New Vision (Kampala)
June 12, 2003
Posted to the web June 12, 2003
James Odong
Kampala
ACHOLI students have petitioned the British government to send a peacekeeping force to northern Uganda to restore peace in the war-torn region.
George Ochan Ilzoro, the Acholi Makerere Students Association (AMSA) chairman, presented the appeal to British High Commissioner Adam Wood on Saturday.
"Because of the humanitarian situation in Acholiland and the fact that the Government of Uganda has so far failed to protect the lives in the North, we urge the British government to do to the North what they did in Sierra Leone, which enabled the Sierra Leonians to achieve peace," Ochan said.
In a speech at the University Hall during the inauguration of the new AMSA executive, Ochan appealed to the British government to consider supporting education of the Acholi people through scholarships and other affirmative initiatives.
He said this would enable them narrow the socio-economic gap created by the 17-year-old insurgency.
But Wood said the situation in Sierra Leone, which necessitated British government intervention was different from that of northern Uganda. He, however, pledged support to initiatives aimed at improving the lives of the people in the north, especially in Acholiland.
