[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1067 Reported in Senate (RS)]
Calendar No. 228
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1067
[Report No. 111-108]
To support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda and areas
affected by the Lord's Resistance Army through development of a
regional strategy to support multilateral efforts to successfully
protect civilians and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's
Resistance Army and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief and
reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19, 2009
Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mr.
Lieberman, Mr. Burris, Mr. Casey, Mr. Specter, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs.
Boxer, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Kaufman, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr.
Whitehouse, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Bond, Mr.
Merkley, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Roberts, Mr.
Sanders, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Corker, Mr.
Inhofe, Mr. Begich, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Reid, Mr. Risch, Mr.
Wicker, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Harkin,
Mr. Franken, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Hagan, Mr.
Alexander, and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
December 15, 2009
Reported by Mr. Kerry, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda and areas
affected by the Lord's Resistance Army through development of a
regional strategy to support multilateral efforts to successfully
protect civilians and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's
Resistance Army and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief and
reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Lord's Resistance Army
Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress makes the following findings:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) For over 2 decades, the Government of Uganda
engaged in an armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) in northern Uganda that led to the internal displacement
of more than 2,000,000 Ugandans from their homes.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) The members of the Lord's Resistance Army used
brutal tactics in northern Uganda, including mutilating,
abducting, and forcing individuals into sexual servitude and
forcing a large number of children and youth in Uganda,
estimated by the Survey for War Affected Youth to be over
66,000, to fight as part of the rebel force.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) The Secretary of State has designated the
Lord's Resistance Army as a terrorist organization and placed
the Lord's Resistance Army on the Terrorist Exclusion list
pursuant to section 212(a)(3) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) In late 2005, according to the United Nations
Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Lord's
Resistance Army shifted their primary base of operations from
southern Sudan to northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo,
and the rebels have since withdrawn from northern
Uganda.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Representatives of the Government of Uganda
and the Lord's Resistance Army began peace negotiations in
2006, mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba,
Sudan, and signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on
August 20, 2006, which provided for hundreds of thousands of
internally displaced people to return home in safety.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) After nearly 2 years of negotiations,
representatives from the parties reached the Final Peace
Agreement in April 2008, but Joseph Kony, the leader of the
Lord's Resistance Army, refused to sign the Final Peace
Agreement in May 2008 and his forces launched new attacks in
northeastern Congo.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) According to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Relief, the new activity of the
Lord's Resistance Army in northeastern Congo and southern Sudan
since September 2008 has led to the abduction of at least 711
civilians, including 540 children, and the displacement of more
than 160,000 people.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) In December 2008, the military forces of
Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan
launched a joint operation against the Lord's Resistance Army's
bases in northeastern Congo, but the operation failed to
apprehend Joseph Kony, and his forces retaliated with a series
of new attacks and massacres in Congo and southern Sudan,
killing an estimated 900 people in 2 months.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) The escalated activity of the Lord's
Resistance Army over recent months and the inability of
military operations to stop them or protect civilians has
perpetuated fears amongst communities in northern Uganda that
the rebels could cross back into Uganda in the future, which
complicates ongoing recovery efforts.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) Despite the refusal of Joseph Kony to sign
the Final Peace Agreement, the Government of Uganda has
committed to continue reconstruction plans for northern Uganda,
and to implement those mechanisms of the Final Peace Agreement
not conditional on the compliance of the Lord's Resistance
Army.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (11) Since April 2008, recovery efforts in
northern Uganda have moved forward with the financial support
of the United States and other donors, but have been hampered
by a lack of strategic coordination, logistical delays, and
limited capacity of the Government of Uganda.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (12) Continued economic disparities between
northern Uganda and the rest of the country and a failure to
take meaningful steps toward reconciliation and accountability,
if unchanged, risk perpetuating longstanding political
grievances and fueling new conflicts.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.</DELETED>
<DELETED> It is the policy of the United States to work vigorously
for a lasting resolution to the conflict in northern and eastern Uganda
and other affected areas by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) eliminating the threat posed by the Lord's
Resistance Army to civilians and regional stability through
political, economic, military, and intelligence support for a
comprehensive multilateral effort to protect civilians in
affected areas, to apprehend or otherwise remove Joseph Kony
and his top commanders from the battlefield, and to disarm and
demobilize Lord's Resistance Army fighters; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) further supporting comprehensive
reconstruction, transitional justice, and reconciliation
efforts as affirmed in the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act
of 2004 (Public Law 108-283) and subsequent resolutions,
including Senate Resolution 366, 109th Congress, agreed to
February 2, 2006, Senate Resolution 573, 109th Congress, agreed
to September 19, 2006, Senate Concurrent Resolution 16, 110th
Congress, agreed to in the Senate March 1, 2007, and House
Concurrent Resolution 80, 110th Congress, agreed to in the
House of Representatives June 18, 2007.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR DISARMING THE
LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Requirement for Strategy.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall
develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a regional
strategy to guide United States support for multilateral efforts to
protect civilians from attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army, to
eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the
Lord's Resistance Army, and to enforce the rule of law and ensure full
humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Content of Strategy.--The strategy should include the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) A viable plan to protect civilians from
attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army and eliminate the threat
posed by the Lord's Resistance Army, while building
institutions in the affected areas that can help to maintain
the rule of law and prevent conflict in the long
term.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) An interagency framework to plan, coordinate,
and execute all diplomatic economic, intelligence, and military
elements of United States policy across the region regarding
the Lord's Resistance Army.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) A description of the type and form of
diplomatic engagement to work with regional mechanisms,
including the Tripartite Plus Commission and the Great Lakes
Pact, and to coordinate the implementation of United States
policy toward the Lord's Resistance Army across the
region.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) A description of how this engagement will fit
within the context of broader efforts and policy objectives in
the Great Lakes Region.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) A framework to evaluate the progress and
effectiveness of the United States strategy toward eliminating
the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Form.--The strategy under this section shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS OUTSIDE UGANDA
AFFECTED BY THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Authority.--In accordance with section 491 of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and section 2 of the
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), the
President is authorized to provide assistance to respond to the
humanitarian needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern
Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by the activity of the
Lord's Resistance Army.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE FOR RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION IN NORTHERN
UGANDA.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Authority.--It is the sense of Congress that the
President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and
the Government of Uganda--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to assist internally displaced people in
transition and returnees to secure durable solutions by
spurring economic revitalization, supporting livelihoods,
helping to alleviate poverty, and advancing access to basic
services at return sites, specifically clean water, health
care, and schools;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to enhance the accountability and
administrative competency of local governance institutions and
public agencies in northern Uganda with regard to budget
management, provision of public goods and services, and related
oversight functions;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) to strengthen the operational capacity of the
civilian police in northern Uganda to enhance public safety,
prevent crime, and deal sensitively with gender-based violence,
while strengthening accountability measures to prevent
corruption and abuses;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) to rebuild and improve the capacity of the
justice system in northern Uganda, including the courts and
penal systems, with particular sensitivity to the needs and
rights of women and children;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) to establish mechanisms for the disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants,
including vocational education and employment opportunities;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) to promote programs to address psychosocial
trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Future Year Funding.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development should work with the appropriate
committees of Congress to increase assistance in future fiscal years to
support activities described in this section if the Government of
Uganda demonstrates a commitment to transparent and accountable
reconstruction in war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda,
specifically by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) finalizing the establishment of mechanisms
within the Office of the Prime Minister to sufficiently manage
and coordinate the programs under the framework of the Peace
Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda
(PRDP);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) increasing oversight activities and reporting
to ensure funds under the Peace Recovery and Development Plan
for Northern Uganda framework are used efficiently and with
minimal waste; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) committing substantial funds of its own, above
and beyond standard budget allocations to local governments, to
the task of implementing the Peace Recovery and Development
Plan for Northern Uganda such that communities affected by the
war can recover.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Coordination With Other Donor Nations.--The United
States should work with other donor nations, on a bilateral and
multilateral basis, to increase contributions for recovery efforts in
northern Uganda and strengthen accountability mechanisms to ensure the
transparent and timely use of those funds.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Termination of Assistance.--It is the sense of
Congress that the Secretary of State should withhold bilateral
assistance to the Republic of Uganda for the purposes described under
this section if the Secretary determines that the Government of Uganda
is not committed to transparent and accountable reconstruction and
reconciliation in the war-affected areas of northern and eastern
Uganda.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE FOR RECONCILIATION AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
IN NORTHERN UGANDA.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda
and the Government of Uganda to advance efforts to promote transitional
justice and reconciliation on both local and national levels, including
to implement the following mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to the
Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the Government
of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement, signed at Juba
February 19, 2008, namely--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) a body to investigate the history of the
conflict, inquire into human rights violations committed during
the conflict by all sides, promote truth-telling in
communities, and encourage the preservation of the memory of
events and victims of the conflict through memorials, archives,
commemorations, and other forms of preservation;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) a special division of the High Court of Uganda
to try individuals alleged to have committed serious crimes
during the conflict, and a special unit to carry out
investigations and prosecutions in support of trials;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) a system for making reparations to victims of
the conflict; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) a review and strategy for supporting
transitional justice mechanisms in affected areas to promote
reconciliation and encourage individuals to take personal
responsibility for their conduct during the war.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through
2012 to carry out this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 8. REPORT.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the
submission of the strategy required under section 4, the Secretary of
State shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the progress made toward the implementation of the
strategy required under section 4 and a description and evaluation of
the assistance provided under this Act toward the policy objectives
described in section 3.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Contents.--The report required under section (a) shall
include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) a description and evaluation of actions taken
toward the implementation of the strategy required under
section 4;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) a description of assistance provided under
section 5 and section 6;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) an evaluation of bilateral assistance provided
to the Republic of Uganda and associated programs in light of
stated policy objectives;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) a description of the status of the Peace
Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda and the
progress of the Government of Uganda to take the steps outlined
in section 6(b); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) a description of amounts of assistance
committed, and amounts provided, to northern Uganda during the
reporting period by the Government of Uganda, each donor
country, and all relevant organizations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 9. OFFSET.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Of the total amount appropriated to purchase excess
secondary inventory for the Department of the Air Force, the amount
available for obligation and expenditure shall be reduced by
$40,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on
Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on
International Relations of the House of
Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Great lakes region.--The term ``Great Lakes
Region'' means the region comprising Burundi, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Rwanda, southern Sudan, and
Uganda.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) LRA-affected areas.--The term ``LRA-affected
areas'' means the territory affected by the activity of the
Lord's Resistance Army in the past and as of the date of the
enactment of this Act, comprising all or parts of northern
Uganda, southern Sudan, northeastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, and southeastern Central African Republic.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament
and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) For over 2 decades, the Government of Uganda engaged in
an armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in
northern Uganda that led to the internal displacement of more
than 2,000,000 Ugandans from their homes.
(2) The members of the Lord's Resistance Army used brutal
tactics in northern Uganda, including mutilating, abducting and
forcing individuals into sexual servitude and forcing a large
number of children and youth in Uganda, estimated by the Survey
for War Affected Youth to be over 66,000, to fight as part of
the rebel force.
(3) The Secretary of State has placed the Lord's Resistance
Army on the Terrorist Exclusion list pursuant to section
212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(a)(3)), and LRA leader Joseph Kony has been designated a
``specially designated global terrorist'' pursuant to Executive
Order 13224.
(4) In late 2005, according to the United Nations Office
for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Lord's Resistance
Army shifted their primary base of operations from southern
Sudan to northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the
rebels have since withdrawn from northern Uganda.
(5) Representatives of the Government of Uganda and the
Lord's Resistance Army began peace negotiations in 2006,
mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba, Sudan,
and signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on August 20,
2006, which provided for hundreds of thousands of internally
displaced people to return home in safety.
(6) After nearly 2 years of negotiations, representatives
from the parties reached the Final Peace Agreement in April
2008, but Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance
Army, refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement in May 2008 and
his forces launched new attacks in northeastern Congo.
(7) According to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Relief and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, the new activity of the Lord's
Resistance Army in northeastern Congo and southern Sudan since
September 2008 has led to the abduction of at least 1,500
civilians, including hundreds of children, and the displacement
of more than 540,000 people.
(8) In December 2008, the military forces of Uganda, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan launched a
joint operation against the Lord's Resistance Army's bases in
northeastern Congo, but the operation failed to apprehend
Joseph Kony, and his forces retaliated with a series of new
attacks and massacres in Congo and southern Sudan, killing an
estimated 900 people in 2 months alone.
(9) Despite the refusal of Joseph Kony to sign the Final
Peace Agreement, the Government of Uganda has committed to
continue reconstruction plans for northern Uganda, and to
implement those mechanisms of the Final Peace Agreement not
conditional on the compliance of the Lord's Resistance Army.
(10) Since 2008, recovery efforts in northern Uganda have
moved forward with the financial support of the United States
and other donors, but have been hampered by a lack of strategic
coordination, logistical delays, and limited leadership from
the Government of Uganda.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to work with regional
governments toward a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the
conflict in northern Uganda and other affected areas by--
(1) providing political, economic, military, and
intelligence support for viable multilateral efforts to protect
civilians from the Lord's Resistance Army, to apprehend or
remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield
in the continued absence of a negotiated solution, and to
disarm and demobilize the remaining Lord's Resistance Army
fighters;
(2) targeting assistance to respond to the humanitarian
needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan, and
Central African Republic currently affected by the activity of
the Lord's Resistance Army; and
(3) further supporting and encouraging efforts of the
Government of Uganda and civil society to promote comprehensive
reconstruction, transitional justice, and reconciliation in
northern Uganda as affirmed in the Northern Uganda Crisis
Response Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-283) and subsequent
resolutions, including Senate Resolution 366, 109th Congress,
agreed to February 2, 2006, Senate Resolution 573, 109th
Congress, agreed to September 19, 2006, Senate Concurrent
Resolution 16, 110th Congress, agreed to in the Senate March 1,
2007, and House Concurrent Resolution 80, 110th Congress,
agreed to in the House of Representatives June 18, 2007.
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF A STRATEGY TO SUPPORT THE DISARMAMENT OF THE
LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.
(a) Requirement for Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall develop and
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy to guide
future United States support across the region for viable multilateral
efforts to mitigate and eliminate the threat to civilians and regional
stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.
(b) Content of Strategy.--The strategy shall include the following:
(1) A plan to help strengthen efforts by the United Nations
and regional governments to protect civilians from attacks by
the Lord's Resistance Army while supporting the development of
institutions in affected areas that can help to maintain the
rule of law and prevent conflict in the long term.
(2) An assessment of viable options through which the
United States, working with regional governments, could help
develop and support multilateral efforts to eliminate the
threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army.
(3) An interagency framework to plan, coordinate, and
review diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military
elements of United States policy across the region regarding
the Lord's Resistance Army.
(4) A description of the type and form of diplomatic
engagement across the region undertaken to coordinate and
implement United States policy regarding the Lord's Resistance
Army and to work multilaterally with regional mechanisms,
including the Tripartite Plus Commission and the Great Lakes
Pact.
(5) A description of how this engagement will fit within
the context of broader efforts and policy objectives in the
Great Lakes Region.
(c) Form.--The strategy under this section shall be submitted in
unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 5. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS OUTSIDE UGANDA AFFECTED BY
THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY.
(a) Authority.--In accordance with section 491 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and section 2 of the Migration
and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), the President is
authorized to provide additional assistance to the Democratic Republic
of Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic to respond to
the humanitarian needs of populations directly affected by the activity
of the Lord's Resistance Army.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2011 to carry out this
section.
SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE FOR RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION IN NORTHERN UGANDA.
(a) Authority.--It is the sense of Congress that the President
should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the
Government of Uganda--
(1) to assist internally displaced people in transition and
returnees to secure durable solutions by spurring economic
revitalization, supporting livelihoods, helping to alleviate
poverty, and advancing access to basic services at return
sites, specifically clean water, health care, and schools;
(2) to enhance the accountability and administrative
competency of local governance institutions and public agencies
in northern Uganda with regard to budget management, provision
of public goods and services, and related oversight functions;
(3) to strengthen the operational capacity of the civilian
police in northern Uganda to enhance public safety, prevent
crime, and deal sensitively with gender-based violence, while
strengthening accountability measures to prevent corruption and
abuses;
(4) to rebuild and improve the capacity of the justice
system in northern Uganda, including the courts and penal
systems, with particular sensitivity to the needs and rights of
women and children;
(5) to establish mechanisms for the disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants and
those abducted by the LRA, including vocational education and
employment opportunities, with attention given to the roles and
needs of men, women and children; and
(6) to promote programs to address psychosocial trauma,
particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.
(b) Future Year Funding.--It is the sense of Congress that the
Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development should work with the appropriate committees
of Congress to increase assistance in future fiscal years to support
activities described in this section if the Government of Uganda
demonstrates a commitment to transparent and accountable reconstruction
in war-affected areas of northern Uganda, specifically by--
(1) finalizing the establishment of mechanisms within the
Office of the Prime Minister to sufficiently manage and
coordinate the programs under the framework of the Peace
Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP);
(2) increasing oversight activities and reporting, at the
local and national level in Uganda, to ensure funds under the
Peace Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda
framework are used efficiently and with minimal waste; and
(3) committing substantial funds of its own, above and
beyond standard budget allocations to local governments, to the
task of implementing the Peace Recovery and Development Plan
for Northern Uganda such that communities affected by the war
can recover.
(c) Coordination With Other Donor Nations.--The United States
should work with other donor nations to increase contributions for
recovery efforts in northern Uganda and better leverage those
contributions to enhance the capacity and encourage the leadership of
the Government of Uganda in promoting transparent and accountable
reconstruction in northern Uganda.
(d) Termination of Assistance.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretary of State should withhold non-humanitarian bilateral
assistance to the Republic of Uganda if the Secretary determines that
the Government of Uganda is not committed to reconstruction and
reconciliation in the war-affected areas of northern Uganda and is not
taking proactive steps to ensure this process moves forward in a
transparent and accountable manner.
SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE FOR RECONCILIATION AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE IN
NORTHERN UGANDA.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, despite
reconstruction and development efforts, a continued failure to take
meaningful steps toward national reconciliation and accountability
risks perpetuating longstanding political grievances and fueling new
conflicts.
(b) Authority.--In accordance with section 531 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346), the President is authorized to
support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the Government of
Uganda to advance efforts to promote transitional justice and
reconciliation on both local and national levels, including to
encourage implementation of the mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to
the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the
Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement, signed at
Juba February 19, 2008, namely--
(1) a body to investigate the history of the conflict,
inquire into human rights violations committed during the
conflict by all sides, promote truth-telling in communities,
and encourage the preservation of the memory of events and
victims of the conflict through memorials, archives,
commemorations, and other forms of preservation;
(2) a special division of the High Court of Uganda to try
individuals alleged to have committed serious crimes during the
conflict, and a special unit to carry out investigations and
prosecutions in support of trials;
(3) a system for making reparations to victims of the
conflict; and
(4) a review and strategy for supporting transitional
justice mechanisms in affected areas to promote reconciliation
and encourage individuals to take personal responsibility for
their conduct during the war.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013 to
carry out this section.
SEC. 8. REPORT.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the submission of
the strategy required under section 4, the Secretary of State shall
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report
on the progress made toward the implementation of the strategy required
under section 4 and a description and evaluation of the assistance
provided under this Act toward the policy objectives described in
section 3.
(b) Contents.--The report required under section (a) shall
include--
(1) a description and evaluation of actions taken toward
the implementation of the strategy required under section 4;
(2) a description of assistance provided under sections 5,
6, and 7;
(3) an evaluation of bilateral assistance provided to the
Republic of Uganda and associated programs in light of stated
policy objectives;
(4) a description of the status of the Peace Recovery and
Development Plan for Northern Uganda and the progress of the
Government of Uganda in fulfilling the steps outlined in
section 6(b); and
(5) a description of amounts of assistance committed, and
amounts provided, to northern Uganda during the reporting
period by the Government of Uganda and each donor country.
(c) Form.--The report under this section shall be submitted in
unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on
Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Great lakes region.--The term ``Great Lakes Region''
means the region comprising Burundi, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, southern Sudan, and Uganda.
(3) LRA-affected areas.--The term ``LRA-affected areas''
means those portions of northern Uganda, southern Sudan,
northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and southeastern
Central African Republic determined by the Secretary of State
to be affected by the Lord's Resistance Army as of the date of
the enactment of this Act.
Calendar No. 228
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1067
[Report No. 111-108]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support stabilization and lasting peace in northern Uganda and areas
affected by the Lord's Resistance Army through development of a
regional strategy to support multilateral efforts to successfully
protect civilians and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's
Resistance Army and to authorize funds for humanitarian relief and
reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
December 15, 2009
Reported with an amendment