Weekly Roundup July 10-16: World Cup bombings kill over seventy people in Kampala

As you know, earlier this week several bombs exploded in Kampala, killing over seventy people gathered to watch the World Cup finale. My colleagues and I at Resolve Uganda have been deeply shocked and saddened at the news of this attack on the city, country and people who have welcomed us with open arms so many times. We express our condolences to the families and friends of all those who have passed away, and have been personally touched by the loss of Nate Henn, a dear friend and selfless advocate for lasting peace in central Africa. We will always remember how wholeheartedly Nate pursued this goal, and his life is an inspiration for us to do the same.

The Good: Four young girls abducted by the LRA were recently freed by the Congolese army in Dungu, DR Congo, due in part to the advocacy work of the UN and civil society groups.

The Bad: Due to insecurity caused by LRA attacks, the UN World Food Programme announced that it is unable to deliver emergency food assistance to most of the people displaced by the LRA in DR Congo except through air drops.

The Ugly: Four people were killed and seven abducted in an LRA attack in the village of Mandabazouma in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this month.

Regional Security

• UN humanitarian officials released a report stating that thousands of people displaced by LRA attacks in southeast CAR are unable to access their land and will remain dependent on international aid "until the LRA threat is clearly addressed."

• Humanitarian agencies have been forced to suspend aid to 3,500 households in the Bas-Uélé District in northeastern DR Congo as of June 11 because of LRA activity in the area.

• The Congolese army clashed with the Congo-based Ugandan rebel group the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU) in the oil-rich eastern region of the country, driving 40,000 civilians from their homes.  Civil society groups have urged the Congolese military to improve civilian protection efforts as they conduct this operation.

Situation in Northern Uganda

• Bombings in Kampala, Uganda that killed over seventy people on Sunday sent shockwaves throughout the country. Al-Shabab militants in Somalia, where Uganda has thousands of soldiers stationed as part of an African Union peacekeeping force, have allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

• A new map released by the UN vividly demonstrates that even years after the LRA left northern Uganda, a large fraction of the population has limited access to basic services such as education, healthcare, and clean water.

• Civil society, the media, and Members of Parliament are increasing pressure on the Ugandan government to release documents concerning contracts with foreign oil companies in order to ensure that these are transparent and fair.

International Community

• US leaders, including President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Senator Feingold, and Senator Inhofe, have condemned the terrorist bombings in Kampala and pledged US support to Uganda in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

• At a discussion this week on the future of South Sudan, US Special Envoy to Sudan Maj. Gen. Scott Gration continued a pattern of decrying LRA violence there while failing to say what steps the Obama Administration is taking to stop LRA attacks and ensure the rebel group does not interfere with South Sudan's 2011 referendum on independence.

• CAR's Foreign Minister this week called upon the US to help the CAR government put a stop to LRA violence against civilians in the country's remote southeast corner. "We hope that the United States of America can contribute to the efforts of the Central African armed forces, backed by the Ugandan forces, with the aim of neutralising the LRA," he said.

• A British Member of Parliament called for greater international efforts to end the LRA's reign of terror, saying that "There has been a pathetic lack of co-ordinated, sustained interest and action by the security forces of the regional government, by UN peacekeepers and by the international community, to stop the LRA," adding that "We clearly need a much more coherent military campaign to hunt down the LRA leaders and bring them to justice."