A 'quiet' war kills slowly

Mennonite Central Committee
Wednesday, 20 December 2000

Signs of conflict are not obvious upon arrival in the war-torn district of Kitgum, northern Uganda.

But the war is here -- limiting travel, impacting food supplies and taking a deadly toll on the local population.

The people of Kitgum, most of whom are Acholi, have suffered 14 years of attacks and abductions by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), based in nearby southern Sudan. The LRA is known as one of the most brutal rebel groups in Africa.

In summer 2000 more than 50 deaths were reported from attacks and ambushes, including one of the top government officials in Kitgum district, J.B. Ocaya.

Many local people believe the Ugandan government has offered them only half-hearted protection.

Since 1987 the LRA has abducted more than 6,000 children, according to the United Nations. Many of the children become sex slaves or are trained as fighters for the LRA.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) volunteers in Kitgum work with local religious leaders and people affected by the war. MCC also makes locally purchased food available to communities there.

The ambushes and abductions have limited long-distance travel to military convoy only. People here say traveling even short distances around the district means taking your life into your own hands.

Restrictions on travel have a domino affect on social and family structures and on food distribution and production, creating some of the first instances of malnourishment in recent memory.

Families are often split between their home village and a work place in town. Waiting to travel by military convoy or taking indirect routes on "safer" roads, workers lose time with their families. When relatives die, families are not always able to attend funerals or bury their dead properly.

Before the violence started, the Acholi people enjoyed milk and meat from their cows, vegetables from the northern villages, fresh fish from a neighboring district and manufactured goods such as toothpaste from the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

But their cows have long since been stolen or killed, and fewer items are imported. Vendors risk their lives bringing goods into Kitgum, then become stranded.

Meanwhile, as transport becomes impossible or more expensive, the Acholi receive less money for their commodities. Families face selling their harvest for low prices and paying more for protein-rich foods. Children and nursing and expectant mothers are impacted the most.

"The Acholi have never been a poor people; they have always worked hard and provided for their needs," said the Anglican Bishop of Kitgum District, the Rt. Rev. Baker Ochola. "We are still working hard but now see children with swollen bellies, with malnutrition, for the first time."

Families that just a few years ago enjoyed a balanced diet and had enough seeds in storage for several plantings, have now been looted or displaced. They rely on relief food donations to survive.

Kitgum is one of many areas in northern Uganda hit by an outbreak of the Ebola virus this year. MCC has pledged more than $38,500 Cdn./$25,000 U.S. to one hospital in the region.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org