Brussels, 11/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - One of the envoys from the European Union humanitarian office (ECHO) in Uganda has called on the international community to take action to help the people in the north of the country, which has become a victim of a humanitarian crisis on a par with that of Darfur. Gael Griette from ECHO stated last week at a press conference in Brussels last week that, "in terms of severity, the situation in the north of Uganda is equivalent to the crisis in Darfur". The region is a victim of what the experts describe as the "CNN effect" and for ten years has suffered from the civil war, which according to Gael Griette, illustrates all the characteristics of a forgotten crisis. The investment in terms of personnel and financial means speak for themselves: ECHO aid has been EUR 16 million over three years in Uganda but EUR 57.7 million for Darfur in 2004 alone.
Since 1986, following the coup d'état by president Yoweri Museveni, civil war in Uganda has set the government forces against the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army. According to some estimates, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 100,000 and almost 1.6 million displaced persons, half of whom form part of the main ethnic group in the region, the Achiolis. The different reports from the humanitarian organisations indicated that civilians have be the victims of serious civil rights violations such as summary executions, torture, rape, recruitment of child soldiers, robbery, forced removals and the destruction of property.
According to different religious sources and human rights groups, the conflict is becoming less serious. Gael Griette confirmed a slight and temporary improvement in the Achioli area. An ECHO expert stated that sinusoidal development of the conflict over the last 17 years meant that they were looking at things cautiously, despite overall indications.