“Compensate northern war victims,” Daily Monitor, 4 December 2010

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1065988/-/ckk0twz/-/index.html

By Sam Lawino

Gulu

The government has been asked to take the views of war victims in Acholi and Lango Sub-region for urgent reparation.

The call was made by the Gulu assistant Chief Administrative Officer Steven Oloya on Thursday while closing a two-day dialogue on Justice Peace and Reconciliation in Gulu.

He said said without reparation for the people of northern Uganda, the region could still slip back into war because people’s memory of loss of their property and lives of their dear ones is still fresh in their minds. “The war was a manmade disaster which means if we do not reconcile there is tendency of recurrence to violence,” Mr Oloya said. He said forgiveness among the affected communities and paying for lives and property destroyed would bring lasting peace in the region.

The meeting was aimed at enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice with support from the South African-based Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. “If government insists to go ahead with building schools, hospitals and roads as a collective life repair of its citizens who suffered in the war without addressing the reparation aspect, the region could recede into more problems in the near future” he noted.

Ms Milly Amoi, the chairperson of Rwot Lakica, a group of 23 formerly abducted women in Lira said government should apologise and address collective needs of its citizens. “We need land to erect houses and keep orphans born in captivity but we have been made poor,” she said.