by Kevin Kelley
05/05/2006

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Below is an excerpt of an article from East African News:

Along with denunciations of the Lord’s Resistance Army as "a barbaric cult," the United States Congress heard sharp criticisms last week of the Ugandan government’s alleged failure to pursue peace negotiations with the LRA and to prevent the deaths of thousands of displaced civilians.

Congressman Chris Smith, chairman of the US House of Representatives’ Africa subcommittee, set the tone for the April 26 inquiry by suggesting that the government is "insufficiently committed to improving the situation in northern Uganda."

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Continuing to express dissatisfaction with Museveni’s government, Smith said he and other members of Congress will soon introduce a Bill to deny US military assistance to Uganda and six other countries believed to use child soldiers.

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"Even when compared with other humanitarian emergencies, northern Uganda’s camps are woefully deficient in the provision of water for drinking and bathing, latrines for adequate sanitation, and basic living space for physical and mental well-being," said Leonard Rogers, a USAid deputy assistant administrator.

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The UN representative of Refugees International added that the Uganda government "has clearly failed in fulfilling its responsibility" to assist displaced persons in the north. "Displaced persons told Refugees International that Ugandan soldiers, particularly members of the mobile units, steal, rape, exploit and kill, and victims have almost no way to address these violations," said Michelle Brown, the relief group’s representative.