Whereas, for nearly 2 decades, the Government of Uganda
has been engaged in a conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (referred to in
this preamble as the LRA
) that has resulted in—
(1)the deaths of
approximately 200,000 individuals from violence and disease; and
(2)the displacement
of more than 1,600,000 individuals from the northern and eastern regions of
Uganda;
Whereas more than half of those internally-displaced
individuals are under the age of 15, and 95 percent of those individuals live
in absolute poverty in camps where they face malnutrition, high rates of AIDS
and malaria, and egregious abuses of their human rights;
Whereas the LRA has used brutal tactics during that
conflict, including the abduction and abuse of more than 25,000 children who
the organization forces to attack, rape, and murder members of their families
and communities on behalf of the LRA;
Whereas continued instability and a lack of security in
the northern region of Uganda has severely hindered the delivery of sufficient
humanitarian assistance and services to individuals who have been displaced or
otherwise negatively affected by that conflict;
Whereas spillover from the war in the northern region of
Uganda have had negative consequences in the neighboring countries of Sudan and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Whereas a successful transition to sustainable peace in
the northern region of Uganda and throughout the country will depend in large
part on a coordinated and comprehensive effort by the Government of Uganda,
regional partners, and the international community to create new social,
economic, and political opportunities for the citizens of Uganda who are
affected by that conflict;
Whereas a sustainable political resolution to that
conflict must include a range of locally and nationally driven reconciliation
efforts that will require the endorsement and involvement of all parties to the
conflict, as well as support from the international community;
Whereas the 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices, published by the Department of State, relating to the Government of
Uganda indicated that the security forces committed unlawful
killings…and were responsible for deaths as a result of torture
along
with other serious problems
, including repression of political
opposition, official impunity, and violence against women and children;
Whereas, in the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act
(Public Law 108–283; 118 Stat. 912), the Senate—
(1)declared its
support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the northern and eastern
regions of Uganda; and
(2)called for the
United States and the international community to assist in rehabilitation,
reconstruction, and demobilization efforts; and
Whereas the cessation of hostilities agreement, that was
mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan and signed by representatives of
the Government of Uganda and the LRA on August 20, 2006—
(1)required both
parties to cease all hostile military and media offensives; and
(2)asked the
Sudanese People’s Liberation Army to facilitate the safe assembly of LRA
fighters in designated areas for the duration of the peace talks: Now,
therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)commends the
delegates from the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army for
agreeing to a cessation of hostilities for the first time in the 20 years of
that devastating conflict;
(2)recognizes the
leadership role that the Government of Southern Sudan played in mediating that
cessation of hostilities and establishing a framework within which a lasting
peace to that conflict could be achieved;
(3)emphasizes the
importance of a complete implementation of the cessation of hostilities
agreement by all parties to maintain progress towards a permanent resolution of
that conflict;
(4)expresses the
support of the citizens of the United States for the people of Uganda who have
endured decades of violence as a result of that conflict;
(5)entreats all
parties to address issues of accountability and impunity for war crimes and
crimes against humanity, and to support broader national reconciliation
efforts;
(6)strongly
encourages the Government of Uganda to improve the professionalism of Ugandan
military personnel currently stationed in the northern and eastern regions of
Uganda, with an emphasis on enhancing respect for human rights, accountability
for abuses, and effective protection of civilians;
(7)urges the
Government of Uganda to follow through and augment its resettlement plan
by—
(A)expanding social
services;
(B)deploying
professional civil servants; and
(C)developing the
legal, political, and security infrastructure—
(i)necessary to
facilitate the freedom of movement of civilians to their homes, land, and areas
within and around camps; and
(ii)essential to
fulfill the needs of returnees and former combatants; and
(8)calls on the
United States Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development, as well as the international community—
(A)to provide
adequate and coordinated humanitarian assistance through nongovernmental
organizations to the individuals and areas most affected by that
conflict;
(B)to, while
providing humanitarian assistance, pay particular attention to women and
children who have been victimized; and
(C)to
provide—
(i)sufficient
technical assistance for the demobilization and reintegration of rebel
combatants and abductees;
(ii)both financial
and technical support for reconciliation and reconstruction efforts; and
(iii)diplomatic and
logistical support for the cessation of hostilities agreement and subsequent
progress towards a sustainable peace in Uganda.