Govt rejects war report
May 21, 2004
KAMPALA — The Government has rejected a report by Christian Aid, an international organisation, accusing it of failure to defend people in northern Uganda.
KAMPALA — The Government has rejected a report by Christian Aid, an international organisation, accusing it of failure to defend people in northern Uganda.
The Government said the report was “completely unfairâ€.
The report accused the Government of herding civilians into camps ostensibly in order to protect them from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels but without offering them the protection they need.
The LRA has for 18 years carried out a terror campaign in the north, murdering, torturing and abducting civilians for recruitment as soldiers and porters.
“Government ordered the population into camps in 1996. This imposes a duty on it to defend the camps so that the interned civilians can speedily resume a normal life.
It has failed to fulfil these international responsibilities,†the report said.
The report cited Labuje camp near Kitgum town. Christian Aid officials said they visited the camp one night and there were no government soldiers in sight.
Speaking to IRIN in a phone interview, the army spokesman, Maj. Shaban Bantariza said, “There have been virtually no abductions near Kitgum for a while. How do you think this is possible without army protection? Vincent Otti (LRA vice chief) is under orders to abduct as many children as possible. If a camp is not protected, he would do this.â€
He added, “These are military operations and of course the soldiers are not always visible. But there is no camp without soldiers.â€
The Government said the report was “completely unfairâ€.
The report accused the Government of herding civilians into camps ostensibly in order to protect them from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels but without offering them the protection they need.
The LRA has for 18 years carried out a terror campaign in the north, murdering, torturing and abducting civilians for recruitment as soldiers and porters.
“Government ordered the population into camps in 1996. This imposes a duty on it to defend the camps so that the interned civilians can speedily resume a normal life.
It has failed to fulfil these international responsibilities,†the report said.
The report cited Labuje camp near Kitgum town. Christian Aid officials said they visited the camp one night and there were no government soldiers in sight.
Speaking to IRIN in a phone interview, the army spokesman, Maj. Shaban Bantariza said, “There have been virtually no abductions near Kitgum for a while. How do you think this is possible without army protection? Vincent Otti (LRA vice chief) is under orders to abduct as many children as possible. If a camp is not protected, he would do this.â€
He added, “These are military operations and of course the soldiers are not always visible. But there is no camp without soldiers.â€