Uganda: Northern Rebels Undermining IDP Coping Mechanisms - UN
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UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
June 30, 2005
Posted to the web June 30, 2005
Kampala
Rebel activity in northern Uganda continues to undermine the coping mechanisms of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region, leaving them entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, the UN said on Thursday.
Attacks by the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in southern Sudan had also led to an increase in the number of refugees fleeing to northern Uganda. This had worsened the humanitarian crisis, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in its Mid-Year Review of the 2005 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal (CAP).
"The high level of insecurity continues to severely constrain the IDPs' coping strategies, leaving them with no option but to depend on humanitarian assistance, especially food," Daouda Toure, the UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, said during the review in the capital, Kampala.
"The persistent insecure environment, combined with the rising number of vulnerable refugees due to LRA activities in Adjumani (district of northwestern Uganda] and southern Sudan, has resulted in an increase in the number of food beneficiaries," he added.
The review indicated that the additional needs had pushed the budget for humanitarian activities from US $152 at the time of the CAP launch in November 2004, to $188 million. Donors had so far provided $87 million.
Ugandan government troops have, for the past 19 years, been engaged in warfare with the LRA, a brutal group that frequently targets civilians for attacks and abductions.
The conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced an estimated 1.6 million, who now live in crowded IDP camps unable to cultivate their fields.
"Last November, there was great hope for the signing of the peace agreement and an end to the conflict; sadly, these hopes were dashed," said Liz Higgins, an Irish diplomat who spoke on behalf of donors and called for fresh efforts to end the conflict.
The CAP document noted that the defection of the LRA's top negotiator, Brig Sam Kolo, in February and his replacement with the LRA's second in command, Vincent Otti, had undermined the peace talks.
"In March, the LRA resumed their violent activities in [northern Uganda's] Acholi and Adjumani districts and in southern Sudan from where, as a result, waves of refugees fled into Uganda," it said.
Drought in northeastern Uganda had also made an estimated 574,000 people dependent of food aid provided by the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
According to the CAP review, in the food sector alone, WFP required $54 million to cover the food needs of the affected population up to December.
In the non-food sectors - health, education, water and sanitation, shelter and household items and protection - service provision had continued to be grossly inadequate and congestion in the camps had aggravated the crisis.
The review indicated that between 30,000 and 40,000 children, known as "night commuters", continued to move to the relative safety of towns every night, fleeing possible LRA abduction in their villages.
"We need to find out why these children are still commuting even when security in some areas has improved," Eliane Duthoit, head of the OCHA office in Kampala, said during the launch.
Other challenges that needed attention before the end of 2005 included agriculture, because IDPs had limited access to land. The UN, the government and other agencies intended to expand the provision of agricultural inputs, including food and cash crop seeds.
The programme would also support chronically drought-affected areas by strengthening household incomes in a bid to empower women in those areas through training in better farming methods.
Other priority areas included general health and HIV/AIDS issues. Preliminary findings of a recent Ministry of Health HIV/AIDS sero-behavioural survey showed a 9 percent prevalence rate for the northern region, compared to 4.2 percent in neighbouring regions and 7 percent nationally.
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Acute water shortages were prevalent in the camps with a person able to access only 4.1 litres instead of the recommended 15 litres per person per day, especially in camps with populations exceeding 10,000 people, according to the review document.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
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