A friend of mine was recently in Juba to observe the talks. He brings good news. He says that rhetoric between the two negotiating sides has softened considerably since the talks began last year. And whereas they once required separate tables for meals, they now eat and talk together.

Most importantly, both sides are confident that a comprehensive peace agreement will be signed within the next month!

There is a faint but brightening glow of peace on the horizon. We’ll keep you updated.

By calling for a peace agreement now, Kony may be trying to avoid a military offensive threatened by the Ugandan government in conjunction with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two governments agreed earlier this month that if progress was not made on the peace talks by January 31, they would coordinate to flush the LRA out of their secluded base in the jungles of Congo.

To ensure that all parties involved refrain from dangerous military action that could further devastate northern Uganda and the Acholi people, please go to the Resolve Uganda site and send an email to your Congressperson.

When: Friday Decemeber 21st, 5pm to 8pm
Where: 238 Santa Fe Ave. Shell Beach, CA.
Contact: Jessica Connolly acholibeads@gmail.com

Yesterday I was in Acholi Quarter buying beads and taking photos of each of our bead makers.  The photos will be up ASAP; in the meantime, a preview: meet Gladys (right), a 26-year-old mother of three who fled her home in the north in 2004 to escape the war.

The International Criminal Court, or ICC, is a fledging organization charged with prosecuting violators of international law - including perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  It’s first-ever arrest warrants were issued two years ago against five LRA leaders, one of whom has since died.  Those warrants have played a pivotal role in the search for peace in northern Uganda.

Kony and other LRA leaders fear that if they surrender as terms of the peace deal, they will be prosecuted by the ICC.  Although the ICC’s mandate allows for local justice systems to supersede its own prosecutions, if those local mechanisms do not meet certain standards of justice the ICC reserves the right to step in.  So even if the warranted leaders are put through some sort of justice process in Uganda, whether formal or traditional, as long as the warrants are in place the ICC can step in at any time to prosecute them from The Hague.

LRA leadership maintains that it will not sign a peace agreement until the warrants are withdrawn, and the ICC prosecutor maintains that the warrants must remain in place.

Story and graphic here.

The LRA’s reclusive leader, Joseph Kony, has refused to leave his base in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Garamba National Park until the the International Criminal Court drops its arrest warrants against him. In his place, the LRA’s chief negotiator will attend the meeting.

More at the BBC

The U.S. is a major donor to Uganda, giving the country hundreds of millions dollars each year.  President Bush has asked for increased funding in 2008, underlining Uganda’s strategic importance to the U.S. as a buffer to Islamic Sudan and a possible source of oil.

More at UgandaCAN

However there remain major impediments to the talks recommencing. The LRA has made its continued involvement contingent on $800,000 to fund public consultations, only $600,000 of which has been raised. Moreover, with the recent news of infighting at the LRA base in DR Congo it is not known if or when the LRA will be prepared to continue the talks.

Stay tuned.