International involvement and incentives for peacemaking in northern Uganda

The long-running and devastating conflict between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has become the focus of increased international attention in recent years, and international actors have been involved in a negotiations process led by the Government of Southern Sudan that started in 2006. Mareike Schomerus examines the motivations of the sides for engaging in the Juba talks, as well as the roles international actors have had in supporting them. She identifies problems around the ambivalence of international support for the negotiations, the influx of peace-related funds, and the LRA's distrust of international involvement, especially related to the problem of whether International Criminal Court arrest warrants for LRA commanders could or should be circumvented by an agreement on accountability. She concludes with reflections on how the overpowering effects of international actors and agendas on fragile negotiations could be addressed.