Open letter to US Ambassador Steven Browning re: US support for recovery in northern Uganda

Last month marked the one-year anniversary of the negotiation of the final peace agreement between the Ugandan government and the LRA. Included in that historic agreement was a promise by the Ugandan government that it would live up to its responsibility to help war-affected communities in northern Uganda rebuild. Though LRA leader Joseph Kony ultimately refused to sign the agreement, the Ugandan government promised to hold up its end of the bargain by implementing initiatives such as the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) for northern Uganda. 

However, one year later the PRDP remains more myth than reality for communities in northern Uganda struggling to rebuild their lives. At the heart of this lack of progress lies a lack of the political will. Most importantly, senior officials within Ugandan government have failed to make implementation of the PRDP and recovery of war-affected communities a priority. However, the US and members of the international community have also neglected to use their influence with the Ugandan government to help the PRDP and recovery efforts gain momentum. 

Last week Resolve Uganda wrote an open letter to US Ambassador to Uganda Steven Browning, urging him to more openly and proactively engage with Ugandan officials to ensure that the PRDP gets the reinforcement it needs to fulfill its role as a framework to guide the recovery process. While US has increased its support for northern Uganda in recent years, our investment in lasting peace will be uncertain unless we help ensure that the Ugandan government is committed to helping northern communities recover from two decades of conflict. Click here to download the letter.