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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 573 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 573

Calling on the United States Government and the international community 
to support the successful transition from conflict to sustainable peace 
                               in Uganda.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 19, 2006

Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Martinez, Mr. 
Coleman, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Biden, and 
 Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Calling on the United States Government and the international community 
to support the successful transition from conflict to sustainable peace 
                               in Uganda.

Whereas, for nearly 2 decades, the Government of Uganda has been engaged in a 
        conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (referred to in this preamble 
        as the ``LRA'') that has resulted in--

    (1) the deaths of approximately 200,000 individuals from violence and 
disease; and

    (2) the displacement of more than 1,600,000 individuals from the 
northern and eastern regions of Uganda;

Whereas more than half of those internally-displaced individuals are under the 
        age of 15, and 95 percent of those individuals live in absolute poverty 
        in camps where they face malnutrition, high rates of AIDS and malaria, 
        and egregious abuses of their human rights;
Whereas the LRA has used brutal tactics during that conflict, including the 
        abduction and abuse of more than 25,000 children who the organization 
        forces to attack, rape, and murder members of their families and 
        communities on behalf of the LRA;
Whereas continued instability and a lack of security in the northern region of 
        Uganda has severely hindered the delivery of sufficient humanitarian 
        assistance and services to individuals who have been displaced or 
        otherwise negatively affected by that conflict;
Whereas spillover from the war in the northern region of Uganda have had 
        negative consequences in the neighboring countries of Sudan and the 
        Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Whereas a successful transition to sustainable peace in the northern region of 
        Uganda and throughout the country will depend in large part on a 
        coordinated and comprehensive effort by the Government of Uganda, 
        regional partners, and the international community to create new social, 
        economic, and political opportunities for the citizens of Uganda who are 
        affected by that conflict;
Whereas a sustainable political resolution to that conflict must include a range 
        of locally and nationally driven reconciliation efforts that will 
        require the endorsement and involvement of all parties to the conflict, 
        as well as support from the international community;
Whereas the 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, published by the 
        Department of State, relating to the Government of Uganda indicated that 
        the ``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 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act (Public Law 108-283; 118 
        Stat. 912), the Senate--

    (1) declared its support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in 
the northern and eastern regions of Uganda; and

    (2) called for the United States and the international community to 
assist in rehabilitation, reconstruction, and demobilization efforts; and

Whereas the cessation of hostilities agreement, that was mediated by the 
        Government of Southern Sudan and signed by representatives of the 
        Government of Uganda and the LRA on August 20, 2006--

    (1) required both parties to cease all hostile military and media 
offensives; and

    (2) asked the Sudanese People's Liberation Army to facilitate the safe 
assembly of LRA fighters in designated areas for the duration of the peace 
talks: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the delegates from the Government of Uganda 
        and the Lord's Resistance Army for agreeing to a cessation of 
        hostilities for the first time in the 20 years of that 
        devastating conflict;
            (2) recognizes the leadership role that the Government of 
        Southern Sudan played in mediating that cessation of 
        hostilities and establishing a framework within which a lasting 
        peace to that conflict could be achieved;
            (3) emphasizes the importance of a complete implementation 
        of the cessation of hostilities agreement by all parties to 
        maintain progress towards a permanent resolution of that 
        conflict;
            (4) expresses the support of the citizens of the United 
        States for the people of Uganda who have endured decades of 
        violence as a result of that conflict;
            (5) entreats all parties to address issues of 
        accountability and impunity for war crimes and crimes against 
        humanity, and to support broader national reconciliation 
        efforts;
            (6) strongly encourages the Government of Uganda to improve 
        the professionalism of Ugandan military personnel currently 
        stationed in the northern and eastern regions of Uganda, with 
        an emphasis on enhancing respect for human rights, 
        accountability for abuses, and effective protection of 
        civilians;
            (7) urges the Government of Uganda to follow through and 
        augment its resettlement plan by--
                    (A) expanding social services;
                    (B) deploying professional civil servants; and
                    (C) developing the legal, political, and security 
                infrastructure--
                            (i) necessary to facilitate the freedom of 
                        movement of civilians to their homes, land, and 
                        areas within and around camps; and
                            (ii) essential to fulfill the needs of 
                        returnees and former combatants; and
            (8) calls on the United States Department of State and the 
        United States Agency for International Development, as well as 
        the international community--
                    (A) to provide adequate and coordinated 
                humanitarian assistance through nongovernmental 
                organizations to the individuals and areas most 
                affected by that conflict;
                    (B) to, while providing humanitarian assistance, 
                pay particular attention to women and children who have 
                been victimized; and
                    (C) to provide--
                            (i) sufficient technical assistance for the 
                        demobilization and reintegration of rebel 
                        combatants and abductees;
                            (ii) both financial and technical support 
                        for reconciliation and reconstruction efforts; 
                        and
                            (iii) diplomatic and logistical support for 
                        the cessation of hostilities agreement and 
                        subsequent progress towards a sustainable peace 
                        in Uganda.
                                 <all>
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