[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 80 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 80


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 19, 2007

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Calling on the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army 
 (LRA) to recommit to a political solution to the conflict in northern 
Uganda by engaging in good-faith negotiations, and urging immediate and 
   substantial support for the ongoing peace process from the United 
                States and the international community.

Whereas for over two decades, the Government of Uganda has been engaged in an 
        armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) that has resulted 
        in up to 200,000 deaths from violence and disease and the displacement 
        of more than 1,600,000 civilians from eastern and northern Uganda;
Whereas former United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs 
        and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland called the crisis in 
        northern Uganda ``the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian 
        emergency in the world today'';
Whereas Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, and several of his associates have 
        been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and 
        crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, enslavement, sexual 
        enslavement, and the forced recruitment of an estimated 66,000 children;
Whereas the LRA is a severe and repeat violator of human rights and has 
        continued to attack civilians and humanitarian aid workers despite a 
        succession of ceasefire agreements;
Whereas the Secretary of State has labeled the LRA ``vicious and cult-like'' and 
        designates it as a terrorist organization under the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act;
Whereas the 2006 Department of State report on the human rights record of the 
        Government of Uganda found that ``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 2004 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act (Public Law 108-283; 118 
        Stat. 912), Congress declared its support for a peaceful resolution of 
        the conflict in northern and eastern Uganda and called for the United 
        States and the international community to assist in rehabilitation, 
        reconstruction, and demobilization efforts;
Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which was mediated by the 
        Government of Southern Sudan and signed by representatives of the 
        Government of Uganda and the LRA on August 20, 2006, and extended on 
        November 1, 2006, requires both parties to cease all hostile military 
        and media offensives and asks the Sudan People's Liberation Army to 
        facilitate the safe assembly of LRA fighters in designated areas for the 
        duration of the peace talks;
Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement expired on February 28, 2007, 
        without ever having been fully implemented, and though the parties 
        resumed peace talks on April 26, 2007, and signed a preliminary 
        agreement on May 2, 2007, they have not yet arrived at a sustainable 
        negotiated settlement and observers remain concerned that hostilities 
        between rebel and government forces could resume;
Whereas a return to civil war would yield disastrous results for the people of 
        northern Uganda and for regional stability, while peace in Uganda will 
        bolster the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and de-
        escalate tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and
Whereas continuing violence and instability obstruct the delivery of 
        humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Uganda and impede 
        national and regional trade, development and democratization efforts, 
        and counter-terrorism initiatives: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That Congress--
            (1) disapproves of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) 
        leadership's inconsistent commitment to resolving the conflict 
        in Uganda peacefully;
            (2) urges the LRA and the Government of Uganda to engage in 
        good-faith negotiations to pursue a political solution to this 
        conflict;
            (3) encourages all parties in the region to immediately 
        cease human rights violations and address, within the context 
        of a broader national reconciliation process in Uganda, issues 
        of accountability and impunity for those crimes against 
        humanity already committed;
            (4) urges leaders on both sides of the conflict in Uganda 
        to renounce any intentions and halt any preparations to resume 
        violence and to ensure that this message is clearly conveyed to 
        armed elements under their control; and
            (5) calls on the Secretary of State, the Administrator of 
        the United States Agency for International Development, and the 
        heads of other similar governmental agencies and 
        nongovernmental organizations within the international 
        community to continue to augment efforts to alleviate the 
        humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda and to support a 
        peaceful resolution to this crisis by publicly and forcefully 
        reiterating the preceding demands.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 18, 2007.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.