| Kony war a shame - UN |
| EVELYN LIRRI & JANE NAFULA |
| KAMPALA A United Nations envoy, Mr Dennis McNamara, has described the 20-year-war in northern Uganda as a shame to the government and the UN. McNamara is the director of the Inter agency Internal Displacement Division of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. McNamara who is based in Geneva, Switzerland, was speaking on Friday at the launch of a new report on northern Uganda. The 41-page report by the Refugee Law Project titled, Only Peace Can Restore the Confidence of the Displaced, urges the Ugandan government to demonstrate a genuine commitment to resolving the conflict thro
ugh
peaceful means. "The war in northern Uganda is a shame to all of us, even the United Nations; 20 years is so long, we have failed the people in the north. They are crowded in camps without being protected. This is a huge challenge nationally and internationally,'' he said. McNamara said the conflict was "one of the world's most serious humanitarian crises, with crude mortality rates among displaced children which are higher than those prevailing in Darfur [western Sudan], and three times more than the rest of Uganda." McNamara who had just concluded a week-long multi-donor mission in Uganda added: "You cannot achieve peace and security when you militarise the whole area. Civilians have to be at the front and the military at the back. Even in peacekeeping missions like Darfur, they don't keep the military at the front. There should be a collaborative effort to ensure that peace returns to the region." However, army and Defence s
pokesman
Maj. Felix Kulayigye who was in attendance described the report as having "gross inaccuracies''. He said that law could not be enforced in a situation where there is no law and order. "A military situation requires a military action. In a war situation there is no law and order. You cannot resort to peaceful means. Agreeably we have had our weaknesses, but we have learnt lessons and addressed these weaknesses,'' Kulayigye said. The report covers issues of conflict resolution, the National IDP Policy, IDP protection, humanitarian access, livelihood and a possible scenario for return of IDPs to their homes. The report also says that while the IDP policy provides a constructive framework to address the humanitarian crisis, its implementation had proven to be an enormous challenge, which has had little impact on the situation |
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