After prolonged sufferings in squalid camps, at least 100,000
internally displaced persons (IDPs) are estimated to have returned
to their villages since the Ugandan government kicked off its
resettlement scheme in the war-ravaged north last month.
This follows the return of relative peace to the region that has
been rocked by rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) attacks for
nearly 20 years, which left over 1.4 million internally displaced
in northern Uganda.
George Etyang, the 5th Division Infantry Commander in Lira
district, in charge of overseeing the resettlement, was quoted by
Sunday Vision as saying, "What is left is for the government to
provide the required resettlement packages promised by the
president (Yoweri Museveni)."
"Unlike in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, where
decongestion is taking place, here in Lango, people are heading
home for resettlement and their security is guaranteed," he
said.
Uganda's military spokesman Felix Kulayigye said earlier the
IDPs in Lango and Teso regions started going back to their villages
on Tuesday, but the resettlement process will not extend to the
Acholi sub-region as there are still a few rebel remnants
there.
Instead, the army will carry out decongestion in Acholi
districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, which have been at the heart
of the conflict.
A major challenge is to decongest the camps from 10,000 - 60,000
persons per camp to 1,000 - 3,000 to improve service delivery and
enable them to get closer to their parishes and villages.
At Barr IDP camp, 10 km from Lira town, out of the original
48,000 IDPs, about 24,000 remained. The camp commander, Lawrence
Alot, said, "Most people have gone back to their villages basically
to farm. Others still return and sleep in the camps after tilling
the land."
At Aloi, one of the biggest camps in Lira District, an estimated
20,000 out of 60,000 IDPs had returned home.
A camp leader, Haji Sali Oryem, said, "At least 20,000 people
have left since the month began, but this camp would be empty if
people were provided with seeds, farming tools, food and iron
sheets. People have gone of their own will but others are still
stuck for lack of shelter at home."
Alfred Ojang, another camp leader, said, "This camp had 20,000
people but today there are less than 1,000 people left here." At
Bata IDP camp, all the 32,000 IDPs had left.
A returnee, 38-year-old Mildred Ayo, a mother of seven, said, "I
am glad I am back at home after over 10 years. I came first to
clear the way for my husband, who is still at Olit camp."
Uganda has unveiled a master plan last month to rehabilitate the
IDPs in the war-ravaged north after nearly two decades of conflict,
destruction and human degradation.
Recent statistics indicate Gulu district has the highest number
of IDPs, estimated at 503,400. Kitgum district has 284,100 IDPs.
Lira district has 256,660, while Pader district has 326,730
IDPs.
?
Characterized as the world's largest forgotten crisis by UN
Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, the long
running conflict in northern Uganda is one of extreme "brutality
and callousness".
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2006)
