Following a reported division in the ranks of the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has been terrorizing northern Uganda for over 20 years, three senior LRA commanders trekked out of their base in the Democratic Republic of Congo to surrender.

The supposed split could be a major turning point in the decades old conflict, as reports put the force’s top commander, Joseph Kony, against his better educated second in command, Vincent Otti.  Such a split would leave the LRA militarily vulnerable and likely more reliant on the continuing peace talks, which have lately stalled around negotiations of money for various consultations.

The commanders’ surrender is the first hard evidence of such a split.  We’ll keep you posted with more information from Gulu.

According to China’s People’s Daily, Britain’s Prince Charles is scheduling a November visit to the war-torn north of Uganda.

Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, is preparing to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a week-long summit including over 50 heads of state from the British commonwealth. The event will bring thousands of politicians, journalists, and tourists to Uganda in November, but residents of northern Uganda have felt neglected, a neglect that reaches back over 20 years to the beginning of a war that has been hidden for most of that time.

A visit from Prince Charles would bring a welcome international spotlight to the problems still plaguing the north.