In a sign that the Northern Uganda crisis is inching toward appearance on news media radar, the student-run, non-partisan Stanford Progressive has published an essay setting forth the issues. The article Ignoring Northern Uganda: A Coherent US Policy? boldly calls for U.S. leadership on the Uganda crisis:
The United States should take the lead in increasing international attention to the conflict and should begin its increased engagement by appointing a senior-level Special Envoy for Northern Uganda who reports directly to Secretary Rice or President Bush. At such a delicate but critical point, an entity with a continuous focus on the conflict, providing ongoing information and analysis, will help to identify the best next steps and to see them through; a high-level appointment will encourage other nations to take similar actions. The Envoy would be able to advise the National Security Council in coordinating the diplomatic and military elements of a solution. Also, appointment of a senior-level Envoy makes an important statement about the United States' commitment to stability, rights and the rule of law in Uganda and in the region more generally, and a statement to the regional governments. (italics added)
This is, after all the responsibility of the U.S. - as agreed to with Britain, amidst all the many crisis challenges in that very neighborhood - a very small area encompassing Uganda, Sudan and Congo, an area that has been called the worst humanitarian situation on the planet. Even the CIA World Factbook, in discussing the Ugandan economy, states "(c)orruption within the government and slippage in the government's determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth."
It is refreshing to see Uganda under consideration on campuses. No doubt the screenings of Invisible Children on campuses around the country can play a role in this awareness. The Stanford Progressive's call for the appointment of a special envoy, as has been done next door in Darfur, is the least we can do to help Uganda's invisible children:
The appointment of an envoy will demonstrate a commitment from the U.S. government to peace stability and human rights in Uganda while simultaneously allowing for careful consideration of next steps. In a political environment where ineffective humanitarian interventions are harshly criticized, caution in constructing a solution is merited; but in an era of American democracy promotion and condemnation of transnational terrorism, non-engagement in northern Uganda is morally discordant and gives further grounds to accusations of US hypocrisy. (italics added)
In fact, why not simply expand the charge of the U.S. Special Envoy, Ambassador Robert Zoellick, to encompass both Northern Uganda and the related lawlessness in Eastern Congo? Everyone knows I am a unabashed fan of Ambassador Zoellick. He is the right person for the job of connecting the dots which inter-connect crisis points in all three countries.
Needed now are journalists to do the same. It is clear that the ruling oligarchy in Kampala is afraid of the conclusions to be drawn from the evidence. Ingrid Jones of Uganda Watch reports that the crackdown is already underway against journalists in Uganda, part of a continuing pattern we have observed in Uganda for some months now. Canadian journalist Blake Lambert, who writes for The Washington Times, Christian Science Monitor and The Economist - has had his journalist accreditation pulled by the Museveni regime. South Africa television News 24 quotes BBC employee Will Ross saying: "We were told not move beyond a radius of 100 kilometres from Kampala until we had sought clearance from the media centre."
This is a typical attempt at media blackout prior to pulling the dirty tricks necessary to rig an election in Uganda - and has been seen before. As the pre-election tension ramps up, it is time for everyone in Uganda to be mindful of appropriate levels of personal security. When one studies history, it is clear that tyrants - from Josef Stalin to Saddam Hussein - require crisis in order to smokescreen their activities. That lesson has not been lost on tyrants in Africa.
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