Northern districts declared humanitarian disaster areas

Uganda's parliament on Wednesday declared the war-ravaged districts of the north and east humanitarian disaster areas. The declaration was intended to ease humanitarian access, the MPs, who were debating the recent massacre by rebels of over 200 internally displaced persons (IDPs), said. The disaster area will comprise the Acholi, Lang'o and Teso regions, where the 18-year old war between the government and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels has displaced about 1.4 million people. Many of the IDPs live in camps like that in Barlonyo, where the massacre was perpetrated on Saturday. In Lira town, 380 km north of the capital, Kampala, district officials denied "inciting ethnic violence" there during which five people were killed in a peace protest on Wednesday. "It was not the district leaders encouraging violence. We were quite clear this was to be a peaceful protest," the Lira mayor, Peter Oweni, who helped organise the peace march, told IRIN. Thousands of demonstrators protesting against the massacre of IDPs at Barlonyo by the LRA became violent, targeting ethnic Acholis. One man was beaten to death by the mob. The rioters burned several houses belonging to Acholis, dragged out several of them and beat them grievously. Waving placards demanding the resignation of President Yoweri Museveni, the rioters smashed car windows and vandalised government offices until police opened fire. Earlier, at a prayer service in the town centre, a boy was heard to say: "My prayer is that all Acholis can be killed in this town." Several of the LRA top brass, including its Joseph Kony, belong to the Acholi tribe. But observers note that the Acholis are also the LRA's primary victims, who have been killed, maimed or abducted by the LRA rebels more than any other tribe. Local radio stations were also blamed for inciting ethnic hatred between the Acholi and the neighbouring Lang'i tribe. After the Saturday massacre, one district councillor reportedly went on the air from Radio Wa to call on all Lang'is to be vigilant and to keep a keen lookout for anyone of Acholi descent who could be a rebel collaborator. "We may have timed the march badly. Emotions were high yesterday. We have a feeling that those doing the lynching may have lost relatives in the attack on Barlonyo," Oweni said on Thursday. Joe Wancha, Radio Wa's news editor, denied that his radio had helped to stir up violence. "Tension was not fuelled by this radio station. What happened yesterday was just a reflection of the anger we feel. The LRA are an Acholi group, and the people of Lang'o feel that the Acholis are leading an attack against us," he told IRIN on Thursday. On that day, several ethnic Acholi families who had been living in Lira were huddled at the local police station awaiting transport out of town. Carrying only bare essentials, most of them said they could no longer stay in Lira, even if the town was much calmer. "Of course they are quiet now, but it is difficult to determine what's in their hearts. I don't feel safe," Jane Atim, 30, told IRIN. Corinne Owiny, 45, who has lived in Lira for 19 years said she would not return. "In Acholi we say that once a child is pushed from the breast, he doesn't go back. We have been rejected - so it's time to start again," she said. Owiny survived a raid on her house because a Lang'i friend had taken her in and hidden her for four hours. Her husband had built up a small business in Lira, which the family were leaving behind. "My concern is I won't be able to pay for my son's university education now," Owiny said. "We have nothing." Meanwhile, reports of reprisals against ethnic the Lang'i in the major Acholi town of Gulu, northwest of Lira, were yet to be confirmed. Gulu officials said attacks on Lang'i children at schools in Gulu had been reported.