG SU CG SUBJECT: NORTHERN UGANDA NOTES (December 1 - 31, 2007) ¶1. (U) Summary: The following Northern Uganda Notes provide information on the situation on the ground and USG 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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PEACE AND RECONCILIATION PROCESSES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) wrapped up its consultations in Uganda on December 18. The delegation met with President Museveni prior to its departure to Juba and again urged the suspension of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants if a peace deal were signed. The delegation traveled to Juba and Nairobi. It planned to meet with LRA leader Joseph Kony on/about January 3 to present the findings of the consultations in Uganda. The LRA hoped to hold its final consultative meeting between Kony and approximately 200-300 Ugandans at Ri-kwangba on/about January 10-14. ¶3. (SBU) U.N. Special Envoy for LRA-Affected Areas Joachim Chissano traveled within the region and met with President Museveni on December 13. He urged flexibility on the January 31 deadline, set by Presidents Museveni and Kabila in Arusha in September. He met with the LRA delegation and urged them to focus on completing work on the accountability and reconciliation mechanisms as quickly as possible. Chissano traveled to Gulu on December 17 and met with northern local and traditional leaders. He also opened the Wider Northern Uganda Conference on Reconciliation in Gulu. He urged the northern leaders to tell Kony that the mediators were ready to facilitate a resolution to the conflict. Chissano did not see Kony on the visit because the LRA delegation had not yet presented the results of its consultations to him. ¶4. (SBU) On November 30, six LRA defectors arrived in Uganda, including Vincent Okema, Captain Sunday Otto, George Okello, Richard Odonga and two minors. Another seven defectors arrived in Uganda on December 19. All were granted amnesty except for Okema and Otto, who had violated an earlier amnesty by returning to the bush in ¶2003. They will be given presidential pardons on January 3. ¶5. (U) LRA leader Joseph Kony called Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao on December 21. Kony told Mao that Museveni's threat to attack his base in Garamba National Park and the January 31 deadline undermined the Juba peace talks. Kony called Museveni's remarks hostile propaganda, which violated the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Kony said that he was not going to attack or declare war as he is committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Kony stated that deadlines should be set in Juba, not Arusha, Kampala, or Addis Ababa. He stated that the peace deal cannot be signed by January 31 because his delegation had not concluded their consultations on agenda item three on accountability and reconciliation. Kony told Mao that it was now the festive season and his team needed a break for the holiday. Kony stated that he was being wrongly judged and that he did not send anyone to collect bullets or guns and he was not going to declare an attack or offensive. Kony also complained that his delegation was not well-facilitated by the secretariat for the peace talks, leading to some delegation members being held hostage in hotels over unpaid bills. Mao said that Kony "dodged" him on LRA deputy Otti's fate. ¶6. (U) President Museveni traveled to Gulu to close the wider Northern Uganda Conference. While in Gulu, he met with elected, religious, and traditional leaders. Rwot Acana asked Museveni to establish a national truth and reconciliation commission headed by a High Court judge and composed of people of integrity appointed by the government. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (U) One-third of the internally-displaced persons in northern Uganda have returned home, according to the U.N.'s Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Approximately 513,993 of the 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned to their homes in Teso, Lango, and Acholi regions. Another 429,155 people were in transit near their homes. In Lira and Oyam districts, eight IDP camps were recommended for de-gazetting by the KAMPALA 00000005 002 OF 003 District Disaster Management Committees. Only one camp remains in Lira with a population of 2,200. An increasing number of people were moving from camps to transit camps or home villages in Kitgum district due to the availability of thatching materials for roofs. ¶8. (SBU) Acholi leaders expressed concerns about the Government's request for land to be given to the Madhvani Group of Companies for a sugar factory in Amuru District. President Museveni accused Acholi leaders of "telling lies" that he wanted to grab land and give it to investors during a visit to Amuru. He pointed out the virtues of industrialization, particularly in an area with high unemployment. During a meeting between President Museveni and local leaders in Gulu on December 20, Rwot Acana, the Acholi Paramount Chief, was mandated to hold consultations with the Acholi on the issue. ¶9. (U) USG Activities: The Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) project allocated approximately USD 10 million from its FY 08 Malaria Operational Plan to combat malaria in Northern Uganda through multiple interventions such as indoor residual spraying, long-lasting insecticide treated nets, patient treatment, and community education. In addition, the Malaria Communities Program allocated USD 1.5 million to West Nile and Karamoja regions for three year community-based malaria programs. Indoor residual spraying programs in Kitgum, Pader, and Amuru districts have been completed and in the coming months, the spraying program will be expanded to Gulu, Apac and Oyam districts. Bed net distribution to pregnant mothers through ante-natal clinics is continuing in 26 districts. ¶10. (U) On December 17, USAID's implementing partner, Research Triangle Institute International, in collaboration with Ministry of Health Malaria Control staff conducted a sensitization workshop for religious, traditional, and government leaders, journalists, and heads of line ministries at the district level on Indoor Residual Spraying. Participants learned about the rationale for spraying, chemical management, and environmental and safety concerns. ¶11. (U) The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF HOA) continued work on the construction of a children's ward for the Kitgum Referral Hospital and a Library in Kitgum. The children's ward will be 240 square meters in size. It will house a small clinic and have wards for maternity, delivery, and pediatrics. A veterinary outreach project will be conducted in Gulu District and parts of Amuru District in January and February 2008. The veterinary project will provide inoculation against several common diseases for cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and dogs. Personnel from the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions will conduct a site survey in January to replace a bridge and a culvert in Lira District later in the year in conjunction with the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force (UPDF). ¶12. (U) USAID signed a USD 9.5 million contract for the Stability, Peace, and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda (SPRING) program. USAID's implementing partner is the Emerging Markets Group (EMG). The new program focuses on peace and reconciliation, livelihoods, and access to justice for victims of conflict in northern Uganda. ¶13. (U) During her visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on December 5, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced U.S. support for U.N. SIPDIS Special Envoy for LRA-Affected Areas Joachim Chissano's office in Kampala. In addition, the U.S. assistance totaling USD 330,000 will support the work of the five African observers to the talks. The observers, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and South Africa play an important role in confidence-building and mediating between the two parties. ¶14. (U) Secretary Rice also announced the provision of USD 1.5 million in immediate support for the disarmament, demobilization, and repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of ex-combatants. ¶15. (U) USAID's CAPACITY project trained northern medical and clinical managers in supervisory and performance improvement methods on December 10 and 11. The training specifically targeted districts and personnel covered by the Northern Uganda Malaria, AIDS,and Tuberculosis (NUMAT). ¶16. (U) USAID's Northern Uganda Advisor participated in a meeting with actor Ben Affleck during his visit to Gulu on December 14. The purpose of Affleck's trip was to meet with local organizations responding to conflict and to raise awareness. KAMPALA 00000005 003 OF 003 ¶17. (U) The Ministry of Education met with stakeholders to set priorities for post-conflict northern Uganda on December 20. They reviewed the findings of recent assessments and set sector priorities for the implementation under the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP). The top priority was teacher housing, followed by teacher recruitment and classrooms. The number of schools available is directly linked to the return locations of IDPs. Special needs of certain populations, such as fishing communities and the disabled, also were discussed. The Ministry plans to replicate the stakeholders' meeting in Teso and other stops around the north. - - - - - - - - SECURITY UPDATE - - - - - - - - ¶18. (U) On December 16, suspected LRA rebels raided a Catholic mission in Duru, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),near the border with Sudan. Duru is approximately 90 kilometers from Dungu. The suspected LRA looted the Comboni mission and hospital, briefly holding an Italian priest hostage. ¶19. (U) The Government of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo held the Fifth Session of the Uganda-DRC Joint Permanent Commission on December 12 in Kampala. The last meeting was held 10 years ago. Issues discussed included the presence of the LRA in Garamba National Park. Three working groups on defense and security, social economic cooperation, and political and diplomatic relations worked on resolving outstanding issues. Both parties agreed to normalize diplomatic relations by March 2008. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FROM THE MEDIA AND THE WEB - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶20. (U) "Museveni Blasts Kony for Killing Otti" was the New Vision's December 21 headline. During his visit to northern Uganda, Museveni publicly criticized Kony for killing Otti. "He killed Otti. Who is he? Those that he is killing are Ugandans. Otti and the rest should have been killed by the law of Uganda but not Kony. What right do you have to kill others?" Museveni also stated, "Kony wants to come from the bush alive but he killed Otti. When he comes, what will he tell the people?" "What I know is that the two quarreled over some USD 600,000 from donors." Museveni described Kony as an illiterate who would be defeated through peaceful or other means. ¶21. (U) Museveni cautioned Rwot Acana from using the word "irreversible" to describe the peace talks because he (Museveni) follows "what Kony is thinking." "The peace is reversible because Kony is weak and that is why he has fled to Garamba." Museveni said that he was convinced Kony could be defeated militarily, but he was persuaded by northern leaders to accept the peace process. CHRITTON