III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 80 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 19, 2007 

Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 by engaging in goodfaith negotiations, and urging immediate and substantial 

support for the ongoing peace process from the United 

States and the international community. 

Whereas for over 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; 


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HCON 80 RFS 

Whereas former United Nations Undersecretary-General for 

Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator 

Jan Egeland called the crisis in northern Uganda ‘‘the 

biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency in 

the world today’’; 

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 under the Immigration and Nationality Act; 

Whereas the 2006 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; 


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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 

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 expired on 

February 28, 2007, without ever having been fully implemented, and though the parties resumed peace talks on 

April 26, 2007, and signed a preliminary agreement on 

May 2, 2007, they have not yet arrived at a sustainable 

negotiated settlement and observers remain concerned 

that hostilities between rebel and government forces could 

resume; 

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; and 

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: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 


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1 (1) disapproves of the Lord’s Resistance Army 

2 (LRA) leadership’s inconsistent commitment to re3 solving the conflict in Uganda peacefully; 

4 (2) urges the LRA and the Government of 

5 Uganda to engage in good-faith negotiations to pur6 sue a political solution to this conflict; 

7 (3) encourages all parties in the region to im8 mediately cease human rights violations and address, 

9 within the context of a broader national reconcili10 ation process in Uganda, issues of accountability 

11 and impunity for those crimes against humanity al12 ready committed; 

13 (4) urges leaders on both sides of the conflict 

14 in Uganda to renounce any intentions and halt any 

15 preparations to resume violence and to ensure that 

16 this message is clearly conveyed to armed elements 

17 under their control; and 

18 (5) calls on the Secretary of State, the Admin19 istrator of the United States Agency for Inter20 national Development, and the heads of other simi21 lar governmental agencies and nongovernmental or22 ganizations within the international community to 

23 continue to augment efforts to alleviate the humani24 tarian crisis in northern Uganda and to support a 


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1 peaceful resolution to this crisis by publicly and 

2 forcefully reiterating the preceding demands. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 18, 2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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