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27th
March 2005
No 95
1. New Vision: LRA
chops off lips, breasts LORD'S Resistance Army (LRA) rebels on Saturday morning again cut off lips, ears and breasts of three women and abducted several others in Kitgum district. The tragic incident happened in Cwiny Muribe village in Patika Agoro sub-county. The victims included Sabina Abwor,
30 and Bulkeriya Aciro, 42, whose ears and lips were cut off. Both were admitted
at Another woman, whose identity was not established, had her breasts chopped off by the rebels. She was admitted at Cwiny health centre waiting for transport to the main hospital. A survivor said they were on their way to fetch firewood. Josephine Acayo, a survivor looking after the victims at the hospital, said they were about 30 women when the rebels ambushed them. They were about one- and-half kilometre away from Patika IDP camp. The camp is in Lamwo county, about 30 miles from Kitgum town. She said there were three rebels armed with AK-47 guns. The third had a machete. Acayo said the youngest rebel aged about 16 years, chopped off the women's lips. One of the rebels, who appeared to be their commander, had one arm. One of the victims whose lips were chopped off had a baby. The rebels plucked three other babies off their mother's backs and handed them over to one of the women called Regina Acii as their mothers were taken captive. Acii was hit with a gun butt, but left to return to the camp. Survivors quoted the rebels as saying that they would kill the women captives if the UPDF pursued them. The northern army spokesman, Lt. Tabaro Kiconco, said the UPDF troops would track down the rebels. "Our forces are tracking the attackers to make sure that they are punished for the crimes they are committing against humanity," he said. Early this month, the rebels attacked Dzaipi sub-county in Adjumani district, killing seven people and cut off the lips of eleven others. Tabaro cautioned internally displaced persons against going into the bushes without security, saying they were exposing themselves to danger. Meanwhile, the UPDF has rescued 23 children abducted by the rebels in Apac district on Friday. Kiconco said the children were rescued in Nora in Aber sub-county and in Minakulu sub-county in Oyam South. 2. New Vision: LRA
mutilate, kill more people in Gulu REBELS of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have killed five civilians and chopped off the lips, ears and nose of one woman at Paicho sub- county, Aswa county in Gulu district. Margaret Aciro, 29, who is nine months pregnant, was taken to Aciro said the rebels found her digging in her garden, about two miles from Paicho camp in the morning. The rebels reportedly told her, "We are cutting your body parts to show your husband, who is a security operative working with Col. Charles Otema Awany and the government, that we are here." Aciro identified the dead as Onen Bosco and his two wives, Paska and Margaret Lanyom, and an eight-month-old boy identified as Enock. The area LC5 councillor, Alex Otim, said the rebels rounded up a group of women and men who were returning from their gardens and shot them dead. The UPDF northern- based army spokesman, Lt. Tabaro Kiconco, said he had not yet established the number of the dead. "The rebels have chopped off the lips of another woman. They ambushed the civilians who had gone to their gardens and committed the atrocities," Tabaro said. He said they had deployed a special force to track down the attackers. On Saturday, the LRA rebels chopped off the lips, ears and breasts of women who had gone to collect firewood in Lukung sub-county in Kitgum district An LRA defector recently said the LRA deputy commander, Vincent Otti, had ordered the cutting off of ears and arms of every Acholi found moving in the bush since they had refused to support them. 3. New Vision: Kony
fleeing towards Joseph
Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels are now in Bor in Jonglei,
moving towards the Intelligence sources said the rebels
had temporarily camped at Mangala, far north of the southern Sudanese city
of Army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said, "I think they are heading to the Ethiopian border. I have confirmed that Kony and Vincent Otti are in the group." He said the UPDF was considering seeking
permission from Kony's flight deeper into Kony's departure also means that hopes
of ending the war through peaceful means have died. Betty Bigombe, the chief
mediator of the peace process, also returned to the 4. Monitor: UPDF gets 20 trucks GULU
The The new trucks were handed over on
Tuesday by the The vehicles are intended to enhance
the capability of the UPDF 4th and 5th Divisions to
protect the civilians in northern "The Kolker said the donation did not signal change in American support for talks between the Lord's Resistance Army rebels and the government. "This donation represents no
change in the The vehicles were accompanied by 100
spare tyres and other spare parts to be used for one year. A representative
of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Alex Kakooza, said troop carriers were expected
to arrive in the country from Nyakairima commended the existing
bilateral cooperation between He thanked the He said the old strength the LRA had which had made them overrun the UPDF bases was no more. "In a matter of days or weeks, the LRA will not cut off women's lips. We shall deal with them," Aronda said. He cautioned drivers and commanders against misusing the vehicles. "Those who do will be prosecuted," Aronda said. 5. Monitor: Blaming spirits for IDP burning huts The 19-year-old insurgency in northern As though the poverty, displacements, diseases, rape, murder and torture that haunt the people aren't problems enough, their congested makeshift grass thatched 'homes' are being consumed by fire caused by the high humidity in the dry seasons. Thousands have been left 'homeless' and now take refuge on the dirty compounds of the IDP camps. The wet seasons threatening to take control will
yet be another thorn in the IDPs' flesh! We headed to Pabbo IDP camp, and arrived at Parabongo IDP camp, only to be welcomed by smoking, roofless makeshift shelters! Children, women and men were all over the place, with hands over their heads in anguish. A group of young men were standing nearby, waiting to rescue any property of a hut befallen of a fire. Already 10 huts had been burnt down in the early hours of the day, and we were to witness the burning of a few more. Reasoning with them natural forces like too much heat could be the cause of the fire was fruitless. They assured us that they have always made sure nothing that could cause a fire, like hot ash or matches, were left unattended to before leaving the huts, but in the end fire just ate up the huts. "We have every reason to believe that evil spirits cause the fire. Three huts burn in less than a minute from different parts of the camp. And they start burning from inside and they happen to belong to those whose owners are not around. Just wait a few more minutes and decide whether we are making up these stories or not", says Vincent Komakech, a local leader. Though it sounded crazy, the pleasure was all ours to wait, and like an answer to a prayer, a hut just next to us that was locked up, began to burn! First there was smoke inside the hut and then fire. Everyone just stood and watched, afraid to do anything due to the belief that it was the spirits of the dead at work, and they feared upsetting them. Since the owners of the huts themselves were not around, all their property went up in smoke. "This is really incredible," was all the News Corps journalists could say! Christine Oroma and Mark Okumu, occupants of one of the huts that got burnt in our presence, have four children. Christine was looking for food while Mark was in the trading center waiting for any opportunity to lift luggage for travellers to earn some money. When they arrived at the scene, only sadness and bitterness greeted them. Christine broke down in tears and Mark, being a man, fought in vain to hide his emotions. The children stood beside their parents crying helplessly probably imagining how they will cope in the cold with no blanket to cover their bodies that barely have clothes. "This war has to end because we can't go on suffering as though we are on a foreign land. With my hut burnt down, where will my children sleep? In the cold outside where we may get killed? Please someone must help us," lamented Mark tearfully. According to the vice chairman of the camp, Vincent Okumu, 7,000 huts have been mysteriously burnt since January 2005. The inhabitants believe that it's the spirits of their fellow men who died in the cruel war punishing them. The people now sleep outside in the cold. They say even outside they are fearful of being burnt in their sleep. "Bringing us here in the camps has brought us too many problems. This war is a curse on us. We are paying for the sins we never committed. We have to go back to our homes with or without permission. We can't take anymore of these problems," says Ladit Philipo. When one comes face to face with the sufferings of the people, that is when things come into perspective. Fire is just one of their problems. Recently the camp was hit by a cholera epidemic. Wilson Kilara, the camp leader said that many people lost their lives due to the epidemic besides the hunger and continued abductions and murders in and around the camp. We left the camp for Pabbo as the Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC) was registering the people who would receive blankets and saucepans. The situation at Pabbo presented no better consolation either! The sorrowful look in the eyes of the people was enough to tell that they were under no better condition. Eujenio Odoki, the camp leader narrated to us how fire destroyed four huts in thirty minutes. They too believed some kind of evil spirits were doing that to them. "People keep saying that this is due to the excessive heat, but it also happens in the night when it's cool. We just don't understand this fire." Comments Eujenio. The fire has so far destroyed more than 10,000 huts at Pabbo. Since many people believe that the cause was due to the congestion, the district leaders decided to decongest the camp into two more. But even with the decongestion, fire still breaks out. Pabbo, being the largest camp with an estimated population of 67, 000 people, is probably the worst hit. 10 to 12 people share one hut. An elderly woman with nine children sat next to their burnt hut in grief. All their property had gone up into the flames. "We all want to go back to our homes. We are tired of the continuous sufferings and being beggars," says Jackorino Labeja. By the time we left Pabbo for Gulu town, the News Corps journalists admitted having one memorable experience in the IDP camps. "It beats one's understanding why the international community can't do something to end this war. Maybe there are no economic interests to attract them?" the News Corps journalists wonder aloud. The suffering of the IDPs is too sad. Although some of their needs like clothes, food and many others are being met; their most crucial need is PEACE so they can all go back to their homes. All efforts geared towards reaping peace must be supported, for these fragile and broken lives to also enjoy life while it lasts. "There
are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave, there are souls that are pure and
true; then give the world the best you have, and the best will come back to
you." The writer
is a Communications Officer with World Vision (a)
Monitor: 75% in north live below poverty line KAMPALA
- At least 75 percent of the people in northern Uganda live below the poverty
line, a research by the The research shows Kotido and Kitgum as the poorest
with poverty incidence of 91 percent. The UBOS Executive Director, Mr John Male Mukasa,
launched the research findings contained in the Uganda Poverty Mapping Book
in He said the highest poverty reduction was realised in Luweero among other districts. (b)
New Vision: W.Bank to resettle ex-rebels THE World Bank has allocated sh7b to invigorate a combatants and reporters' resettlement programme that stalled in 2000. Amnesty commissioner in charge of West Nile Lt. Col. (Rtd) Obitre Gama on Wednesday said over 10,000 former combatants in the country would receive their resettlement packages under the Multi Country Demobilisation and Resettlement project. He said Gulu and Kitgum offices would mainly handle Lord's Resistance Army former fighters while Arua would handle those from the West Nile Bank Front. 7. Society, Culture and Camp news (a) New Vision: Ochora, army clash over
rebel movements GULU district LC5 chairman
Col. Walter Ochora and the army are at loggerhead over his allegations that
deputy LRA commander Vincent Otti had crossed from In the presence of journalists on Monday, Ochora told the visiting Ochora said Otti could have crossed into Army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza has blasted Ochora, saying he (Ochora)
wants to justify to the donors the controversial journey he and a few Acholi
elders made to Ochora, however, said he was being accused unfairly. He also denied talking about Otti's crossing into the country. "Our journey to GULU Odek sub-county LC3 chairman Matthew Olobo last week said 37,186 people in Acet internally displaced people's camp face water and food shortages. He was speaking at the camp. (c)New Vision: IDPs
face moral challenge Martin Owor said, "When there is displacement, morals are carried away. There is a cultural break-down and the youth grow up rebellious. They do not know of life outside conflict." He was last week officiating at the
handover of clothes by Uganda Young Men's Christian association to IDPs at
the prime minister's office in (d) New Vision: THE
A statement from the Embassy in He said the funds would support a
new, expanded relief operation to begin on April 1, and would provide targeted
food assistance to approximately 2.6 million displaced persons, refugees and
other vulnerable groups in "This contribution, made through USAID's office of Food for Peace, will support displaced populations, therapeutic feeding programmes, dietary support for people living with HIV/AIDS and school feeding programmes," the statement read. In 2004, the (e) New Vision: Rights
query GULU The executive director of Human Rights Focus, James Otto, has said 15 out of 16 criminal cases on human rights violations at the district high court are against UPDF soldiers. Otto was speaking at a one-day workshop on human rights at the district council hall on Friday. 8. Counting the weekly
reported human costs of the war*
Sources:
New Vision, Monitor, BBC, IRIN, Rupiny, MEGA
FM, Simba FM, The Note: G= Gulu, K= Kitgum, P= Pader;
L=LRA, U= UPDA & LDU, O= Others
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