IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 16 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 6, 2007 

Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Calling on the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to recommit to a political solution 

to the conflict in northern Uganda and to recommence 

vital peace talks, and urging immediate and substantial 

support for the ongoing peace process from the United 

States and the international community. 

Whereas for nearly two decades, the Government of Uganda 

has been engaged in an armed conflict with the Lord’s 

Resistance Army (LRA) that has resulted in up to 

200,000 deaths from violence and disease and the displacement of more than 1,600,000 civilians from eastern 

and northern Uganda. 

Whereas former United Nations Undersecretary-General for 

Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator 

Jan Egeland has called the crisis in northern Uganda 

‘‘the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today’’; 


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SCON 16 RFH 

Whereas Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, and several of 

his associates have been indicted by the International 

Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, enslavement, sexual enslavement, and the forced recruitment of an estimated 

66,000 children; 

Whereas the LRA is a severe and repeat violator of human 

rights and has continued to attack civilians and humanitarian aid workers despite a succession of ceasefire agreements; 

Whereas the Secretary of State has labeled the LRA ‘‘vicious 

and cult-like’’ and designates it as a terrorist organization; 

Whereas the 2005 Department of State report on the human 

rights record of the Government of Uganda found that 

‘‘security forces committed unlawful killings. . . and were 

responsible for deaths as a result of torture’’ along with 

other ‘‘serious problems,’’ including repression of political 

opposition, official impunity, and violence against women 

and children; 

Whereas, in the 2004 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act 

(Public Law 108–283; 118 Stat. 912), Congress declared 

its support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in 

northern and eastern Uganda and called for the United 

States and the international community to assist in rehabilitation, reconstruction, and demobilization efforts; 

Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which was 

mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan and 

signed by representatives of the Government of Uganda 

and the LRA on August 20, 2006, and extended on November 1, 2006, requires both parties to cease all hostile 


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SCON 16 RFH 

military and media offensives and asks the Sudan People’s Liberation Army to facilitate the safe assembly of 

LRA fighters in designated areas for the duration of the 

peace talks; 

Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement is set to expire on February 28, 2007, and although both parties to 

the agreement have indicated that they are willing to continue with the peace talks, no date has been set for resumption of the talks, and recent reports have suggested 

that both rebel and Government forces are preparing to 

return to war; 

Whereas a return to civil war would yield disastrous results 

for the people of northern Uganda and for regional stability, while peace in Uganda will bolster the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and de-escalate 

tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 

Whereas continuing violence and instability obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Uganda and impede national and regional trade, development and democratization efforts, and counter-terrorism initiatives; and 

Whereas the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 

366, 109th Congress, agreed to February 6, 2006, and 

Senate Resolution 573, 109th Congress, agreed to September 19, 2006, calling on Uganda, Sudan, the United 

States, and the international community to bring justice 

and provide humanitarian assistance to northern Uganda 

and to support the successful transition from conflict to 

sustainable peace, while the House of Representatives has 

not yet considered comparable legislation: Now, therefore, 

be it 


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1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) disapproves of the LRA leadership’s incon4 sistent commitment to resolving the conflict in 

5 Uganda peacefully; 

6 (2) urges the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) 

7 and the Government of Uganda to return to negotia8 tions in order to extend and expand upon the exist9 ing ceasefire and to recommit to pursuing a political 

10 solution to this conflict; 

11 (3) entreats all parties in the region to imme12 diately cease human rights violations and address, 

13 within the context of a broader national reconcili14 ation process in Uganda, issues of accountability 

15 and impunity for those crimes against humanity al16 ready committed; 

17 (4) presses leaders on both sides of the conflict 

18 in Uganda to renounce any intentions and halt any 

19 preparations to resume violence and to ensure that 

20 this message is clearly conveyed to armed elements 

21 under their control; and 

22 (5) calls on the Secretary of State, the Admin23 istrator of the United States Agency for Inter24 national Development, and the heads of other simi25 lar governmental agencies and nongovernmental orVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:14 Mar 07, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SC16.RFH SC16

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1 ganizations within the international community to 

2 continue and augment efforts to alleviate the hu3 manitarian crisis in northern Uganda and to support 

4 a peaceful resolution to this crisis by publicly and 

5 forcefully reiterating the preceding demands. 

Passed the Senate March 1, 2007. 

Attest: NANCY ERICKSON, 

Secretary. 


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