ugnet_: THE CRISIS IN NORTHERN UGANDA

[Mulindwa Edward]

Please post as wide as possible, on all internet forums and news sites.     THE CRISIS IN NORTHERN UGANDA - ISSUES OF GRAVE CONCERN. The Rt. Rev. Macleord Baker Ochola II,Vice Chairman, ARLPI*, P.O. Box 104, Gulu (Uganda). E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  Introduction. The cardinal and primary responsibility of the Government of Uganda is to protect and promote the human and peoples rights of all its citizens, as enshrined in the Ugandan Constitution of 1995. For the last 17 years, however, such constitutional and legal protection has not been extended to the people of Northern Uganda. Therefore, the inability to protect and promote the fundamental rights of children in particular and the entire population of Northern Uganda generally raises serious concerns in these regards. These concerns are: (A) THE INABILITY TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF N.UGANDA. Well over 26,000 children have been abducted by the LRA and taken into captivity to the Sudan. Half of these children have not been accounted for since about 1994. The Human Rights and overall well-being of these children are being violated in Northern Uganda and wherever they have been taken to. While this is happening, those who know and are in a position to help are in a dead silence, and do not appear to be motivated to help. The Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) have continued to use these abducted children from Northern Uganda as child-soldiers. The abducted girls children are also being used as sex-slaves. These children are always killed in large numbers during armed combat and other confrontations with the UPDF. (B) MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF PEOPLE IN N. UGANDA. UPDF ordered the entire Acholi community through a 48-hour ultimatum forcing the people of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts to move to the nearest camps or create new ones at designated areas. Right now, over 800,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are living in the camps in sub-human conditions without basic facilities or necessities. There is hardly any food, sanitation and medical facilities in these camps, especially in the newly created District of Pader. That is not to speak of education facilities. (Please see World Food Programme latest report 2003). The conditions in these camps are conducive to highly contagious diseases such as cholera, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, measles and other diarrhoeal and tropical diseases � thereby exasperating the problems further. The children in the camps are not benefiting from the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programmes in the North, because of insecurity. Everywhere in Northern Uganda, children are always on the run for their dear lives due to constant attacks by the LRA rebels. Most people in Northern Uganda spend their miserable nights always in the bushes because of insecurity. A climate of fear reigns supreme over the peoples� lives in these conflict, disease and insecurity ridden areas. The entire population in the North have been impoverished through cattle rustling, constant looting and destruction of their homesteads, property, and food-stores. The life support mechanisms are dwindling very fast. The miseries and desperation experienced by these people in the camps is causing psychological and irreversible trauma. The alleged camps in themselves do not offer any secure protection; hence the same children continue to be abducted from within these very �secure� camps. There is a total disruption and collapse of the local agricultural economy and other social services resulting into redundancy, despair and increase in criminal activities within the camps, towns and other nearby areas. 2. WAR ON TERRORISM VIS-A-VIS WAR IN N. UGANDA. The fact is that over 90% of the LRA are the abducted children, torn away from their families by force and thereby not willing participants in such wars. The abducted children range from the ages of 8 to 12 years old. The abducted children, like young plants, are very vulnerable to have their humanity manipulated or twisted and eventually destroyed by incredible trauma that they go through. This shall have serious future consequences. The future of these children is completely shattered and ruined by their life experience in captivity, next to which they may grow to know no other. The ongoing "Operation Iron Fist" which started early 2002, has already led to the deaths of hundreds of these children. We do not however, see any justification in linking up the war on terrorism by the US and other Western Governments with the situation in Northern Uganda that is entirely different and has its own historical, cultural and socio-economic realities as opposed to those that have given rise to the war on international terrorism in other parts of the world. The terrorists targeted by the US and their allies, voluntarily choose to become so, whereas the children abducted by the LRA from Northern Uganda are mere victims of this conflict. Though such abductions and other atrocities committed by the LRA can and will never be justified or condoned, it has to be noted that the war against international terrorism has its peculiar dimensions and legal definitions. The war in Northern Uganda has its own local specificities that emanate from local contradictions and politics within Ugandan society itself. These factors are to be put into account when considering the evidence of such definitions. 3. OUR MORAL OBLIGATION AND ITS JUSTIFICATION. As parents and spiritual leaders faced with these circumstances, we have moral obligations to speak on behalf of the suffering people and state the following: The Government of Uganda has failed to protect the children of Northern Uganda from further abductions and from being taken into captivity. Continuous and persistent military offensives over the last 17 years have unfortunately neither yielded any fruitful results nor brought about peace in Northern Uganda. The heavy military presence in the North and the high defence expenditure to end the war, do not appear to be bearing fruits whereas the peaceful ending of whatever disputes there may be shall be in the best interests of all concerned within Uganda, regionally and beyond. The war in the North has so far cost the Uganda Government more than $1.33bn, this is without counting the overall cost to the economy as a whole, the lost lives and properties in addition to the ongoing disruption to economic activities and social services throughout the country. The total failure of the ongoing �Operation Iron Fist� that started early 2002 has led to the following: - The deaths of many hundreds of more innocent people, More abductions of hundreds more innocent children, Massive displacement of the people in the North, - More destruction of civilian vehicles in ambushes on the roads, - More cases of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, - The closure of roads in the Districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader. Over 90% of the LRA are mere abductees whose humanity has been destroyed by circumstances in which they find themselves. Their tender age makes them incapable of being responsible for their horrendous actions. What is expected of us all under these circumstances is to provide them with protection, love and care and secure future prospects in a manner that ends the cycle of violence and violent means of resolving matters of public concern. They will need long term counselling services in order to help them come out of their trauma and successfully reintegrated into civilian life or civil society. Further military operations will only aggravate the situation and result into more innocent deaths and sufferings besides the prolongation of conflicts. Over 800,000 Internally Displaced Persons are facing starvation to death in what the World Food Programme (WFP) describes as "the worst humanitarian crisis in the history of Northern Uganda". "People are living like animals. They do not have a life - they simply exist", so the WFP report states. We strongly believe that, there is no moral justification to link the �war on terrorism� by the US and Western Governments with the conflict situation in Northern Uganda. We hope that sufficient political insight and foresight may exist to examine the evidence once again, and formulate the correct policies accordingly in the best interest of peace, humanity and justice. The only means therefore, to bring about meaningful and long lasting peace in Uganda is through a negotiated settlement between the various fighting groups in a manner that ensures there are no victors or vanquished, but also wisely resolves the root causes for potential conflicts. This is now even more feasible and foreseeable than ever before, since the LRA leadership has taken the initiative to contact the Government of Uganda seeking face-to-face peace talks to resolve the conflict in Northern Uganda. Also what is positive, encouraging and needs to be strongly supported is the appointment of a Uganda Government Presidential Peace Team to set in motion the process for conflict resolution and peace building. Since this possibility exists, we appeal to the international community for their support and cooperation to help push the process forward to its peaceful conclusion. The overwhelming cry from the civil society has been and continues to be �Stop the War Now and Save the Life and Future of our Children.�        The Mulindwas communication group "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"