|
October 17, 2003 Patrick Elobu Angonu Area MPs are threatening to riot over World Food Programme's failure to distribute food aid to the starving people in Teso sub-region. The MPs say the WFP and other humanitarian organisations are
instead fighting among themselves. The Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Ms Christine Amongin, on Wednesday described the 'failure' as "utter sabotage" on the part of the humanitarian organisations. "This is sabotage. How can the IDPs be dying in camps, yet food is rotting in the stores?" an angry Amongin said at a meeting convened at the office of Mr George Omuge. Omuge is the chief administrative officer of Soroti. "As for us we are busy listing the dead due to lack of food and mobilising the IDPs to riot in protest against failure by WFP and government to deliver food to our people," Mr Ben Etonu (Amuria) said. Mr Johnson Malinga (Kapelebyong) said 70 people have died due to hunger in Obalanga IDP camp in the last one week. Amongin blamed her counterpart in charge of northern Uganda rehabilitation, Ms Grace Akello, for causing the confusion in relief aid distribution in Teso for "reasons best known to herself" She accused Akello of dismantling the food distribution structures she set up for quick delivery and distribution of relief aid. Akello also comes from Teso. Amongin blamed the Teso District Disaster Management Committees for working with politicians to fail food distribution. Amongin cited the Katakwi incident. She said emergency food meant for thousands of people displaced in Amuria and Kapelebyong counties in Katakwi was diverted to the relatively safer Usuk county. "I have called this meeting to find out? why ActionAid pulled out after signing an MOU with government to distribute food and why food meant for LRA displaced people of Amuria and Kapelebyong ended up in Usuk only," she said. Malinga said President Yoweri Museveni entrusted Akello to co-ordinate the food distribution in Teso at a recent meeting between MPs and the President at the state lodge in Soroti. "Whether Mr Museveni is passing a vote of no confidence in Ms Amongin is another matter but his directive to Ms Akello looks to be negatively impacting on relief distribution in Teso," he said. He said many humanitarian organisations prefer working with Amongin. He said at one time several people died in IDP camps in Teso after Akello interfered with the medical aid distribution. "She came and took over the distribution of drugs after confiscating all the delivery notes from the National Medical Stores and WHO," Dr Nicholas Okwana said. Okwana manages the drug stores in Teso. When this reporter sought an appointment with Akello to hear her side of the story, she declined. "You are on the other side and I am on this side. So I don't need to talk to you. I will never talk to you even if you came back in the future?" Akello told this reporter at Fedoshe supermarket in Soroti town recently. The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
