Teso leaders disagree over IDPs
The chairperson for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Soroti, Robert Ejoku, has said the people will not leave the camps until the Government fulfils promises earlier made to them.
By Simon Naulele
The chairperson for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Soroti, Robert Ejoku, has said the people will not leave the camps until the Government fulfils promises earlier made to them.
Ejoku’s remarks come after the deputy resident commissioner, Michael Bwalatum, reportedly said there were no more IDPs in the district.
“The houses that were formerly used by the IDPs are being rented to people who are posing a security threat,†Bwalatum said.
But Ejoku said: “It is not true that there are no IDPs here. About 1,000 people are still displaced. The Government is shying away from responsibility,†Ejoku said last week.
The most affected areas, he said, were Orungo and Kapelebyong in Amuria.
About 3,000 people fled their homes in 2003 when Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) infiltrated the region.
The rebels killed residents, abducted children and raped women. Ejoku said most of the IDPs that were unable to return home were the elderly, widows, children and people living with HIV/AIDS.
“We were promised agricultural kits, food for six months and iron sheets, which some people have not received,†he said.
He urged the authorities to stop harassing the IDPs by associating them with crime. Ejoku also urged Government to conduct a head-count of the IDPs.
Mzee Justine Enyoru of Acanpi, Okude in Orungo sub-county said when the Government made the promise, there were no conditions attached.
He said he was surprised that they were now being required to first build walls before getting the iron sheets.
The district disaster coordinator, Sam Oinya, echoed the RDCs statement, saying all camps should be closed because the number of IDPs is negligible. “Forcing people out has some legal implications. So the chief administrative officer, who is the head of the disaster committee, should announce the closure of all camps,†Oinya said.
The chairperson for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Soroti, Robert Ejoku, has said the people will not leave the camps until the Government fulfils promises earlier made to them.
Ejoku’s remarks come after the deputy resident commissioner, Michael Bwalatum, reportedly said there were no more IDPs in the district.
“The houses that were formerly used by the IDPs are being rented to people who are posing a security threat,†Bwalatum said.
But Ejoku said: “It is not true that there are no IDPs here. About 1,000 people are still displaced. The Government is shying away from responsibility,†Ejoku said last week.
The most affected areas, he said, were Orungo and Kapelebyong in Amuria.
About 3,000 people fled their homes in 2003 when Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) infiltrated the region.
The rebels killed residents, abducted children and raped women. Ejoku said most of the IDPs that were unable to return home were the elderly, widows, children and people living with HIV/AIDS.
“We were promised agricultural kits, food for six months and iron sheets, which some people have not received,†he said.
He urged the authorities to stop harassing the IDPs by associating them with crime. Ejoku also urged Government to conduct a head-count of the IDPs.
Mzee Justine Enyoru of Acanpi, Okude in Orungo sub-county said when the Government made the promise, there were no conditions attached.
He said he was surprised that they were now being required to first build walls before getting the iron sheets.
The district disaster coordinator, Sam Oinya, echoed the RDCs statement, saying all camps should be closed because the number of IDPs is negligible. “Forcing people out has some legal implications. So the chief administrative officer, who is the head of the disaster committee, should announce the closure of all camps,†Oinya said.