April 18, 2007:
The AU (African Union) is
sending eight observers to the
Ri-Kwangba LRA assembly area in south Sudan. The observers will stay there
indefinitely. The AU has agreed to
provide the observers in response to LRA rebel claims that LRA fighters are
threatened by the Ugandan military. The observers come from Tanzania, South
Africa, Mozambique, and Kenya.
April 17, 2007: Ugandan police broke up a large
political protest. The police action included tear gas and shooting. The
protest was sparked by the arrest of two Ugandan members of Parliament who were
accused of inciting attacks on ethnic Indians in Uganda.
April 15, 2007: The
military said that its offensive against the Allied Democratic Force
(ADF) in western Uganda will continue. The army
has now either killed or captured 65 ADF rebels since the offensive
began in late March. Most of the fighting has occurred in Bundibugyo District.
The offensive has consisted of a series of cordon and search operations. The
army reported that it has received excellent local intelligence during the
offensive (meaning civilians have supplied the army units with information on
the ADF's whereabouts).
April 14, 2007: The LRA and the Ugandan government
agreed to extend their ceasefire.
April 13, 2007: A former president of Mozambique,
Joaquim Chissano, met with LRA leader Joseph Kony. Chissano urged the LRA to continue to pursue peace
negotiations with Uganda. Chissano is currently serving as a UN representative
and observer for the peace talks.
April 12, 2007: A riot broke out in Kampala, with
three people killed. One of the dead was an ethnic Indian Ugandan who was
reportedly stoned to death. The rioters were objecting to an Indian-owned
company's plan to build a sugar plantation in a forest reserve. Ethnic Indians
in East Africa are often resented for their success in business.