The Darfur crisis in Sudan is one among other evil currents enveloping Africa. While I agree with Mamdani on the similarities of the Darfur crisis with those of Uganda and DRC, the former cannot compared to the latter. The large population of Displaced Persons in Darfur given the very short time frame of Janjaweed operations in the Darfur region requires further interrogation. Mamdani will do well to visit Chad and some other IDPs camp for the Darfur Victims, then a proper understanding of the humanitarian condition will be futher intellectually comprehended.

Over 200 global coffee-industry experts started a three-day international conference on organic coffee production, saying it was the way to go in order to improve incomes of farmers who had been affected by a slump in international coffee prices. The conference's theme was 'Fair trade in quality coffee' and stressed the notion that the ultimate individuals to benefit from organic coffee production will be the smallholder farmer.

A radio station in Uganda has been forced to pay a fine for hosting homosexuals in a live talk show. The Ugandan Broadcasting Council fined Radio Simba over $1,000 and ordered it to make a public apology. The programme is "contrary to public morality and is not in compliance with the existing law," the council's chairman, Godfrey Mutabazi, said. Information Minister Nsaba Buturo defended the measure saying Ugandans wanted to uphold "God's moral values". Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda.

Closing date: October 22, 2004.
The Human Rights Defender Co-ordinator will be co-ordinating AI's program of work for the protection of Human Rights Defenders in Africa. You will need first hand knowledge of a least one sub-region in Africa coupled with exposure to African human rights issues and project management experience. Location: Africa Regional Office, Kampala, Uganda. Duration: Permanent contract Ref. no: AFR/04/09

Oxfam GB Uganda is looking for an experienced and dynamic individual to provide leadership and support to a large humanitarian programme. You do not necessarily have a particular technical background, but you do understand the kind of technical support needed to mobilize resources and ensure high quality programmes. In particular, you will consciously consider issues like gender and HIV/AIDS in programming, and be able to take into account the long-term impacts of the work we do. Reference Number:INT768

Optimism about prospects for peace in northern Uganda is growing. Recent news reports cite increased desertions from the rebel Lord's Resistance Army and some reduction in the number of displaced people. A new report from World Vision Uganda highlights the continuing obstacles to peace and the enormous damage done to children and to society at large from this 18-year war that has received very little attention from the international community. For the full text of the report, entitled "Pawns of Politics: Children, Conflict and Peace in Northern Uganda", visit: http://www.worldvision.ca/home/media/PawnsOfPolitics.pdf

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday appealed for US $7.8 million to fund projects to help an estimated 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in strife-torn northern Uganda. UNICEF said that during the past 12 months it had expanded and accelerated its response in health, water and sanitation, education and HIV/AIDS prevention and noted that these sectors remained inadequately funded.

The eviction of pastoralists from the Teso wetlands started yesterday and it was spearheaded by the local leaders, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and security agencies. The two-week deadline given to the pastoralists to vacate the wetlands expired on Monday. The eviction started concurrently in Agu in Kumi district, Gweri sub-county in Soroti and Apujan in Katakwi district.

The Co-ordinator on Stop Violence Against Women will be co- ordinating AI's work on violence against women and related fields in the start and growth phases of the global campaign. You will need project management experience, first hand knowledge of at least one sub-region in Africa and exposure to work in defence of women's human rights Africa.

Although Uganda has been widely praised for its fight against AIDS in the past, the conflict in the north is threatening its success. HIV/AIDS is twice as common in the war-torn north of Uganda as it is in the rest of the country, says World Vision International.

Few horror stories rival the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda, where a cult-like rebel group has been terrorising local people for a generation. It's a tale of astonishing suffering and massive displacement – and all taking place in a country hailed as one of Africa's development success stories. Yet northern Uganda's nightmare has been largely ignored by the international community, even as the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Sudan generates hand-wringing worldwide and a steady flow of headlines.

The Lord's Resistance Army has declared an immediate and unconditional cease-fire with the UPDF. According to the LRA's Political Commissar and spokesman, Brigadier Sam Kolo, the LRA decision is in respect to Uganda's "political changes" towards a multiparty democracy. The UPDF however, is still in doubt as to whether a ceasefire is both believable and appropriate.

Deadline: 25 September 2004

Hope for African Children Initiative (HACI) and CORE Initiative this month released a Request for Application to nongovernmental, community, and faith-based organisations in Uganda that implement projects on the education of orphans and vulnerable children, and on improving household incomes. Twenty-four grants of up to $6,250 each will be awarded in three Districts of Uganda: Gulu, Lira and Katakwi.

The Mozilla Web browser has officially been released in Luganda, one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in East Africa. The Web browser has been named "kayungirizi" due to its ability to use the Internet to link users to various resources.

The Minister of State for Environmental, Lt. Gen. Jeje Odongo, has said despite the strong measures taken by the government, Uganda's biodiversity continues to be lost at an alarming rate. He said there are clear signs that desertification is looming in Uganda. "Our soils are becoming less productive, vegetation is rapidly disappearing and many places especially in the "Cattle Corridor," are now bare following excessive over grazing and deforestation for timber, charcoal and fuel leading to extinction of many plant and animal species," Odongo said.

As part of the computer education initiative for Ugandan schools, "Fresh Start for Donated Computers Initiative in Uganda" software giant Microsoft will donate free licensed copies of its Windows 98 and 2000 operating system for personal computers. This programme will help to empower teachers and students to achieve their full potential by providing technology and training in education.

Following a two-day international conference on Information Communication Technology held at Hotel Africana, various speakers encouraged Ugandan universities to spearhead the use of ICT as it could promote national development to raise economic growth.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has said that attempts to hold third party talks with Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are a waste of time. His remarks follow the latest mediation efforts by the African Union (AU) to end 18 years of fighting in northern Uganda. Talks set for Monday between Uganda's AU ambassador Joseph Ocwet and three LRA representatives were cancelled.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that it would close all the three Rwandan refugees camps in southern Uganda, reported The New Vision. UNHCR resident information officer in Uganda Dennis Duncan said that "following the signing of the tripartite agreement between Uganda, Rwanda and the UNHCR last year, we fell the security situation in Rwanda is safe for refugees to return."

A team from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is in Uganda to investigate alleged atrocities committed in the war between government troops and the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), UN officials said on Wednesday. "A team of nine ICC people is in Uganda," Andrew Timpson, who works for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), was quoted by AFP as saying. "They have started soliciting for interpreters for the local Luo language and Swahili and have also met human rights groups and non-governmental organisations," Timpson added.