Refugees International: Reports: Refugees Voices: The Internally Displaced in Northern Uganda

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Refugees Voices: The Internally Displaced in Northern Uganda

The humanitarian situation in northern Uganda is alarming. There are an estimated 1.2 million people who have been displaced from their homes. Since the war began 17 years ago, there have been an estimated 25,000 children who have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a quasi-religious insurgent movement. The Ugandan military has been unable to defeat the LRA, so the war continues unabated. In June, the conflict spread to the Teso region in eastern Uganda. NGOs, because of insecurity, have been unable to access large numbers of people living in IDP camps. With the exception of food, these people receive almost no assistance.

Refugees Voices: The Internally Displaced in Northern Uganda

10/24/2003
This man was displaced in June when the LRA entered his village near the town of Soroti in eastern Uganda. He has been living inside a church for almost five months. When the rebels entered his village, his ten-year old sister was abducted. She was playing with other children in the yard. The older children saw the rebels and ran away. His sister could not run fast, and they caught her. She has not returned yet. The rebels took six children that day from his village. Now his whole village has been displaced to Soroti. He walked the 15 kilometers to Soroti with his family. They carried whatever they could, but they had to leave most of their belongings at home. He owned a shop in his village, but everything was looted. He is staying at the church with his wife, his two children, and his mother and father. They have received some food, but there are no blankets, no medicines, and he is unable to find work. The government has encouraged them to return to their home but he is too afraid. In the meantime, he, along with 500 other IDPs, is waiting to see what will happen next.