Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda since 1986, has been credited with improving the dismal human rights record of the country through the introduction of democratic reforms. Under his leadership, Uganda has witnessed a reduction of police and army abuses. Despite these minor successes, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues to abduct, rape and brutalize children forcing them to join the LRA rebels causing massive displacement. Many of these young, abducted recruits are from the Acholi population of northern Uganda. It is estimated that 85 percent of the displaced population in northern Uganda cannot access humanitarian assistance due to the pervasive security threats in this region. Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary on Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has called the situation in northern Uganda “the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today.”

Erin Baines, Director of the Peace and Conflict Program at the University of British Columbia has been involved in the Act for Stolen Children of northern Uganda campaign—an international campaign to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda and provide recommendations for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Three weeks ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the first warrants of arrest in the history of the ICC to five leaders of the LRA for crimes against humanity and war crimes. The issuing of the first arrest warrants is not only an important element in the creation of a new international justice system that promotes the “responsibility to protect” principle, but will also help end the brutality and violence that has lasted for over nineteen years in northern Uganda. The immediate response to the indictments has been a resurgence of violence in Uganda. Some argue that peace will occur—if and only if—traditional justice mechanisms of peacemaking and reconciliation are incorporated into the process.

In this edition of the Bulletin, Caroline Lestage writes: “...la justice traditionnelle doit agir en parallèle avec la Cour pénale internationale dans le cas des enfants kidnappés par le mouvement rebelle.”

On November 4th, the Canadian Consortium on Human Security launched a new Human Security Dialogue series intended to facilitate awareness, discussion, and policy contributions to human security-related issues.The inaugural event featured the results of six workshops conducted by Royal Roads and Makerere University learners, which identified a number of significant synergies existing between various stakeholders, as well as a number of gaps within the current peacebuilding efforts.

The discussion that occurred in the workshops was sometimes divisive, occasionally contentious and, above all, passionate – proof that while it may seem that the conflict in northern Uganda is forgotten, for those in Uganda , it is very much at the forefront of their minds.

CCHS appreciates the input of the following contributors for this issue: Sabina Arnott, Erin Baines, Tavis Beaubier, Rosemary Cairns, Catherine Hébert, Eric-Viet Lapperriere-Nguyen, Caroline Lestage, Danielle Richards, Carla Suarez.

For security reasons, one contributor has requested to remain anonymous.

The next issue of the Human Security Bulletin will profile Colombia.The CCHS encourages comments and suggestions on the Human Security Bulletin and welcomes submissions for upcoming issues. For information regarding submission, visit the Consortium website for the CCHS Editorial guidelines.

http://www.humansecurity.info/CCHS_web/Human_Security_Bulletin/en/index.php