December 8, 2006
No. 153
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced that Canada will contribute
$1.5 million to support the northern Uganda peace process between the Government of
Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army being held in Juba, South Sudan. With this
contribution, Canada will become the largest bilateral supporter of these critical peace
talks.
“It is very important for Canada that every effort be made to bring an end to a
20-year-long conflict that has led to the abduction of some 30,000 children, the
widespread use of child soldiers, and the displacement of close to 2 million people,”
said Minister MacKay. “Canada urges both sides to reach a comprehensive peace
agreement that will pave the way to greater freedom, human rights and rule of law for
all.”
The contribution will help support the work of the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring
Team, which is responsible for overseeing compliance with the ceasefire. The United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will manage
Canada’s contribution to the peace process.
For more information about Canada’s role in Uganda and the Juba peace process, visit
the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada web site at
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/africa/uganda-canada-en.asp.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
Backgrounder
During two decades of conflict between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA), as many as 2 million Ugandans in the North (95 percent of
Acholi ethnic identity) have been forced to live in displaced persons camps, and close
to 30,000 persons—mainly children—have been abducted by the LRA. The conflict has
also produced significant instability in South Sudan, where the insurgency has been
one of the major sources of persisting conflict and displacement following the signing of
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.
In recent months, a fragile peace has emerged in northern Uganda. The LRA and the
Government of Uganda signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which came into
effect on August 29, 2006. This was renewed on November 1 with further security
provisions for the LRA. The peace talks currently underway in Juba, South Sudan,
mediated by the Government of South Sudan, are intended to address a wide range of
issues, including a permanent cessation of hostilities, the disarmament and
demobilization of the LRA, the economic and political marginalization of the North within
Uganda, and the need for appropriate accountability for war crimes committed during
the conflict.
Canada’s contribution to the Juba peace talks will bolster regional peace and security in
Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and advance Canada’s peacebuilding
efforts in South Sudan, where LRA activity in recent years has contributed to continued
instability and the displacement of civilians.
If successful, the peace talks will pave the way for lasting peace and stability in northern
Uganda. Already, improving security conditions in northern Uganda as a result of the
ceasefire have permitted some 300,000 internally displaced persons to return to their
homes and villages.
This $1.5-million contribution means that Canada ranks first among donors to the Juba
Initiative Project managed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Other countries that are also supporting the peace talks include Belgium, Germany,
Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Together with
other donors, Canada is committed to helping bring an end to the conflict in northern
Uganda.
This contribution is in line with Canada’s increased engagement with Uganda, of which
there are several elements. Canada has placed a Political Counsellor in Kampala and
has increased its involvement in the Government of Uganda’s Joint Monitoring
Committee (JMC), which monitors the Ugandan Government’s Emergency
Humanitarian Action Plan for the North. The JMC is chaired by Uganda’s Prime Minister
and includes donor countries, UN agencies and NGOs.
