Congressman Johnson's Plea for Peace in Uganda Passes Committee

Press Release

Congressman Johnson's Plea for Peace in Uganda Passes Committee

A bipartisan resolution, introduced by Congressman Hank Johnson, calling for an end to the brutal conflict in Northern Uganda passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee today.

H.Con.Res. 80 will send an official appeal to the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to stop the violence and work out their differences. Identical legislation was introduced by Senator Russ Feingold in the Senate.

"This is an abominable situation and must be addressed urgently because every day more men, women and children die senselessly," said Congressman Johnson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "Nearly 1.6 million people have been displaced and are relegated to disease-ridden refugee camps so it is imperative that we get this on the Floor schedule sooner than later."

The conflict in Northern Uganda has decimated the country for nearly two decades. The LRA, known for recruiting child soldiers, has one of the worst human rights records in the world. The Refugee Law Project estimates that 20,000 Ugandan children have been abducted to serve in the LRA and have been required to kill their own parents to ensure they will not return. Captured girls are reportedly kept as wives. Following a truce last August, the LRA cut off peace talks in January 2007 after accusing the Sudanese officials of embezzlement.

Humanitarian aid agencies also advocate peace talks to end the war.

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