“Reparation need grows in Northern Uganda,” Daily Monitor, 6 December 2010

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1067192/-/ckisgiz/-/index.html

By Sam Lawino

The need for the government to plan for reparation for people who suffered in the LRA war in Northern Uganda continues to grow with leaders in the region calling for swift action to enable total reconciliation take place.

The leaders said the government’s neglect to include reparation in its program for rehabilitating the region could stagnate other recovery efforts as communities still divisions stemming from the conflict to overcome.

The Assistant Chief Administrative Officer of Gulu, Stephen Oloya, during a conference on justice and reconciliation in Gulu last week said without reparation, the region could again be plunged into more violence.

 “The war is a manmade disaster which means if we do not reconcile there is tendency of recurrence to violence,” Oloya said.

The Arch Bishop of Gulu Arch diocese, John Baptist Odama in a separate meeting said the time has come for the government to do more to help the people reconcile through helping those who lost their relatives and properties recover from their trauma.

Bishop Odama observed that focusing on the well being of the tormented people would not only help them reconcile but can let them sustain peace.

Meanwhile the acting LCV chairman, Makmot Kitara called for both the psychological and economic redress of the people to forget their past gruesome experience to focus on the future.

The government has budgeted for nearly Ugshs30bn under the Peace, Recovery and Development Program (PRDP) for Northern and Eastern parts of Uganda, with no specific attention on reparation for families of those who lost their lives in the wars.

“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.