Weekly Roundup June 26-July 2: UN condemns LRA violence, but rebel attacks continue across three countries

As you know, it's been an exciting several months. In May we saw the culmination of over a year of grassroots activism when Congress passed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act and President Obama signed this historic legislation into law. In recent weeks President Obama's top officials have been more vocal than ever about the need for US leadership to address this crisis. But our excitement at this progress has been tempered by news of continued LRA atrocities in central Africa - a reminder that seeing an end to LRA violence will take more than statements from senior Obama advisors or one piece of legislation in Congress. Earlier this week my colleague Michael and I wrote about the big picture and the road ahead, trying to put all of these developments into perspective as we seek to ensure that our leaders take advantage of this historic opportunity to help achieve a lasting peace for communities affected by this conflict. Thanks again for all the work you do, and we look forward to the journey that lies ahead. 

The Good: The UN Security Council strongly condemned LRA attacks in the Central African Republic (CAR) in a press statement released this week.

The Bad: An LRA attack Wednesday in the Western Equatoria region of South Sudan reportedly left one dead and hundreds fleeing their villages, fearing further attacks.

The Ugly: This week, the LRA launched several raids around Dungu in northeastern DR Congo, stealing food and supplies and killing two people.


Regional Security

• The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group based in eastern DR Congo, allegedly attacked a village in DR Congo near the Ugandan border on Monday killing 16 people. The Ugandan military has deployed extra troops along the border for security.

• Our colleague Ledio Cakaj at the Enough Project reports that the losses suffered by Ugandan military forces pursuing LRA rebels in CAR may have been higher than initially reported. Ledio also writes that about 1,000 Ugandan soldiers have been recalled to deal with instability in Uganda's Karamoja region and they expect more troops to return to Uganda in advance of the national elections next year, which could leave civilians in CAR more vulnerable to LRA attacks.

Situation in Northern Uganda

• Land conflicts are causing tensions between Acholi and Langi communities in northern Uganda's Pader district. A senior Ugandan Parliamentarian said that the clashes between these groups have newly displaced hundreds of people in recent weeks.

• The UN Security Council voted this week to extend the mandate of the peacekeeping force in DR Congo, and decided to refocus the mission on stabilization efforts in the country. 

• UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon says that the remaining UN troops in DR Congo will continue to "give priority to civilian protection and use all means to fulfil this mandate of protection."