Gov't launches emergency plan for the north

The Ugandan government has launched an emergency plan for intervention in war-affected northern Uganda, emphasising security, humanitarian assistance, peace-building and reconciliation. The initiative pledges increased and enhanced police presence in the north, where the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has wreaked havoc for some 20 years, displacing almost 2 million civilians. It aims to establish clear roles for the army, local government-allied militias and police, who are working to facilitate the voluntary return of displaced people and maintain security. The emergency action plan also aims to consolidate peace initiatives and "establish contact and promote dialogue with middle-level LRA, where possible." However, at the launch of the plan on Thursday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ruled out the possibility of a negotiated settlement with the LRA leadership. Instead, he asked for cooperation from Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to apprehend LRA leaders who have been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. "[LRA leader Joseph] Kony and the other three commanders must face trial in The Hague," he said. "What remains to be done now is working with the Sudan government, the SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army], the Congo government and MONUC [the United Nations mission in the DRC] to capture Kony and a few of his associates and hand them over to The Hague so that we end impunity." The president maintained the Ugandan army had secured the north and the war was nearing its end. "We have created capacity that henceforth, no terrorist or lawbreaker will come to Uganda and survive for any length of time. That is why Kony is running away. He is not going to the Garamba National Park [in northeastern DRC] as a tourist. We are left with a few gaps here and there, which we are going to solve."