UNICEF horrified by abduction of schoolgirls

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed horror over the abduction this week of a number of schoolgirls in Uganda by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). "The abductions are part of the ongoing insecurity in the region, which has seen an upsurge of violence against civilians and has resulted in a doubling of the numbers of displaced people over the last year," the agency said in a statement. The northeastern Soroti district was reportedly tense following Tuesday's attack. Reports said many shops had been closed, especially those owned by Asian business people who had relocated further south to Kampala or to Mbale on the Ugandan border with Kenya. The number of girls still missing is unclear. Earlier reports indicated that more than 100 girls had been abducted. Ugandan army spokesman Shaban Bantariza told IRIN on Thursday that 33 girls were still missing, while the local Catholic church reportedly said six were missing after the majority escaped from their captors or were rescued by the army. Mads Oyen, UNICEF's officer in charge of child protection, said the figures were confusing because of poor telecommunications in the district. "The situation is still unclear. There are no mobile phones. I understand there are still many people missing," Oyen told IRIN. Bantariza said the army had been deployed and had pushed the rebels out of the district, which has hitherto been stable and far from the LRA's traditional sphere of attack in the northern Acholi region. "This is not an upsurge in attacks, it is a diversion," Bantariza said. "After being pushed out of Acholiland, they [LRA] found it easier to attack Soroti where they could easily loot food and other supplies." Ugandan government attempts to negotiate peace with the rebels have been frustrated by the LRA's refusal to appoint its own delegation for peace talks, Bantariza said. "There was nobody to discuss with. We will just continue fighting until the end," he stated. The LRA insurgency - characterised by attacks, looting and abductions of civilians in northern Uganda - has displaced more than 800,000 people who are currently living in several camps protected by the army. UNICEF has placed the nmber of people abducted by LRA since June 2002 at 8,000.