Donors Need $80m for Displaced Persons
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The Monitor (Kampala)
June 15, 2004
Posted to the web June 15, 2004
Gerald Walulya & Janet Twodo
Kampala
Organisations providing humanitarian assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
say they need $80 million to adequately cater for 1.6 million people up to December
this year. Launching a mid-year review of the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP)
workshop at International Conference Centre yesterday, donors said unless these funds
are sought the situation of people in camps was likely to deteriorate.
The workshop was meant to find alternative funding to key items that are inadequately
provided in the war-affected areas. "This is a very worrying situation given that most
organisations have already made their budgets. It is not easy that new funding can be
re-introduced," said Ken Davies, the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director.
The affected items include food provisions, Education, Health, Water and sanitation
and Security for IDPs' camps.
Davies said WFP needs $30million to provide food to IDPs up to December this year. Mr
Sigurd Illing, the head of the European Union delegation said that although
development partners will make an effort to reduce the funding gap, it is unlikely
that they will entirely fulfill this requirement.
Illing said it's government's main responsibility to ensure security and protection of
war-affected populations in northern Uganda.
"The disasters we are facing are almost entirely human-made and conflict related, and
would be solved through appropriate conflict prevention and management policies" he
said. Illing urged government to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.
"Development partners are committed to support all efforts in this direction and
encourage government to continue with its ongoing attempts to establish a meaningful
dialogue with the LRA rebels," he said.
Mr Dauda Toure, the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator Toure mentioned that key
donors have been comparing notes on how they can supplement the peace process.
He said although government had made an attempt in the next year's budget to improve
the welfare of IDPs, a lot still needs to be done.
The minister of state in charge of disaster preparedness Ms Christine Aporu who
represented First Deputy Prime Minister Brig. Moses Ali, said the government would
provide Shs200 million for the DPs welfare.
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She said with new peace agreement in the Sudan, the LRA incursions are expected to be
minismised. Mr. Martin Mogwanja, Unicef country representative said up to 12,000
children are estimated to have been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
He said, Unicef needs $6.7million. Mogwanja asked the government to provide more
escorts to humanitarian workers. He said Unicef had acquired two armour-plated
vehicles to facilitate access of humanitarian workers in IDP camps.
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