20 years of war. 200 dysfunctional camps. 25,000 children abducted to serve as soldiers and sex slaves. 2 million displaced from what was, what should be, what could be home.
Yet, not many precious drops of ink have been utilized to document the suffering. I could be talking about the genocide that we were quick to declare but have forgotton to stop. I could be talking about the crisis that has been the subject of Nick Kristoff's relentless reporting and the force that pulled George Clooney to wade through African miseries. But this is not about the dismal state of Darfur in Sudan.
On the other side of the southern border of Sudan expands the home of 27.6 million citizens of the Republic of Uganda. It is in Uganda that today her people are expected to celebrate
Independence Day. And it is also in Uganda that one of the largest humanitarian crisis of our time takes place, unbeknownst to us.
If we are engaged in a "War on terror," then must we not fight the terror being instilled in a new generation of Ugandans as they are forced to murder their own families for the sake of survival?
Quite frankly, Uganda is unlikely to be too high on a list of countries you and I would like to visit for a relaxing vacation.
Apollo, 18, can tell us very well why it should be so:
When I was abducted by rebel soldiers at the age of 16 years, I was made to carry the wounded and other big loads that were not fit for my age. I would cry within my heart for fear of being killed, get tired since the march was very laborious, and had sleepless moments because of the severe pains all over my body.
New abductees were not allowed to drink water. Many perished and rotted like mushrooms. I am lucky to have survived.
I was not allowed to eat food for five days after I was abducted, yet had to carry heavy weapons. Many recruits died including my beloved brother, Otema.
On many occasions when we were escaping from the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) soldiers and gunship helicopters, I would knock my legs against stones and tree stumps and fall down with the patient I was carrying. Immediately the rebels would come and beat me with the barrels of guns and big sticks which have been put in fire. I felt partly dead and paralyzed in some parts of my body, like my hands, neck and chest.
Apollo's trajectory is not an anomaly, but instead, in war-torn northern Uganda, this has been the fate of as many as 25,000 children. And some have been through even worse.
When he was 6, Sam was kidnapped. He spent the next six years as a captive of a rebel army, where he was forced to kill other children, sometimes by biting the skin off a screaming victim who would slowly bleed to death.
The Apollos and Sams of Uganda are going to carry with them the scars of the suffering that they have managed to both inflict and endure at such an early age. But they'll do that only if they manage to survive. And that is a huge IF.
An armed rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), based in Southern Sudan, has been the root of one of the longest-running insurgent conflicts ever faced by Africa.
What do they want? A nation run on their interpretation of the Ten Commandments. It should be established on their extreme view of the Acholi religion and Biblical millenarianism (a belief that a major social transformation is going to change all things for the good, as opposed to the corruption that is exhibited by the rulers that govern today).
What will they do to get there? Terror through violence is their weapon. They Slaughter men and women. Abduct children to have them carry their loots, turn them into soldiers and/or make them serve as sex slaves. If a person is seen as being sympathetic to the central government, their lips and ears are chopped off.
This war has been raging for 20 long years. And while it has failed to reach any resolution, it is headed in that direction. There are many bumps in the road, but the Peace Talks being held in Juba, Sudan could be the historic turn millions in northern Uganda await - and deserve. But before that, which will Uganda and the International Criminal Court choose: Peace or Justice for those commanders of the LRA who have been the force behind the violence (along with the retaliation of the government's military)? Peace or not, the suffering continues.
As the Nation describes, the Internal Displacement Camps in the north are "congested and disease-ridden, with few social services, sources of power or clean water, they are simply unfit for human habitation."
Ugandan children, in order to escape the ruthless LRA, have turned ito "night commuters" as they travel from the camps to larger towns like Gulu.
Facts are stubborn things, and the international community has shown a marked indifference towards them. Yet, we must know. These are the challenges that the people of Northern Uganda face today:
- 80 percent of the population in the north is displaced.
- 85 percent of the displaced population does not have proper access to humanitarian assistance.
- 3 out of every 10,000 children under the age of 5 die every day.
- 42 people per week are abducted, and 50 percent of the victims are under the age of 15.
- 1000 people die in dislacement camps every week due to disease.
- 20 die each week due to violence.
- At least one out of every 10 people is infected with HIV (more than double the national average).
- Malnutrition rates among children range from 7 to 21 percent.
Today and tomorrow mark the National Uganda Lobby Day and Symposium and that is where you and I come in. But first, one of the lead sponsors of this event, the International Rescue Committee, like a few other organizations, needs to be applauded. A few days ago, the IRC sent a senior-level International Rescue Committee delegation to the Kitgum and Lira Districts in northern Uganda to assess the extent of humanitarian efforts needed to salvage the decimating population in the region.
One guy, who was part of the delegation, is better known to us than most others. John Edwards, in an email to his supporters writes:
We first went to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp outside Kitgum, just over 30 miles from the Sudan border. The people at IDP camps are the same as refugees, but they have not crossed a country border. This camp was one of hundreds throughout the region, and many of the people in this camp have been stuck there for several years, some for twenty years.
I sat under a tree with three adults and lots of children. They told me the stories of what they'd been through and what their hopes were. I met a little girl, about a year old, whose mother said she had never smiled -- her father was killed by the LRA. I tried to get her to smile and almost got one.
The living conditions at the camp were awful -- open sewage, little water, malnourished children. There were children that had been abducted by the LRA, forced to commit atrocities against others, including their own families, but had escaped and come back to the camp.
The next day we flew to Lira, another region of northern Uganda. There, I visited with a family that had taken in a young girl, an orphan, named Lilly. Lilly's parents had been killed by the LRA. She was about eight or nine years old -- around my daughter Emma's age. Lilly carried one baby in her arms and one on her back. It was heartbreaking to see her providing childcare for babies instead of going to school.
We then went to the Kira School, which is run by the IRC. In spite of everything they'd been through, the children at the school were remarkable -- they still had hope and lots of love to give. A 14-year old boy performed a song that he had written. He had lived on the streets for 13 years, and a year ago had been taken in by the IRC. In front of us and hundreds of his classmates, he sang a song about how happy he was to have a new life.
He blogged earlier on his One America Committee blog about how "[he] will never forget the faces of the people I met in Uganda, especially the children." Edwards' presence in this effort has garnered the issue some long-due press.
Watch John Edwards tell us why the crisis in Uganda deserves Americans' attention.
What can the United States do?
We can all have different takes on this, and we should, because that would at least indicate that we have been paying attention.
First and foremost, the current Administration hasn't even bothered to call the State Department and ask them to issue a statement of support for the ongoing Juba Peace Talks. There should be direct high-level political support to bolster the on-going Juba peace process.
Second, the current 20-year President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni is not blameless. He has done his best to consolidate power even long after the era of Idi Amin. The US - with the world - should urge the government of Uganda to continue its commitment to engaging peace talks and securing the return of all displaced peoples, rather than being a silent bystander.
UNICEF has urged for US$ 36,604,705 to alleviate the crisis in Uganda. How much are we pitching in? Can we lead the effort in the pitiful UN to actually get something done? UNICEF and other organizations "have already built up an excellent infrastructure of support." Can we help sustain it and give it direction?
The US can lead the United Nations to put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop harboring the LRA and its activities, but given our treatment of Darfur that seems like a lost cause.
Are we willing to take a stand on Plan B?
I admit that the list isn't terribly long, but that is because the plight of millions in Uganda has went unnoticed. There is no way to find solutions when there is no dialogue to even attempt to find them.
So, what can you and I do?
--- > Tomorrow, as part of the Uganda Lobby Day, participants will visit offices of their elected representatives to lobby for US support of ongoing peace talks and for funding of reconstruction and reconciliation efforts in northern Uganda. Call or write to your Representatives!! If this is done between today and tomorrow, the impact of your letter, your call, your effort is bound to be greater. "Together, the call-in and our lobbying will send ripples across Washington, DC."
--- > Spread the message. The only way an issue is every going to reach prominence in D.C. is for politicians to return home to constituents who raise the issue through their inquiries. Surely, this will never become a priority, but do your part, if for nothing then to just calm your conscience.
--- > Be one of the 10,000 reasons for hope in Northern Uganda. Join the GuluWalk.
--- > Sign the No Child Soldiers Declaration
--- > Become a donor for the Children of War Rehabilitation Center and Hope for Child Soldiers
Why do this?
Because, I hope, we care. We are likely to teach our kids that of those to whom much has been given, much is expected. America, despite our frustratins and shortcomings, has been given much in terms of wealth, prosperity and ideals... do we owe some responsibility in the world to help a continent such as Africa rise?
I'll end with words by John Edwards, as he is the only national leader who has even attempted to bring notice to the suffering in Uganda:
For the will of one can change the world, and the might of millions can lift up mankind.
Each person must lend their voice to this great call for change. Soon after, these voices will form a symphony which stirs the souls of millions to silence this injustice. And they will silence it with their service, with their grace, and with these words we sing in unison--it will be done. (Source)
As an American, I believe that we have a great responsibility to show the world that my country is doing all it can to fulfill its promise. Not just with our words, but with our actions. And not just at home, but in the world... America is a place that believes in ascension and the dignity of hard work. This is what we believe. And every day we give a person the chance to lift themselves up -- whether they live in New York, New Delhi or Nairobi -- we increase the chances of a just world.
This is what we can do when we never forget that we are all connected. That when countries achieve liberty and economic strength it helps us all. And that when tragedies happen thousands of miles from our homes, they hurt us all. (Source)
Idealism... isn't that a part of our national identity that we have lost lately? Do we still believe in standing up against Human Rights abuses around the world like this guy?
Please take a minute to call your Senator and Congressman. Darfur and Uganda - we care, but do we care enough to act?