2008 has gotten off to a difficult start in much of Africa. With the post-election violence in Kenya, escalating conflict in eastern D.R. Congo, ongoing suffering in Darfur, Chad, Cameroon, and Somalia, the challenge of advocating for peace can seem daunting. Voices of happiness and hope tend to be drowned out by the media’s focus on the devastation happening in Africa and around the world. But in the midst of all of the commotion, northern Uganda has experienced a sense of calmness over the past several months as the parties involved in the conflict edge closer to a final peace agreement.

The parties have signed a total of five agenda items , among them a cessation of hostilities, comprehensive solutions to the war, accountability and reconciliation, permanent ceasefire, and DDR (disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of ex-combatants). They have also agreed to a series of implementation and monitoring mechanisms. This agreement is a huge step forward, though it still lacks a final signature by Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, or by another legitimate leader of the LRA.

As an Africa-advocacy organization, we are thrilled to hear that, thanks in part to the efforts of U.S. citizens, the State Department has issued a statement urging the parties to sign the agreement on Friday, March 28th. The text also pledges the U.S. to participate fully in the implementation of the final accord. Over one million northern Ugandans remain in displacement camps and the region has experienced stagnant development and growth since the conflict began. It is only in the last several years that we have seen U.S. involvement in ending the conflict; it is our hope that that commitment continues as Uganda transitions from violence to peace.

Unfortunately, just last week, reports confirmed suspicion that Kony would move into Central African Republic (CAR) from his base in GarambaPark in D.R. Congo. Since arrival in CAR, Kony has established contact with a rebel group from Chad – the same group which executed the violence in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena last month. The final agreement is to be signed on  March 28th, but with Kony’s new activity, questions are being raised as to whether he would adhere to a final peace accord.

Further doubts are surfacing as the issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) remains unresolved. The ICC’s arrest warrants against Kony and other top LRA commanders have not been lifted, despite the signing of Agenda Item #3 which would create a special Ugandan court to prosecute LRA members who have committed crimes against the people of northern Uganda. As it is one of the final impediments to the establishment of peace in northern Uganda, AFJN urges all international actors to support a withdrawal of the ICC arrest warrants.

It is important to remember that most peace agreements such as the one that will be signed in Uganda fail after five years of implementation, simply for lack of international support or domestic accountability. Getting a peace deal signed is only the first step in ensuring that the people of northern Uganda can begin rebuilding their lives and their traditions. AFJN encourages you to follow the progress of the peace agreement on www.ugandacan.org and to visit www.resolveuganda.org to find out what you can do to make this agreement succeed.

Posted March 26, 2008