Situation in north "extremely grave", says UN official

The United Nations' top human rights official has described the human rights situation in Uganda's war torn north as "extremely grave". UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, made the comments on Thursday during a weeklong visit to Uganda. "People are deprived of social, material and human rights needs," she added, noting that rights violations by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had been of "great magnitude". The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), which has fought a rebellion in the north for nearly 20 years, had also committed violations, she added. "Even though these violations may be of a smaller magnitude, violations by the UPDF contain an element of breach of trust where the person supposed to defend you instead offends you," she said. During her visit, Arbour visited northern Uganda to witness first hand the devastation caused by the two decades of civil war. "There is violation of human dignity in the camps," Arbour said. "People complained about lack of access, violations of their rights, and said they were their denied health and economic rights." "The most severe violation is the total incapacitation of the people to participate in decisions concerning their future," she added. "The deprivation of hope is very serious."