Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Fides Service)- “We are still here although we have had to take extra precautions and this slows down our work considerably” said Filippo Ciantia, head of a team of AVSI an Italian volunteer group operating in Kampala, Uganda, where Lord Resistance Army rebels LRA have intensified attacks on international humanitarian organisations in recent weeks.
The most serious attacks were two ambush attacks 27 October in which two humanitarian workers, one from Caritas and the other for ACORD lost their lives. In attacks in southern Sudan where the LRA has bases, another two humanitarian workers were killed.
“No one knows why the LRA has intensified its attacks on humanitarian organisations” - Ciantia told Fides - “in the past there have been attacks with people killed or injured. But now these episodes are more frequent and this would seem to point to a precise plan although there is nothing to prove that the LRA leader Kony has given orders of this sort”.
“In this situation we have to take extra precautions to protect our workers and at the same time keep our humanitarian commitments” the AVSI team leader said.
“In northern Uganda where it has worked for over 20 years, AVSI assists over 700,000 people. We supply 6 hospitals in the area, provide assistance at 15 refugees camps and run several programmes for education” said Ciantia.
In the conflict in northern Uganda at least 100,000 lives have been lost, 25,000 children abducted and 1.6 million people, practically the entire population, have been forced to abandon villages and fields and seek safety in refugee camps which lack even the bare necessities and are prey to attacks by the LRA.
“As the Catholic archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama has often affirmed, the military solution and the judicial one, with an International Penal Court to judge LRA leaders, would appear to be insufficient to put an end to violence. What is needed are solutions to integrate the rebels into society” said Ciantia. “The greater part of the guerrilla troops are young boys kidnapped between 5 and 10 years ago and forced to fight” said another missionary who has worked in the area for years. “Here in a climate of general indifference we see children guerrillas attacking village children of their own age” the missionary concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/11/2005 righe 38 parole 447)
