[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 80 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 80
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 19, 2007
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) to recommit to a political solution to the conflict in northern
Uganda by engaging in good-faith negotiations, and urging immediate and
substantial support for the ongoing peace process from the United
States and the international community.
Whereas for over two decades, the Government of Uganda has been engaged in an
armed conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) that has resulted
in up to 200,000 deaths from violence and disease and the displacement
of more than 1,600,000 civilians from eastern and northern Uganda;
Whereas former United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland called the crisis in
northern Uganda ``the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian
emergency in the world today'';
Whereas Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, and several of his associates have
been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and
crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, enslavement, sexual
enslavement, and the forced recruitment of an estimated 66,000 children;
Whereas the LRA is a severe and repeat violator of human rights and has
continued to attack civilians and humanitarian aid workers despite a
succession of ceasefire agreements;
Whereas the Secretary of State has labeled the LRA ``vicious and cult-like'' and
designates it as a terrorist organization under the Immigration and
Nationality Act;
Whereas the 2006 Department of State report on the human rights record of the
Government of Uganda found that ``security forces committed unlawful
killings. . . and were responsible for deaths as a result of torture''
along with other ``serious problems'', including repression of political
opposition, official impunity, and violence against women and children;
Whereas in the 2004 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act (Public Law 108-283; 118
Stat. 912), Congress declared its support for a peaceful resolution of
the conflict in northern and eastern Uganda and called for the United
States and the international community to assist in rehabilitation,
reconstruction, and demobilization efforts;
Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which was mediated by the
Government of Southern Sudan and signed by representatives of the
Government of Uganda and the LRA on August 20, 2006, and extended on
November 1, 2006, requires both parties to cease all hostile military
and media offensives and asks the Sudan People's Liberation Army to
facilitate the safe assembly of LRA fighters in designated areas for the
duration of the peace talks;
Whereas the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement expired on February 28, 2007,
without ever having been fully implemented, and though the parties
resumed peace talks on April 26, 2007, and signed a preliminary
agreement on May 2, 2007, they have not yet arrived at a sustainable
negotiated settlement and observers remain concerned that hostilities
between rebel and government forces could resume;
Whereas a return to civil war would yield disastrous results for the people of
northern Uganda and for regional stability, while peace in Uganda will
bolster the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and de-
escalate tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and
Whereas continuing violence and instability obstruct the delivery of
humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Uganda and impede
national and regional trade, development and democratization efforts,
and counter-terrorism initiatives: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) disapproves of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
leadership's inconsistent commitment to resolving the conflict
in Uganda peacefully;
(2) urges the LRA and the Government of Uganda to engage in
good-faith negotiations to pursue a political solution to this
conflict;
(3) encourages all parties in the region to immediately
cease human rights violations and address, within the context
of a broader national reconciliation process in Uganda, issues
of accountability and impunity for those crimes against
humanity already committed;
(4) urges leaders on both sides of the conflict in Uganda
to renounce any intentions and halt any preparations to resume
violence and to ensure that this message is clearly conveyed to
armed elements under their control; and
(5) calls on the Secretary of State, the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development, and the
heads of other similar governmental agencies and
nongovernmental organizations within the international
community to continue to augment efforts to alleviate the
humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda and to support a
peaceful resolution to this crisis by publicly and forcefully
reiterating the preceding demands.
Passed the House of Representatives June 18, 2007.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.