One of the world’s leading international relief and development agencies, World Vision has this week called for one of the world’s ‘forgotten’ conflicts to be put back on the international community’s agenda.

|TOP|The call was made as the UN Security Council met to hear evidence from its humanitarian chief Jan Egeland on the situation in northern Uganda, among various other issues.

In particular, World Vision would like to see members of the Security Council agree upon a resolution, and to find ways forward to end the devastating conflict in northern Uganda, which has been ongoing for approaching 20 years now.

World Vision explains how the conflict has been “shockingly neglected by the international community”.

The international relief agency also points to the terrifying fact that more than 25,000 children have been abducted or subjected to systematic abuse during the conflict. Many of these have been forced to fight as child soldiers, and others even to provide sexual services for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – a deadly rebel groups operating in Uganda.

In September 2005, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the leaders of the LRA for crimes such as murder, torture and mutilation, abduction, sexual violence, forced recruitment and killing.

|AD|However, in the midst of such despair in the country, World Vision has offered a glimmer of hope. In a recent report by the agency, entitled ‘Pawns of Politics’, the horrifying impact of the 20-year conflict was described in detail, but a conclusion was made that peace was obtainable.

Peace in northern Uganda, however, can only be achieved with firm action by the international community, the Ugandan government, and other regional governments, explains World Vision.

The National Peace Building Coordinator for World Vision Uganda, James Odong, who was himself abducted, explained: “Leaders of the international community cannot ignore this crisis any longer. The UN Security Council must put the issue onto its agenda. It must focus on bringing a just end to this war – and agree a resolution which, as well as condemning the activities of the LRA, makes the protection of civilians, particularly children, a priority.”

One worrying fact that World Vision points to, is that the security situation in the country has deteriorated recently, with the number of attacks on aid workers increasing, and the recent murder of a tourist.

The most recent attack occurred on just Saturday, when a Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) spokesman was quoted as saying that LRA rebels killed 10 civilians on their way back to Sudan from Uganda.

In the wake of these fresh attacks, Odong concluded, “It has been clear for some time that the conflict poses a threat to regional peace and security – with the LRA operating in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan – both countries that are seeking to recover from their own violent past. This gives all the more reason why the UN Security Council must act now.”