Breaches of human rights principles by two member states warrant immediate reference to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), according to a communiqué by the Commonwealth Human Rights Forum. The forum’s report also urged an examination of breaches of the Harare Commonwealth Principles in Uganda and the Maldives. It also asked that the people and opposition in Zimbabwe not to be forsaken.

Ugandan Interior Minister Ruhakana Rugunda has welcomed a call for peace talks by the deputy commander of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. He said that if the overture was serious it was a welcome development. The government will seize any opportunity to bring the suffering of people in northern Uganda to an end," he told the BBC. The LRA has fought for 19 years. Peace talks were attempted a year ago, but broke down. "The government is waiting and the government will be ready to meet a delegation of the Lords Resistance Army anytime. So the government is ready," he said.

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has appeared in the High Court to sign bail papers, but then returned to jail. He is charged with treason, but is also accused of terrorism in a military court for which he is now being held. A constitutional court is now to decide whether it's legal for the two courts to try him simultaneously.

Uganda has become the first country in the world to benefit from a healthcare information system that manages, measures and monitors the distribution of Anti retroviral drugs (ARVs). Harvey Stewart, the chief executive of Rocky Mountain Technology Group (RMTG), said the government approached them for a system which can block misuse of ARVs and improve distribution and accountability to donors satisfaction.

Reporters Without Borders has protested to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni after the country's privately-owned radio stations were threatened with closure if they broadcast debates or talk-shows about the trial of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, which has just begun. Expressing its full support for the radio stations, the press freedom organisation said they could not ignore a major national event, no matter how embarrassing it was for the government.

The growing trend of establishing plantations of oil palm has taken its toll primarily on tropical forests, where this palm finds enough soil, water and solar energy to fill its needs. The typical procedure is to log a certain area of forest and then establish the plantation aimed at the production of oil and kernel oil. But it also happens that plantation companies may "clear" the entire forest by setting it on fire.

The Ugandan government should reverse its ban on speech and demonstrations linked to the trial of the main opposition candidate for president, Dr. Kizza Besigye, and end its intimidation of the courts, Human Rights Watch said this week. The government issued the ban on speech and demonstrations on November 22 following criticism of the security forces’ interference in a hearing related to the Besigye case. “In an eight-day span, the Ugandan government has seriously damaged its human rights reputation by riding roughshod over the rights of political opponents and the courts,” said Jemera Rone, Uganda researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The government has arrested the main presidential opponent, used commandos to intimidate the judiciary and banned all public protests, radio discussions and even posters on the subject.”

Reporters Without Borders has called on the Ugandan government to come to its senses after a week of police harassment of the independent "Daily Monitor" newspaper, according to a press statement. The week culminated in a spectacular raid on its premises on the night of 17 November 2005, all of which were part of the government's efforts to neutralise support for imprisoned opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

At least 12 people have been killed in northern Uganda during an ambush by suspected rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army, LRA. The attackers shot at a minibus full of people in broad daylight as it approached the town of Pader. The minibus was set ablaze and as the passengers tried to escape from the burning vehicle they were attacked.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he will stand for re-election in next March's polls. Mr Museveni, who came to power 20 years ago, was due to step down but speculation had been rife for the past two years that he would stand again. His announcement comes at the end of a week of riots and controversy surrounding the arrest of his main political rival. Dr Kizza Besigye is in prison awaiting trial for treason and rape.

President Yoweri Museveni's speech to the global conference on wetlands has angered delegates. Museveni criticised international environmentalists, accusing them of opposing development programmes to developing countries under the guise of environmental protection. Wetlands International chief executive officer Jane Madgwick said in a statement that she was shocked by the President's speech, adding that it was uncalled for.

The following study focuses on self-settled refugees who were once living in camps, but are presently self-settled and living in Koboko. Most of these refugees fled the settlements due to insecurity, others left in search of economic opportunities in town, yet others were used to an urban lifestyle in their home countries and are altogether ill-equipped for life as subsistence farmers in refugee settlements.

Forum for Democratic Change President Kizza Besigye was yesterday committed to the High Court for trial on charges of treason and rape. He is to appear in the High Court. Buganda Road Court turned down his lawyers' application for special treatment, including food. The Magistrate, Ms Margaret Tibulya, argued that her court didn't have the powers to grant the defence's application. He advised Besigye's team to get in touch with Luzira Prison's authority.

Education for All of the world's children is a global priority. The reality, however, is that millions of the world's poorest children will be denied their chance at education unless there are special interventions that target their development. Since such children do not form a special social category in poverty eradication intervention programmes, their inclusion in EFA efforts tends to be a hit-or-miss phenomenon. This publication looks specifically at poor children both in and out of school who live in Uganda.

Source: UNESCO

Uganda has ratcheted up its efforts in developing its geothermal resources. According to technocrats in the energy ministry, the country is currently pursuing a vast programme that could see the nation feed geothermal electricity into its grid, in perhaps, less than half a decade. The development is part of an extensive government initiative to harness all possible sources of energy and in time, to permanently fix the continuing power supply instabilities.

Fifty international aid agencies have called on the United Nations Security Council to act to protect the civilians in northern Uganda from rebel attacks. They say the violence by the Lord's Resistance Army fighters is claiming 1,000 lives every week. Their call comes as a high-level UN Security Council delegation is due to begin talks with the government.

The Government would save sh330b by eliminating losses incurred through corruption in public procurement, an official has said. Citing the recent Auditor General's report, the executive director of Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), Edgar Agaba, said about 20% of the value of procurement was lost through corruption. Agaba attributed the corruption to weak public procurement laws. "The law has many loopholes. The prescribed practices are laxly enforced or impractical to enforce.

WOUGNET wishes to recruit suitably qualified and experienced individuals for the posts of Content Moderators (2) and of English-French Translators (2). The content moderators and translators will work on a six-month e-discussion: "Strengthening rural women's networks with regards to information and communication, and to combat HIV/AIDS in rural areas."

The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars Africa Program has released a new report, entitled "Challenges and Change in Uganda." This report is based on a joint Wilson Center-CSIS conference held on June 2nd, 2005, entitled "Uganda: An African 'Success' Past its Prime." This compilation includes each of the presentations given that day, updated to take account of more recent developments. The June 2nd event generated a rich and passionate discussion of recent social, economic and political trends in Uganda.

On November 8, Human Rights Watch will give its highest recognition to Beatrice Were, a leading advocate for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Ms. Were was one of the first Ugandans ever to declare her HIV-positive status publicly. She is a founder of the National Community of Women Living with AIDS (NACWOLA), a grassroots organization that provides services to over 40,000 women in 20 districts of Uganda. She has defended the rights of people living with AIDS against controversial shifts in the country's AIDS policy, including the recent adoption of U.S.-funded "abstinence-until-marriage" programs.