January 30, 2008: Another wave of
Kenyan refugees have left Kenya and entered Uganda, fleeing ethnic violence in
the wake of a recent election. In the past, the refugee traffic has gone the
other way. Refugees fleeing LRA violence
in northern Uganda have sought temporary safety in Kenya. The big flood was
during Idi Amin's reign of terror in the 1970s. Kenya protected thousands of
Ugandans, including educators and religious leaders.
January 29, 2008: The Ugandan
government agreed to extend its January 31 "deadline" for the IRA to sign a
peace treaty. LRA spokesmen have been accusing the Ugandan government of
preparing to return to war. The peace
negotiations are scheduled to resume later this week.
January 27, 2008: It is believed that
LRA rebels in the Congo's Garamba National Park are "reorganizing." This
appears to refer to reorganizing the LRA's political cadres. A few days ago it
was confirmed that former LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti was dead. Otti had
been a major advocate of engaging the Ugandan government in peace talks. There
have also been rumors of changes in the LRA's peace negotiations team. Uganda
has threatened to attack the LRA's bases in Garamba if the LRA does not agree
to a peace deal by January 31.
January 21, 2008: The government denied
accusations by Kenyan opposition leaders that it was sending soldiers to Kenya
to help support Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki. The rumor had caused great
consternation in Kenya – which may have been the reason it was spread.
January 14, 2008: Some 4000-6000 Kenyan
refugees have crossed the Uganda-Kenya border. The government has begun
providing food supplies for the refugees. The Ugandan Red Cross is running
several refugee reception centers to help the Kenyans. At the moment the number
of refugees has not overwhelmed Uganda's capacity. However, continuing violence
in Kenya could change the situation.
