ugnet_: Worsening insecurity in northern Uganda

Sun, 08 Feb 2004 22:15:45 -0800



UGANDA  7/2/2004 10:35
ABIA MASSACRE: CALVARY OF SURVIVORS IN HOSPITAL
Church/Religious Affairs, Standard


To comprehend the cruelty of the rebels of Joseph Kony it is enough to visit the North Ugandan government hospital of Lira, ideated by the British in colonial times, to respond to a limited need in respect to the current. In the years unfortunately the structures of the facility deteriorated. The terrible hygienic conditions render the small and stuffy wards a real inferno. But it is most anguishing to enter the womenâs Ward 2, where the wounded from the Abia displaced camp, attacked on Wednesday night by the LRA (lordâs Resistance Army), are laying everywhere: on the cots, under the beds and on mats. Little victims such as 10-year-old Akullu Eveline, with severe burns to her head and chest, leave you completely breathless. Next to her, an elderly lady, crouched on the floor, assisting an 8-year-old boy, called Odongo, placed in the womenâs ward with a serious stab injury to his stomach. The elderly lady explained that she is his aunt and that the rebels in Abia camp killed Odongoâs father, mother and three little brothers, letting them burn to death in their hut. Ward 6 is however the absolute worst, the paediatrics ward. A nurse named Ester tells that in Abia camp she lost her sister with seven children, also they burned to death. Left and right of the large ward are beds of children from 4 to 8 years-old. Ten of them from Abia and all in terrible conditions due to the various traumas suffered in the LRA raid. According to the doctors, the wounded are currently around fifty, 21 of which children. Since Thursday ninety-some people have been hospitalised, some of which died in the facility. Comboni Father Sebhat Ayele, secretary and spokesman of the Lango Religious Leaders Forum (LRLF), spent at least an hour on Friday afternoon with his consoeur Fernanda Pellizzer, a nurse, to gather information on the victims. Unfortunately it is still difficult to know exactly how many people died in Abia. The people in the Lango local language say âapol ataâ (âmany, incalculableâ). An over all toll in fact seems premature. Fifty-some bodies have been identified, but independent sources from Abia believe the toll to be higher, given that many bodies were carbonised. It is not excluded that the victims are many more, considering that the displaced camp was populated by 8-thousand people, already for time surviving in unspeakable conditions from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria. On leaving the hospital, Fr. Sebhat, visibly emotional, stated: âIn face of this tragedy all we can do is pray that the people have the courage to continue livingâ. Meanwhile, Kony, a crazy visionary supported by Khartoum, continues terrorising the people of all the northern Ugandan districts, while the international community looks on in silence. (Translation of article by Fr. Giulio Albanese)
[BO]

UGANDA  7/2/2004 9:46
KITGUM: REBEL AMBUSH, VICTIMS
General, Brief




The rebels of the LRA (lordâs Resistance Army) yesterday killed four people in the North Ugandan district of Kitgum. The news was referred by MISNA sources, specifying that the ambush was carried out by the olum (âgrassâ, as the rebels are called in the Acholi language) in the location of Lomura, 17km north-west of Kitgum, along the road to Padibe. The victims, three civilians and a soldier, were travelling along the road on their bicycles, when the rebels at 10:00a.m. local time, suddenly opened fire. The same sources refer that the rebels stole the personal belongings of the victims; in particular they took the soldierâs weapon and ammunition. The olum, commanded by Joseph Kony, a crazy visionary backed by the Sudan government, continue to terrorise civilians of the northern Ugandan districts. Despite Khartoumâs firm denial of continuing support to the LRA, numerous testimonies of the civil society indicate the exact contrary.
[BO]








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UGANDA  7/2/2004 10:35
ABIA MASSACRE: CALVARY OF SURVIVORS IN HOSPITAL
Church/Religious Affairs Church/Religious Affairs, Standard

To comprehend the cruelty of the rebels of Joseph Kony it is enough to visit the North Ugandan government hospital of Lira, ideated by the British in colonial times, to respond to a limited need in respect to the current. In the years unfortunately the structures of the facility deteriorated. The terrible hygienic conditions render the small and stuffy wards a real inferno. But it is most anguishing to enter the women’s Ward 2, where the wounded from the Abia displaced camp, attacked on Wednesday night by the LRA (lord’s Resistance Army), are laying everywhere: on the cots, under the beds and on mats. Little victims such as 10-year-old Akullu Eveline, with severe burns to her head and chest, leave you completely breathless. Next to her, an elderly lady, crouched on the floor, assisting an 8-year-old boy, called Odongo, placed in the women’s ward with a serious stab injury to his stomach. The elderly lady explained that she is his aunt and that the rebels in Abia camp killed Odongo’s father, mother and three little brothers, letting them burn to death in their hut. Ward 6 is however the absolute worst, the paediatrics ward. A nurse named Ester tells that in Abia camp she lost her sister with seven children, also they burned to death. Left and right of the large ward are beds of children from 4 to 8 years-old. Ten of them from Abia and all in terrible conditions due to the various traumas suffered in the LRA raid. According to the doctors, the wounded are currently around fifty, 21 of which children. Since Thursday ninety-some people have been hospitalised, some of which died in the facility. Comboni Father Sebhat Ayele, secretary and spokesman of the Lango Religious Leaders Forum (LRLF), spent at least an hour on Friday afternoon with his consoeur Fernanda Pellizzer, a nurse, to gather information on the victims. Unfortunately it is still difficult to know exactly how many people died in Abia. The people in the Lango local language say “apol ata” (“many, incalculable”). An over all toll in fact seems premature. Fifty-some bodies have been identified, but independent sources from Abia believe the toll to be higher, given that many bodies were carbonised. It is not excluded that the victims are many more, considering that the displaced camp was populated by 8-thousand people, already for time surviving in unspeakable conditions from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria. On leaving the hospital, Fr. Sebhat, visibly emotional, stated: “In face of this tragedy all we can do is pray that the people have the courage to continue living”. Meanwhile, Kony, a crazy visionary supported by Khartoum, continues terrorising the people of all the northern Ugandan districts, while the international community looks on in silence. (Translation of article by Fr. Giulio Albanese)
[BO]

UGANDA  7/2/2004 9:46
KITGUM: REBEL AMBUSH, VICTIMS
General General, Brief

The rebels of the LRA (lord’s Resistance Army) yesterday killed four people in the North Ugandan district of Kitgum. The news was referred by MISNA sources, specifying that the ambush was carried out by the olum (‘grass’, as the rebels are called in the Acholi language) in the location of Lomura, 17km north-west of Kitgum, along the road to Padibe. The victims, three civilians and a soldier, were travelling along the road on their bicycles, when the rebels at 10:00a.m. local time, suddenly opened fire. The same sources refer that the rebels stole the personal belongings of the victims; in particular they took the soldier’s weapon and ammunition. The olum, commanded by Joseph Kony, a crazy visionary backed by the Sudan government, continue to terrorise civilians of the northern Ugandan districts. Despite Khartoum’s firm denial of continuing support to the LRA, numerous testimonies of the civil society indicate the exact contrary.
[BO]

 
"And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’ We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities (…) No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream”. (Martin Luther King, 1964 Nobel Peace prize laureate, assassinated for his struggle)

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