Monitoring activities are also important. The long running war in northern Uganda between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan Government has seen several failed peace initiatives over the last ten years, each of which has been followed by a deterioration in the situation. The paper will argue that international NGOs are well positioned to open up public space, particularly if this is done in alliance with local civil society groupings. Over the years NGOs have proven their commitment to peacekeeping and have shown themselves to be highly proactive in their contribution. However, this paper argues that it is important to stand back and reassess the existing approach.
Conflict is multifaceted and can manifest itself in a number of forms.
For this reason it is necessary to revisit the causes of conflict and examine the ways in which NGOs can inadvertently find themselves fueling tensions. NGOs are finding ways of intervening to reduce the incidence and impact of conflict. Civil-society based initiatives for conflict early warning have been established to respond in a timely and effective way to prevent violent conflicts from emerging. Information through such an early warning system is used to inform and advise actors who are in the best position to influence a situation proactively. A key challenge in developing such initiatives is the need to address the lack of political will.