February 1, 2007
No. 19
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, spoke today with the Honourable Sam Kutesa, Foreign
Minister of Uganda, to confirm Canada’s continued support for the peace process
between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. Minister MacKay
urged all parties to show continued commitment to the talks taking place in Juba,
Sudan, and announced that Canada would contribute $2.5 million for stabilization and
peacebuilding projects in northern Uganda.
“The current peace process represents the best opportunity in two decades to build a
lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict in northern Uganda,” said Minister MacKay.
“This opportunity must not be lost, since a return to hostilities would be tragic for the
people of Uganda and other areas affected by the hostilities, including Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Canada supports the continuation of the talks in Juba
and calls upon all parties to make progress toward a final negotiated settlement.”
Canada’s contribution will help address the legacy of war through support to former
child combatants returning to civilian life, training of Ugandan police and military forces
in human rights norms, and reconciliation activities at the local level designed to end the
cycle of violence. Including the $1.5 million already provided for the peace talks
themselves, Canada’s total recent contribution to peace in Uganda now reaches
$4 million.
For more information about Canada’s role in Uganda and the Juba peace process, visit
the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website at
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/africa/uganda-canada-en.asp.
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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
UGANDAN PEACE PROCESS
During two decades of conflict between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA), as many as two 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 people, mainly children, have been abducted by the LRA. An end to the conflict
in northern Uganda will bolster regional peace and security in Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo and advance Canada’s peacebuilding efforts in southern
Sudan, where LRA activity in recent years has contributed to continued instability and
the displacement of civilians.
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, and has been renewed on two separate occasions. The
peace talks currently under way in Juba, 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.
On January 12, 2007, the LRA suspended its participation in the talks. Efforts are
currently under way to encourage further confidence-building measures between the
parties so that negotiations can resume in Juba. Already, improving security conditions
in northern Uganda as a result of the ceasefire have permitted some 200,000 persons
to return to their homes and villages from camps for the internally displaced.
In December 2006, Canada announced a $1.5 million contribution to the peace talks via
the Juba Initiative Project, managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, making Canada the largest bilateral donor. Other countries also
supporting the peace talks include Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In tandem with other donors, Canada is
committed to helping bring an end to the conflict in northern Uganda.
These contributions are in line with Canada’s increased engagement with Uganda,
including an enhanced diplomatic presence and involvement in the Government of
Uganda’s Joint Monitoring Committee, which monitors the Ugandan government’s
emergency humanitarian action plan for the north.
