Displaced civilians still scared of rebels, says gov't

Most civilians forced out of their homes in northern Uganda by two decades of conflict have stayed in camps for years for fear of possible attacks by rebels, the Ugandan government said.

Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Minister, Tarsis Kabwegyere, told reporters in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that nearly a million internally displaced persons had responded to calls to return home, but fears that they would be killed or abducted had stopped them from doing so.

"I am not happy with the return progress because not everybody has gone back home and whatever you give the people, as long as they fear for their lives, they will not go home," Kabwegyere said on Tuesday.

According to aid agencies, an estimated 230,000 internally displaced people in the region returned to their villages in 2006 thanks to improved security following the start of talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). However, up to 1.2 million more remain in camps, while some have moved to satellite camps nearer their villages to gain access to their farms.

"These people ran away from a problem but they fear the problem … is still there," Kabwegyere, whose ministry deals with the resettlement of displaced people, said, adding that guidelines for the implementation of a US$300 million resettlement programme had been developed.

According to the minister, uncertainty over the peace talks being mediated by the southern Sudanese government in Juba was a major concern to the IDPs.

"If you heard that a peace agreement had been signed in Juba, you would not see anybody in the camps, because they would all go home," he added. "When [LRA deputy leader Vincent] Otti rang me recently, I told him that the people are scared of the rebels and that is why they are not going home."

Tens of thousands of people were killed in the war and almost two million driven out of their homes to live in squalid conditions in camps dotted across northern Uganda.

The talks to end the fighting started in Juba in July 2006. A month later the two sides agreed a truce under which the rebels were asked to leave northern Uganda and assemble in two places in southern Sudan. They also agreed a cessation of hostilities agreement.

Since then, the talks have hit several snags, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement or planning attacks. Last week, the LRA announced it was pulling out of the talks completely unless a new mediation team and venue are found. The Ugandan government rejected the demand.

"Geographically and politically, Juba remains the best venue for the talks. And the Ugandan government still trusts the mediation of the government of southern Sudan," the chief government negotiator and Internal Affairs Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, said on Tuesday.

"We are waiting for the date for the resumption of the talks and government is very, very committed to the talks," Rugunda added.
 
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