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New Vision (Kampala)March 12, 2004
Posted to the web March 12, 2004 Joyce Namutebi
Kampala MEMBERS of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have demanded an improvement in humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Uganda.In a press release from Arusha recently, the Members of Parliament said they were concerned about the inhuman conditions in which the displaced people in the camps lived.
They condemned the violation of human rights in the area, especially against women and children."We abhor the inhuman activities of the perpetrators of the war but at the same time commended Parliament for passing a resolution declaring the north a disaster area," the release read.The legislators said they believed that declaring the north a disaster area would further highlight the plight of the civilian population caught in the crossfire.
They urged the Government to comply on the issue.They conveyed condolences to the bereaved families of the Barlonyo massacre in Lira where over 200 people were killed by LRA rebels."We remain convinced of the constitutional responsibility of the Government of Uganda to provide security to its population and defend them against such attacks," they said.
They welcomed the announcement by the International Criminal Court that it would investigate the atrocities in the north.
They appealed to the international community to take the state of affairs in northern Uganda more seriously."We appeal to the donor and international community to take most seriously this humanitarian crisis and not just stand by and watch another genocide develop in Africa," they said.
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
