The Government of Uganda is threatening military action against the Lord’s Resistance Army if no progress is made with the peace talks by Thursday.

In the 1960s, a young woman on the streets of New York was stabbed to death over a period of 30 minutes while as many as 38 witnesses did nothing, despite her pleas for help. Psychologists explain it as the "bystander effect". In the face of an emergency, a person is less likely to intervene when others are present. It's our nature to assume the next person will act, thus relinquishing responsibility.

There's an interesting article on Rueters that claims that this is what is happening in northern Uganda, resulting in the stalling of the Juba peace process. With so many countires involved, everyone seems to be waiting for someone else to step in and help. The author, Adrian Bradbury, founder of the GuluWalk says, "This is not a call for Western diplomats to overtake the process, but to proactively support it at this vulnerable moment."

Edmund Burke once said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Will the world stand by as this chance for peace in a nation that has not known peace in over twenty years is lost?

Labels: africa, politics