Strasbourg, 07/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - Adopting a resolution on the situation in the north of Uganda, the European Parliament strongly condemned the continuing abuse of human rights by all sides in the conflict and called for an immediate end to atrocities such as slavery, rape, torture, massacres and the like. It strongly condemned the attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army on civilians in north Uganda, kidnapping children and forcing them to become soldiers or sex slaves. It called on the Ugandan government and military to take immediate action to protect civilians and aid workers from kidnapping and other human rights violations, and ensure a safe environment to enable humanitarian organisations to distribute aid. The EP called on the African Union to assess all options for ensuring the safety of civilians in north Uganda, including measures against countries supplying arms to the Lord's Resistance Army. It called on the Council of the EU to consider EU intervention as part of the CFSP with a view to ensuring the safety of people eligible for humanitarian aid from ECHO. The EP also urged the European Union to consider appointing a Special Representative to oversee the current peace moves, like the ARLPI peace initiative by Acholi religious leaders, and to closely monitor the situation of children affected by armed conflict in the region.
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