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Northern Uganda Death Rate Rivals Iraq's
03 May 2006
by Anai Rhoads
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AnaiRhoads.org - While the
media covers the ongoing violence in Iraq, Uganda suffers in silence.
The northern region of Uganda is dealing with one the worst
humanitarian situations in recent history.
A report released by the Civil Society Organizations for Peace in
Northern Uganda (CSOPNU) reveals that the death rate is three times
that of Iraq's during the onset of war in 2003. Counting the Cost:
20 Years of War in Northern Uganda comes as the United Nations
Under-Secretary General Jan Egeland congregates in Kampala with the
Ugandan government and other top-level officials to discuss the
20-year conflict in that region.
"U.N. Under-Secretary General Egeland is clearly pushing the Security
Council to act, yet none of his recommendations are being
implemented. It is time for the Security Council to recognise that
its failure to address this crisis is a scar on its record and
undermines its credibility. The United Nations must act by passing a
resolution urging the government of Uganda to protect its own
people," Director of CARE International Kevin Fitzcharles said.
Death Rate
Unmerciful acts upon innocent civilians have taken place between the
government of Uganda and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army for the last two decades.
According to the report, the death rate for northern Uganda is
currently at 146 deaths per week, which is 0.17 violent deaths per
10,000 people per day. In Iraq, the death toll was estimated to be
0.052 per 10,000 people per day.
Effect on Children
More than 25,000 children have been abducted during the duration of
this conflict and a quarter of all children have lost at least one parent
over the last decade.
The rate of death among children under the age of 5 is a stupefying
41 percent. The report also estimates that 1,000 babies have been
born to young girls and women captured by the rebel army.
Roughly 250,000 children in northern Uganda receive little to no education,
despite Uganda's claim of universal primary education.
Up to 45,000 children walk the streets at night and the sleep in the
day at makeshift shelters in order to avoid abduction by the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army.
Almost 50 percent of children suffer from malnutrition Kitgum area
alone.
"Northern Uganda is one of the world's worst war zones. It is tragedy
of the worst proportions. This conflict cannot be allowed to fester
any longer," said chairperson of CSOPNU, Stella Ayo Odongo.
Economical Report
The conflict also has had a severe economical impact on the country,
averaging $85 million dollars annually.
Over the course of the warfare, an estimated $1.7 billion has been
consumed, which equal the aid given to the country by the United
States between 1994 to 2002 and double the United Kingdom's aid from
1994 to 2001.
"The Ugandan Government, the rebel army and the international
community must fully acknowledge the true scale and horror of the
situation in northern Uganda," said Oxfam Policy Advisor in Uganda
Kathy Relleen.
The coalition includes Oxfam International, CARE International,
Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children and the International
Rescue Committee as well as national and community-based
organisations. Over 50 leading NGOs contributed to the report by
CSOPNU.
Nearly two million people have been displaced by the warfare.
©2006 Anai Rhoads. Reproduction must be authorised in writing
by author only. Altering, redistributing, or selling this material is
strictly prohibited.
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