Uganda: End Northern War, Govt Urged
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The Monitor (Kampala)
March 28, 2006
Posted to the web March 27, 2006
Posted to the web March 27, 2006
Evelyn Lirri
Kampala
Kampala
A
new report by the Refugee Law Project has urged the government to demonstrate a strong commitment to ending the 20-year conflict in northern Uganda.
The report has urged the rebels of the Lords Resistance Army, the perpetrators of the war "to stop their cowardly acts of attacking and killing innocent civilians and demonstrate a sincere commitment to a peace process."
The insurgency by the rebels has left several people dead and abducted while 1.6 million are internally displaced.
The 41-page report, " Only Peace Can Restore the Confidence of the Displaced," produced by the Refugee Law Project with support from the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Geneva based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre was released on March 17.
The report covers issues of conflict resolution, the National IDP policy, IDP protection, humanitarian access, livelihoods and a possible
scenario
for the return of IDPs.
The report said while the IDP policy provides a constructive framework to address the humanitarian crisis, its implementation has proved to be an enormous challenge, which has had little impact on the lives of IDPs.
Political will
"The government has yet to provide the political will or the resources to fully implement the policy, and as a result the progressive goals of improving the response to IDPs have been undermined," Mr Zachary Lomo, the director of the Refugee Law project said.
On the protection of IDPs, the report said although there had been some improvement on the protection of IDPs, many people living in the war-ravaged areas are highly vulnerable to violation of their rights.
The report said threats to physical security among IDPs continue to come not only from the rebels, but al
so from
state security agents.
It said military rules of engagement according to international standards need to be introduced and communicated to prevent further killings of civilians during random encounters with the UPDF.
It added that there is a clear need for increased sensitisation and training of UPDF, police and local militias.
Defended
the UPDF Spokesman, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, who was present at the release of the report, said the army had adequately protected the civilians and any army commanders who neglect their duties had been courts martialled.
"IDPs are adequately protected. We have reduced the number of people in IDPs because many of them have returned to their villages not that we are under pressure, but we acted on the conditions on the ground which were enabling for their return," Kulaiygye said.
<
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class=story-body>He said the UPDF has undergone several training courses in human rights and humanitarian law through a joint initiative with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
