VZCZCXRO3691
RR RUEHGI RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHKM #0005/01 0030827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030827Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9825
INFO RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0681
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0467
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 3411
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KAMPALA 000005 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID AND OFDA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREF ASEC EAID UG SU CG
SUBJECT: NORTHERN UGANDA NOTES (December 1 - 31, 2007) 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  The following Northern Uganda Notes provide 
information on the situation on the ground and USG activities aimed 
at meeting Mission's objectives in northern Uganda.  These 
objectives include promoting regional stability through peace and 
security, good governance, access to social services, economic 
growth, and humanitarian assistance.  Post appreciates feedback from 
consumers on the utility of this product and any gaps in information 
that need to be filled.  End Summary. 
 
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PEACE AND RECONCILIATION PROCESSES 
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¶2.  (SBU) The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) wrapped up its 
consultations in Uganda on December 18.  The delegation met with 
President Museveni prior to its departure to Juba and again urged 
the suspension of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants if 
a peace deal were signed.  The delegation traveled to Juba and 
Nairobi.  It planned to meet with LRA leader Joseph Kony on/about 
January 3 to present the findings of the consultations in Uganda. 
The LRA hoped to hold its final consultative meeting between Kony 
and approximately 200-300 Ugandans at Ri-kwangba on/about January 
10-14. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) U.N. Special Envoy for LRA-Affected Areas Joachim Chissano 
traveled within the region and met with President Museveni on 
December 13.  He urged flexibility on the January 31 deadline, set 
by Presidents Museveni and Kabila in Arusha in September.  He met 
with the LRA delegation and urged them to focus on completing work 
on the accountability and reconciliation mechanisms as quickly as 
possible.  Chissano traveled to Gulu on December 17 and met with 
northern local and traditional leaders.  He also opened the Wider 
Northern Uganda Conference on Reconciliation in Gulu.  He urged the 
northern leaders to tell Kony that the mediators were ready to 
facilitate a resolution to the conflict.  Chissano did not see Kony 
on the visit because the LRA delegation had not yet presented the 
results of its consultations to him. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On November 30, six LRA defectors arrived in Uganda, 
including Vincent Okema, Captain Sunday Otto, George Okello, Richard 
Odonga and two minors.  Another seven defectors arrived in Uganda on 
December 19.  All were granted amnesty except for Okema and Otto, 
who had violated an earlier amnesty by returning to the bush in 
¶2003.  They will be given presidential pardons on January 3. 
 
¶5.  (U) LRA leader Joseph Kony called Gulu District Chairman Norbert 
Mao on December 21.  Kony told Mao that Museveni's threat to attack 
his base in Garamba National Park and the January 31 deadline 
undermined the Juba peace talks.  Kony called Museveni's remarks 
hostile propaganda, which violated the Cessation of Hostilities 
Agreement.  Kony said that he was not going to attack or declare war 
as he is committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.  Kony 
stated that deadlines should be set in Juba, not Arusha, Kampala, or 
Addis Ababa.  He stated that the peace deal cannot be signed by 
January 31 because his delegation had not concluded their 
consultations on agenda item three on accountability and 
reconciliation.  Kony told Mao that it was now the festive season 
and his team needed a break for the holiday.  Kony stated that he 
was being wrongly judged and that he did not send anyone to collect 
bullets or guns and he was not going to declare an attack or 
offensive.  Kony also complained that his delegation was not 
well-facilitated by the secretariat for the peace talks, leading to 
some delegation members being held hostage in hotels over unpaid 
bills.  Mao said that Kony "dodged" him on LRA deputy Otti's fate. 
 
¶6.  (U) President Museveni traveled to Gulu to close the wider 
Northern Uganda Conference.  While in Gulu, he met with elected, 
religious, and traditional leaders.  Rwot Acana asked Museveni to 
establish a national truth and reconciliation commission headed by a 
High Court judge and composed of people of integrity appointed by 
the government. 
 
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HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY 
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¶7.  (U)  One-third of the internally-displaced persons in northern 
Uganda have returned home, according to the U.N.'s Office of the 
Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).  Approximately 
513,993 of the 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) 
returned to their homes in Teso, Lango, and Acholi regions.  Another 
429,155 people were in transit near their homes.  In Lira and Oyam 
districts, eight IDP camps were recommended for de-gazetting by the 
 
KAMPALA 00000005  002 OF 003 
 
 
District Disaster Management Committees.  Only one camp remains in 
Lira with a population of 2,200.  An increasing number of people 
were moving from camps to transit camps or home villages in Kitgum 
district due to the availability of thatching materials for roofs. 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Acholi leaders expressed concerns about the Government's 
request for land to be given to the Madhvani Group of Companies for 
a sugar factory in Amuru District.  President Museveni accused 
Acholi leaders of "telling lies" that he wanted to grab land and 
give it to investors during a visit to Amuru.  He pointed out the 
virtues of industrialization, particularly in an area with high 
unemployment.  During a meeting between President Museveni and local 
leaders in Gulu on December 20, Rwot Acana, the Acholi Paramount 
Chief, was mandated to hold consultations with the Acholi on the 
issue. 
 
¶9.  (U) USG Activities:  The Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) 
project allocated approximately USD 10 million from its FY 08 
Malaria Operational Plan to combat malaria in Northern Uganda 
through multiple interventions such as indoor residual spraying, 
long-lasting insecticide treated nets, patient treatment, and 
community education.  In addition, the Malaria Communities Program 
allocated USD 1.5 million to West Nile and Karamoja regions for 
three year community-based malaria programs.  Indoor residual 
spraying programs in Kitgum, Pader, and Amuru districts have been 
completed and in the coming months, the spraying program will be 
expanded to Gulu, Apac and Oyam districts.  Bed net distribution to 
pregnant mothers through ante-natal clinics is continuing in 26 
districts. 
 
¶10.  (U) On December 17, USAID's implementing partner, Research 
Triangle Institute International, in collaboration with Ministry of 
Health Malaria Control staff conducted a sensitization workshop for 
religious, traditional, and government leaders, journalists, and 
heads of line ministries at the district level on Indoor Residual 
Spraying.  Participants learned about the rationale for spraying, 
chemical management, and environmental and safety concerns. 
¶11.  (U) The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF HOA) 
continued work on the construction of a children's ward for the 
Kitgum Referral Hospital and a Library in Kitgum.  The children's 
ward will be 240 square meters in size.  It will house a small 
clinic and have wards for maternity, delivery, and pediatrics.  A 
veterinary outreach project will be conducted in Gulu District and 
parts of Amuru District in January and February 2008.  The 
veterinary project will provide inoculation against several common 
diseases for cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and dogs.  Personnel from 
the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions will conduct a site survey in 
January to replace a bridge and a culvert in Lira District later in 
the year in conjunction with the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force 
(UPDF). 
 
¶12.  (U) USAID signed a USD 9.5 million contract for the Stability, 
Peace, and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda (SPRING) program. 
USAID's implementing partner is the Emerging Markets Group (EMG). 
The new program focuses on peace and reconciliation, livelihoods, 
and access to justice for victims of conflict in northern Uganda. 
 
¶13.  (U) During her visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on December 5, 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced U.S. support for U.N. 
 
SIPDIS 
Special Envoy for LRA-Affected Areas Joachim Chissano's office in 
Kampala.  In addition, the U.S. assistance totaling USD 330,000 will 
support the work of the five African observers to the talks.  The 
observers, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, 
Tanzania, and South Africa play an important role in 
confidence-building and mediating between the two parties. 
 
¶14.  (U) Secretary Rice also announced the provision of USD 1.5 
million in immediate support for the disarmament, demobilization, 
and repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of 
ex-combatants. 
 
¶15.  (U) USAID's CAPACITY project trained northern medical and 
clinical managers in supervisory and performance improvement methods 
on December 10 and 11.  The training specifically targeted districts 
and personnel covered by the Northern Uganda Malaria, AIDS,and 
Tuberculosis (NUMAT). 
 
¶16.  (U) USAID's Northern Uganda Advisor participated in a meeting 
with actor Ben Affleck during his visit to Gulu on December 14.  The 
purpose of Affleck's trip was to meet with local organizations 
responding to conflict and to raise awareness. 
 
 
KAMPALA 00000005  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶17.  (U) The Ministry of Education met with stakeholders to set 
priorities for post-conflict northern Uganda on December 20.  They 
reviewed the findings of recent assessments and set sector 
priorities for the implementation under the Peace, Recovery and 
Development Plan (PRDP).  The top priority was teacher housing, 
followed by teacher recruitment and classrooms.  The number of 
schools available is directly linked to the return locations of 
IDPs.  Special needs of certain populations, such as fishing 
communities and the disabled, also were discussed.  The Ministry 
plans to replicate the stakeholders' meeting in Teso and other stops 
around the north. 
 
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SECURITY UPDATE 
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¶18.  (U) On December 16, suspected LRA rebels raided a Catholic 
mission in Duru, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), near the border 
with Sudan.  Duru is approximately 90 kilometers from Dungu.  The 
suspected LRA looted the Comboni mission and hospital, briefly 
holding an Italian priest hostage. 
 
¶19.  (U) The Government of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of 
Congo held the Fifth Session of the Uganda-DRC Joint Permanent 
Commission on December 12 in Kampala.  The last meeting was held 10 
years ago.  Issues discussed included the presence of the LRA in 
Garamba National Park.  Three working groups on defense and 
security, social economic cooperation, and political and diplomatic 
relations worked on resolving outstanding issues.  Both parties 
agreed to normalize diplomatic relations by March 2008. 
 
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FROM THE MEDIA AND THE WEB 
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¶20.  (U) "Museveni Blasts Kony for Killing Otti" was the New 
Vision's December 21 headline.  During his visit to northern Uganda, 
Museveni publicly criticized Kony for killing Otti.  "He killed 
Otti.  Who is he?  Those that he is killing are Ugandans.  Otti and 
the rest should have been killed by the law of Uganda but not Kony. 
What right do you have to kill others?"  Museveni also stated, "Kony 
wants to come from the bush alive but he killed Otti.  When he 
comes, what will he tell the people?"  "What I know is that the two 
quarreled over some USD 600,000 from donors."  Museveni described 
Kony as an illiterate who would be defeated through peaceful or 
other means. 
 
¶21.  (U) Museveni cautioned Rwot Acana from using the word 
"irreversible" to describe the peace talks because he (Museveni) 
follows "what Kony is thinking."  "The peace is reversible because 
Kony is weak and that is why he has fled to Garamba."  Museveni said 
that he was convinced Kony could be defeated militarily, but he was 
persuaded by northern leaders to accept the peace process. 
CHRITTON