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Week Ending July 16, 2004

S 2264 Uganda conflict

Uganda is a small Northeast African country nestled in just south of Sudan and north of Rwanda. Its’ capital, Kampala is in the country’s southern end on Lake Victoria. Uganda’s geographical location is relevant in the context of this bill because the risk of genocide is underscored by the mass slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Rwandan’s directly to Uganda's south ten years ago and the current, albeit temporarily mollified, potential for mass slaughter in Sudan directly to Uganda’s north.

S 2264 expresses the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of State should submit a report on the conflict in Uganda including information on the activities and sources of support for the Lord's Resistance Army, and the actions taken by the United States, Uganda, and the international community to protect civilians, especially children and women, from displacement, abduction, and sexual exploitation.

Sponsor: Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent. (May 7, 2004 Debated in the House (July 14, 2004) Passed House 371 to 1 (RC 393) (July 20, 2004) UpDate: Signed by the President and became new Public Law 108-283 (August 2, 2004)

MORE INFORMATION-S2264

Congress believes that for more than 17 years, the Government of Uganda (GOU) has been engaged in a conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel force, that has inflicted hardship and suffering on the people of northern and eastern Uganda using brutal tactics including abducting and forcing individuals into sexual servitude and forcing a large number of Ugandan children, estimated to be between 16,000 and 26,000 children, to serve in its’ Army. More than 1,000,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Uganda as a result of the conflict.

Each night, Congress holds, ‘more than 18,000 children leave their homes and flee to the relative safety of town centers, creating a massive `night commuter' phenomenon that leaves already vulnerable children subject to exploitation and abuse’.

The displaced individuals often suffer from malnutrition and the mortality rate for children has risen very high. Individuals who have been displaced by the conflict in Uganda often suffer from acute malnutrition.

According to Human Rights Watch, the only known sponsor of the Lord's Resistance Army has been the Government of Sudan. Sudan denies that.

The US Secretary of State has designated the Lord's Resistance Army as a terrorist organization.

The GOU’s military has not resolved the conflict.

The conflict has severely hindered the ability to deliver regular humanitarian assistance and services to the individuals displaced or negatively affected by the conflict.

So, Congress urges the GOU and the international community to provide sufficient resources for relief and to develop the refugee towns and take greater responsibility for protecting civilians and shore up economic development in the conflict areas and increase humanitarian assistance there.

A plan would be in order through which Ugandans can return to their homes and become economically productive. Also the abduction of children and the use of children as soldiers must stop.

Acholi religious leaders should be protected and supported.

Government of Uganda needs to train its’ military with a better awareness of human rights and accountability.

It should be clear that the relationship between the Government of Sudan and the Government of the United States cannot improve unless it is proven that the Government of Sudan is not involved in efforts to provide weapons or other support to the Lord's Resistance Army. ## All Rights Reserved. No reproduction or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.