Fire guts camp

Dec 30, 2004

SEVENTY-four grass-thatched huts were burnt, leaving nearly 2,000 people homeless when wild fire broke out in Awer internally displaced people’s (IDP) camp in Lamogi sub-county, Kilak county in Gulu district on Tuesday afternoon.

By Dennis Ojwee

SEVENTY-four grass-thatched huts were burnt, leaving nearly 2,000 people homeless when wild fire broke out in Awer internally displaced people’s (IDP) camp in Lamogi sub-county, Kilak county in Gulu district on Tuesday afternoon.

Awer, the second largest camp in the district with a population of about 26,000 IDPs, is about 12 miles on the Gulu-Juba road.
Residents said the cause of the fire was not known but suspected that children could have lit it.

The camp commander, Benjamin Oballim, said the affected people were in urgent need of aid in the form of clothing, food, shelter and household utensils.

“All the food I harvested this year has been burnt together with my personal effects,” Christine Adong said.

She said food items distributed by the World Food Programme were not enough to feed her eight-member family.

The area district councillor, David Penyto-Oceng, urged the affected people to be firm. He told them to set-up parish sub-committees to monitor and report fire outbreaks to the sub-county central committee for quick action.

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