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More Than 1,000 Civilians Die Every Week in Uganda Conflict |
Kampala, Uganda 09 Sep 2005 - More than 1,000 civilians die every week in the northern Uganda conflict, according to a new study carried out by the International Rescue Committee, the Ugandan Ministry of Health and four United Nations agencies.
The study, which examined war-related death from January through July 2005 in conflict-ravaged Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts, found that almost 26,000 excess deaths are estimated to have occurred during that time period due to the effects of the ongoing civil conflict, including mass displacement, disrupted livelihoods, deplorable and overcrowded camp conditions, violence, and restricted access to health care.
“This report quantifies the human cost of the conflict in northern Uganda, and reinforces what humanitarian agencies have long said – the situation in northern Uganda represents a grave humanitarian crisis,” says Ciarán Donnelly, who oversees the IRC’s humanitarian aid programs in Uganda.
“This requires an urgent and massive response both to address the immediate needs of affected populations and to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
In a press release issued today, the IRC urges all parties in the Uganda conflict to work seriously toward a negotiated and sustainable peace settlement and that the international community continue its engagement in this forgotten conflict.
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New figures indicating that 1,000 civilians die every week in the northern Uganda conflict make horrifyingly clear the need for urgent action by the international community and the Ugandan government to find an immediate and peaceful resolution to the 19-year civil war.
Photo: Thatcher Hullerman Cook for the IRC | |
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