Red Cross in Uganda again
2004-07-15 16:51
Kampala - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday it had resumed humanitarian operations in Uganda halted three years ago after it blamed Ugandan soldiers for killing six of its aid workers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"On Tuesday we started with the distribution of high-yielding vegetable seeds to some 3 500 families in Akwang camp in Kitgum district," ICRC chief in Uganda Pierre-Andri Conod said.
ICRC staffers - a Swiss doctor, a Kenyan-Colombian national and four DRC nationals - were killed on April 26, 2001 in the volatile Ituri region of northeastern DRC where the Ugandan army had a significant presence during DRC's broader civil war.
The ICRC made a formal protest to the Ugandan government demanding an inquiry and thorough investigations, announced the suspension of its Ugandan operations and threatened to completely withdraw from the east African country.
Conod said that the dialogue with the Ugandan government was still continuing, but declined to divulge its progress and details.
"In March this year, we decided to separate the two issues. We are still engaged in dialogue, but because of the deterioration of the situation in northern Uganda, we decided to resume with an evaluation mission in the northern region," Conod said.
Economic security important
He said the programme, targeting five displaced persons' camps in Kitgum, aim at helping people in war-ravaged northern Uganda, mainly with water supplies and improvement of their micro-economic status.
"These five camps will highlight our value addition through integrated approach. We want to concentrate on the economic security of the people like medical and water rehabilitation, as well as protection of the civilian population," Conod said.
He said the agency made its maiden operation on Tuesday in northern Uganda, where up to 1.6 million people have been displaced by the 18-year-old conflict by distributing some non-staple food and other items like sugar, salt and soap.
Conod said children's clothes will be distributed later in the year as a way to curb rampant respiratory tract infections.
Water engineers have been deployed, mainly in the northern Gulu and Kitgum districts, where distribution of water per capita is a meagre five litres per person.
A medical delegate is also in Uganda to look at the facilities in the war-wracked northern region, where ICRC plans to improve the referral systems in existing medical structures.
"The facilities require more medical supplies to cope with the demands posed by the war situation," Conod said.
Prior to the suspension, the ICRC provided safe water through construction of wells, visited and assisted prisoners, distributed medical and food to the needy, especially internally displaced people in protected camps, and also offered family life education.