To: Africa Advocates
From: Tammy Alexander, Legislative Assistant
Date: August 31, 2007
Re:Northern Uganda Peace Process

Issue: Peace talks between the government of Uganda and the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), begun in July 2006, are scheduled to resume in mid-September. The negotiations, being held in Juba, Sudan, are an important opportunity to achieve a peaceful resolution to the twenty-one year war in northern Uganda. For these historic talks to succeed, however, more support is needed from the international community, including the U.S. government.

Background:
After more than a year of mounting pressure, the U.S. State Department has finally appointed a diplomat to focus full-time on the crisis in Uganda and recently released a statement demonstrating an increasing willingness to support the ongoing negotiations in Juba. Earlier this month, Mr. Timothy Shortley was appointed by the State Department to be the "Senior Advisor on Conflict in Africa". The immediate focus and priority of Mr. Shortley's work will be the conflict in northern Uganda. Now that Mr. Shortley has a new job, it's our job to make sure that his position is used to strengthen not only the negotiations, but our government's commitment to achieving lasting peace.

Next week, top U.S. diplomat for Africa, Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer, will travel to Uganda. She needs to know that, while the recent progress is a positive step, much more remains to be done. Most importantly, the newly appointed diplomat must be given the mandate to utilize U.S. leverage to ensure that the negotiations result in lasting peace.

Significant and encouraging steps toward peace have been made. But, while children are no longer commuting every night to stay safe, thousands still remain in rebel captivity. And, while some have started to return to their homes, 1.3 million people in northern Uganda are still trapped in a displacement nightmare.

For more information, go to resolveuganda.org/get-informed.

Faith Reflection
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). MCC works in Uganda to help those affected by the conflict, in areas such as community development, education, health care, trauma recovery, and peace-building (www.mcc.org/uganda). Working to end conflict, to create a situation where people can return to their homes and rebuild their lives, where children can grow up and not fear being kidnapped or killed – this is doing God’s work in the world. We are all called to be peacemakers. With a few simple actions, you can help improve the chances for peace in northern Uganda.

Action

1. Call or email the White House: at and urge President Bush to continue to increase diplomatic support for the northern Uganda peace negotiations in Juba, Sudan. (See sample letter below)
2. Let us know you took action: You can cc: on your email to the White House, or call us at (202) 544-6564 x113. We will take a count of the number of people who have contacted the White House and provide that number to Resolve Uganda (just the number, no personal information will be shared). Resolve Uganda will then send a letter directly to the State Department informing them of how many people are taking action to build support for the peace talks.

Thank you for taking action for peace in northern Uganda.

* This Hotline was adapted from an alert by Resolve Uganda, an advocacy group that MCC works with in Washington.

Sample Letter:

Dear President Bush,

This week, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer is traveling to Uganda. She recently appointed a special adviser to focus on this issue, which is a welcome sign of progress. We urge you to ensure that this trip and the appointment of a diplomat to focus on this issue are used to show U.S. support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and that the White House and State Department continue increasing their direct engagement of these negotiations. I hope that we can use our country's leverage in the region to ensure that a lasting peace is finally reached.

It is important that diplomatic efforts also work to ensure that the Government of Uganda fulfills its promises to devote more resources to development in northern Uganda. Desperately needed basics such as boreholes, latrines, schools and clinics destroyed by the war are not being rebuilt. The Government of Uganda also must fulfill its promise to supply police protection in areas of the north where the military has withdrawn in order to provide some security for those returning to their homes.

The people of northern Uganda are hopeful that the Juba negotiations will bring a lasting peace. For these historic talks to succeed, however, more support is needed from the international community, including the U.S. government.

Sincerely,