INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Uganda: Demarche Response - Child Soldiers

Published: Mon 7 Dec 2009 07:41 AM
VZCZCXYZ0016
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHKM #1364 3410741
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070741Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1996
UNCLAS KAMPALA 001364
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR G/TIP RACHEL YOUSEY
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KTIP ELAB KCRM KWMN KMCA PGOV PREL SMIG
UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: DEMARCHE RESPONSE - CHILD SOLDIERS
PREVENTION ACT
REF: A. STATE 121328
B. KAMPALA 00489
C. SAMPSON-LIDDLE EMAIL 11/4/09
1. (SBU) PolOff informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) provisions and impending
implementation per reftel demarche on November 27 (ref. A).
The United Nations removed Uganda from the list of countries
that actively recruit children into the armed forces in April
2009 based on the conclusions of a two-year evaluation
process. Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Americas Desk Officer
Jackson Ochana and MFA Multilateral Affairs Officer Issac
Sebulime highlighted Ugandan government efforts to ensure
that no children are enlisted into the Ugandan army and that
child soldiers rescued from the Lord's Resistance Army are
reintegrated into their communities. Sebulime noted that
there a have been no cases of child soldiers in Ugandan
defense forces since 2007 and that the United Nations (UN)
delisted Uganda from the UN Security Council Resolution 1612
list in April 2009.
2. (SBU) The UN reached this conclusion after a two-year
evaluation process. The one "child soldier" case identified
in 2007 involved a 17 year old who lied about his age to join
the military. This individual was dismissed from the Ugandan
army (ref. B). Uganda regards previous UN allegations of
child soldiers as politically motivated because they were
articulated by former UN Special Representative for Children
in Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu. A former Foreign Minister
living in exile since 1986, Otunnu is a frequent critic of
President Museveni and a potential opposition presidential
challenger (ref. C).
LANIER
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