November 2011 Action Item
Write
to President Obama concerning the crisis in Northern Uganda and the
exploitation of children!
A 25-year conflict has been raging in Northern Uganda, between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). As a result, millions have been displaced from their homes, thousands have died in the violence or in the resettlement camps, and tens of thousands of children have been abducted and forced to become child soldiers and sex slaves.
In recent years, some efforts toward peace have accomplished a somewhat improved situation in Northern Uganda, however, the LRA leadership remains at large and continues to abduct children and perpetrate violence against an unarmed civilian population. Further, they have spread their activities into surrounding countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic--regions already plagued with their own difficulties and violence.
The U.S. government, due to popular pressure, has offered some support in the past in helping Uganda resolve the conflict. Now it is time to encourage the Obama administration to again take a leadership role in addressing these issues and the horrendous atrocities still persisting in the region.
Please write to:
President Barak Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
(You may also email the president by going to the website: www.whitehouse.gov/contact, but remember a hand-written note has a different kind of impact.)
Points for your letter :
--express your deep concern about the conflict that continues in Uganda and in all other LRA-affected areas, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
--express how encouraging it was that the U.S. has had a hand in the peace that has been accomplished thus far, and how tragic it would be to let the escalating violence undo the work that has been done so far.
--also recognize that much still needs to be done to protect the nearly 500,000 civilians still displaced by the conflict, as well as the vulnerable populations living in neighboring countries.
--call on the U.S. government to develop and implement a comprehensive peace strategy for this region.
--indicate your desire for increased funding for rebuilding, development, and reconciliation work in Uganda, with much of the resources particularly directed to aid former child soldiers and affected families.
--finally, call for public hearings concerning Uganda and the surrounding region, addressing the violence perpetrated there.
For a more in-depth explanation of the history and development of the conflict in Northern Uganda, see World Vision's excellent synopsis at:
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/globalissues-uganda?open&lid=uganda&lpos=day_txt_uganda
A 25-year conflict has been raging in Northern Uganda, between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). As a result, millions have been displaced from their homes, thousands have died in the violence or in the resettlement camps, and tens of thousands of children have been abducted and forced to become child soldiers and sex slaves.
In recent years, some efforts toward peace have accomplished a somewhat improved situation in Northern Uganda, however, the LRA leadership remains at large and continues to abduct children and perpetrate violence against an unarmed civilian population. Further, they have spread their activities into surrounding countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic--regions already plagued with their own difficulties and violence.
The U.S. government, due to popular pressure, has offered some support in the past in helping Uganda resolve the conflict. Now it is time to encourage the Obama administration to again take a leadership role in addressing these issues and the horrendous atrocities still persisting in the region.
Please write to:
President Barak Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
(You may also email the president by going to the website: www.whitehouse.gov/contact, but remember a hand-written note has a different kind of impact.)
Points for your letter :
--express your deep concern about the conflict that continues in Uganda and in all other LRA-affected areas, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
--express how encouraging it was that the U.S. has had a hand in the peace that has been accomplished thus far, and how tragic it would be to let the escalating violence undo the work that has been done so far.
--also recognize that much still needs to be done to protect the nearly 500,000 civilians still displaced by the conflict, as well as the vulnerable populations living in neighboring countries.
--call on the U.S. government to develop and implement a comprehensive peace strategy for this region.
--indicate your desire for increased funding for rebuilding, development, and reconciliation work in Uganda, with much of the resources particularly directed to aid former child soldiers and affected families.
--finally, call for public hearings concerning Uganda and the surrounding region, addressing the violence perpetrated there.
For a more in-depth explanation of the history and development of the conflict in Northern Uganda, see World Vision's excellent synopsis at:
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/globalissues-uganda?open&lid=uganda&lpos=day_txt_uganda