Bwana Otim, Bishop Ochola was featured yesterday (Sunday) morning on BBC and he spoke at length on the crisis in the North.
He said the war had gone on for too long and he 100% blamed Kony for most of the attrocities against the people. What do you have to say about that because we have had heated exchanges with you on this and you have all along refused to blame Kony. awaiting your comment sir. LM --- Ochan Otim <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >Dear All, > > > >Please see the attached herewith a statement by his > Lordship Bishop Ochola > >II for your kind attention. > > > >Dr. Walter Okello, > >Secretary-General, > >CamPHRU > > > ><http://www.camphru.org>http://www.camphru.org > > > >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 === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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