[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9731-S9732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING TRANSITION FROM CONFLICT TO SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN UGANDA

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 573, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 573) calling on the United States 
     Government and the international community to support the 
     successful transition from conflict to sustainable peace in 
     Uganda.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.

[[Page S9732]]

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution 
be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 573) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 573

       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
       Resolved, 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.

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