Washington, Don't Forget Uganda

As I have written so many times before, the political climate in Uganda is explosive. On Wednesday, two MPs in the opposition were arrested and charged with murder in a dangerously political move by the government. The opposition is claiming this is just government intimidation, and they claim the government is ushering in a major "political crisis." The link to the article in today's Monitor is here: http://allafrica.com/stories/200504210799.html.

At the end of the article it talks about the power of the international community to affect positive change here in Uganda. As I wrote in my two articles this week, if the U.S. government wants something to happen in Uganda and acts for it, it will happen. The U.S. provides massive amounts of economic and military aid to Uganda, and has been a vital advocate of President Youweri Museveni. In recent days, the U.S. has become much more critical of Uganda's political affairs, but it must do more than just make statements.

Especially regarding the war in northern Uganda, the United States has an opportunity to use its clout for an end to a vicious war that has caused mass suffering and death. If the United States pushes serious peace negotiations and provides envoys to build trust for such talks, peace can be achieved. We are forming Uganda Conflict Action Network to raise awareness of this and push the U.S. government to utilize such an opportunity to do good.

I pray that the cries of Ugandans do not fall on deaf ears in Washington. I believe, though, that they will unless we demand action.