$223m appeal for north launched
Dec 12, 2005
THE Government in conjunction with UN agencies yesterday launched a US$223m (about sh404b) inter-agency Consolidated Appeal (CAP) fund for northern Uganda.
By James Odong
THE Government in conjunction with UN agencies yesterday launched a US$223m (about sh404b) inter-agency Consolidated Appeal (CAP) fund for northern Uganda.
The appeal will be used to meet the needs of an estimated 2.5 million vulnerable persons in the internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps in Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Katakwi, Apac, Lira and Adjumani districts over the next one year. It will also cater for an estimated 260,000 refugees in West Nile and western Uganda as well as 500,000 drought-affected people in Karamoja.
The fund comes in the wake of a critical humanitarian situation in the north, where the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have continued to attack and kill civilians, including UN and other humanitarian workers.
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Uganda, also UNICEF country representative, Martin Mogwanja, regretted the renewed LRA attacks.
“Let me use this opportunity to unreservedly condemn these attacks on innocent civilians and humanitarian workers as a serious violation of international law. I call again on the LRA and its supporters to publicly renounce and cease further attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers and to release all the abducted children immediately,†he said.
He said the insecurity had not only continued to impose serious constraints on the ability of IDPs to supplement the assistance they receive but that it had also constrained the ability of humanitarian partners to freely access the IDP camps.
Mogwanja, however, said in spite of the above constraints, a lot was achieved last year in terms of realising strategic humanitarian priorities.
He outlined the 2006 humanitarian priority areas as provision of a coordinated life-saving assistance, such as food aid, water and sanitation, health and nutrition and improved livelihoods, including the return and final settlements of IDPs in their communities.
Officiating over the launch, the First Deputy Premier, who is also minister for disaster preparedness and refugees, Lt. Gen. Moses Ali, said it was a pity that the people in the north continued to live under dehumanising conditions.
“Many of you have been to IDP camps and know this is not a way to live. I hope that we shall be able to address the needs of these vulnerable people,†Ali said.
THE Government in conjunction with UN agencies yesterday launched a US$223m (about sh404b) inter-agency Consolidated Appeal (CAP) fund for northern Uganda.
The appeal will be used to meet the needs of an estimated 2.5 million vulnerable persons in the internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps in Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Katakwi, Apac, Lira and Adjumani districts over the next one year. It will also cater for an estimated 260,000 refugees in West Nile and western Uganda as well as 500,000 drought-affected people in Karamoja.
The fund comes in the wake of a critical humanitarian situation in the north, where the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have continued to attack and kill civilians, including UN and other humanitarian workers.
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Uganda, also UNICEF country representative, Martin Mogwanja, regretted the renewed LRA attacks.
“Let me use this opportunity to unreservedly condemn these attacks on innocent civilians and humanitarian workers as a serious violation of international law. I call again on the LRA and its supporters to publicly renounce and cease further attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers and to release all the abducted children immediately,†he said.
He said the insecurity had not only continued to impose serious constraints on the ability of IDPs to supplement the assistance they receive but that it had also constrained the ability of humanitarian partners to freely access the IDP camps.
Mogwanja, however, said in spite of the above constraints, a lot was achieved last year in terms of realising strategic humanitarian priorities.
He outlined the 2006 humanitarian priority areas as provision of a coordinated life-saving assistance, such as food aid, water and sanitation, health and nutrition and improved livelihoods, including the return and final settlements of IDPs in their communities.
Officiating over the launch, the First Deputy Premier, who is also minister for disaster preparedness and refugees, Lt. Gen. Moses Ali, said it was a pity that the people in the north continued to live under dehumanising conditions.
“Many of you have been to IDP camps and know this is not a way to live. I hope that we shall be able to address the needs of these vulnerable people,†Ali said.