JUBA PEACE TALKS
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ACTION UPDATE 5/23/2007
Dear friends,
It has been called the most neglected humanitarian crisis in the world. Currently over 1.6 million displaced people in northern Uganda anxiously wait for an announcement of peace. They want to leave the crowded camps where many of them have been for years. They want their kidnapped children back. After over 20 years of starts, stops, and dead ends, the people of Northern Uganda are closer than ever to witnessing a lasting peace. Now more than ever we must stand with them and make a major push to bring the conflict to an end.
BACKGROUND
During the last twenty years, millions of people in northern Uganda have suffered through the upheaval of a brutal conflict between the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government. Attacks from both rebel and government forces forced a current count of 1.6 million people to leave their homes and migrate to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. There, overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of water and healthcare, and other factors are contributing to high levels of disease including HIV/AIDS. Current statistics place the death rate at hundreds of deaths per week in the camps.
Lutheran World Relief has been active in northern Uganda since 1983, promoting health through HIV/AIDS education and provision of clean drinking water and improved sanitation, as well as working to strengthen rural livelihoods and stabilize the food supply. The organization has worked with both the displaced population in the north and with vulnerable communities elsewhere in the country.
While several challenges have encumbered the peace negotiations, the past few weeks have brought a resurgence of hope among the people of Northern Uganda and all those who seek an immediate end to the conflict. After the initial cease fire signed in August 2006 expired in March 2007, the question loomed as to the future of peace in Uganda. However, on April 26th, 2007 both the LRA and Uganda government returned to the negotiating table in Juba, South Sudan and renewed the cease fire agreement. Already some people in the IDP camps are trickling back to their original homes. However, the broader IDP population anxiously awaits a lasting peace so that they can begin the reconstruction and reconciliation process.
LWR Public Policy Manager Jesse Eaves recently joined LWR after working in northern Uganda. “For the first time in over 10 years, the feeling of hope is palpable in the North, especially among the displaced population” he said. “Now is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Uganda and demand a lasting peace. The displaced people of Northern Uganda want to go home. They deserve to go home.”
TAKE ACTION
Your voice matters in this struggle. With the broader humanitarian and advocacy community, LWR calls for sustained U.S. public, logistical and financial support, not only for the peace talks but also for the long process of reconstruction and reconciliation. The U.S. is the largest provider of foreign aid in Uganda. When the U.S. speaks up in the region, people in power listen. We urge constituents to contact their legislators and request that our government:
- issue strong public statements in support of the Juba peace process, encouraging dialogue and respect for the negotiated agreements;
- increase humanitarian assistance for affected communities;
- offer financial and logistical support for both the peace talks and for indispensable long-term reconstruction;
- encourage the safe and voluntary return of displaced Ugandans; and
- provide financial support for the demobilization and the vital reintegration of former LRA fighters into Ugandan society.
Be counted among those important voices that direct our government to act in this window of opportunity! Please call or email your legislators today.
To find your legislators’ contact information, visit http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/.
The capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
PRAYER REQUEST
Please pray that a deep and lasting peace with justice and forgiveness be achieved for the marginalized people of northern Uganda, and that the people of this area would find healing from the many difficult memories and injuries they carry.
Pray also for those in positions of power who are able to enact changes in this region, that they would have wisdom and compassion, and that their work would result in positive and lasting change and stability.
THANK YOU!
Your prayers are important, and your messages to Congress are heard. Thank you for taking the time to be a part of this opportunity for northern Uganda!
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
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