Uganda: Uganda: OCHA Humanitarian Update Jan 2008

I. HIGHLIGHTS

- JUBA TALKS RESUME AT END OF JANUARY FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT OF LRA DELEGATION
- HEPATITIS E IN KITGUM UNCONTAINED 3 MONTHS AFTER INITIAL OUTBREAK
- OVER 320,000 IN FLOOD-AFFECTED DISTRICTS NEED FOOD AID FOR FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2008
- 12,000 KENYAN REFUGEES POUR INTO UGANDA FOLLOWING VIOLENCE IN WAKE OF ELECTIONS

II. SECURITY AND ACCESS

SECURITY

The general security situation remained calm in northern Uganda during the reporting period, although instances of criminal activity, mostly involving theft, were recorded. Five incidents of theft of goods and/or malicious damage to United Nations properties were recorded during the reporting period, as were two accidents involving United Nations vehicles: one in Luwero town, the other in Pader. One fatality was reported in connection with the former accident. Two additional accidents involving vehicles belonging to members of the humanitarian community were reported by OCHA in Kitgum.

General insecurity persisted in the Karamoja sub-region, particularly in Kotido and Kaabong districts. Three road
ambushes, including one on a vehicle that had previously escorted and dropped off staff from the World Food
Programme (WFP) in Kaabong, were recorded in January, as were 31 raids (21 successful). Of the latter, at least 10 were occurred in Kaabong district, two of them on protected kraals. The attacks were serious enough for the Karenga- Kapedo road to be closed on 27 January, when a large group of illegally-armed Karimojong were sighted. In Moroto, 12 people were killed and nine injured in a cattle raid on Lokitimo village on 4 January. Seven disarmament operations were carried out by the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), resulting in the recovery of four (4) weapons.

From 7 to 8 January, security chiefs from the Governments of Uganda and South Sudan met at Kidepo National Park in Kaabong District to discuss how to end arms trafficking in the region.

ACCESS

Barring the Karamoja sub-region, all areas of humanitarian operations continued to be accessible to humanitarian agencies without the use of military escorts, although the WFP continues to use light escorts for food distributions.

In northern Uganda, the movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to transit sites and villages of origin continue to increase steadily, albeit at a slower than expected rate in the Acholi sub-region. Among the principle causes to which the slower movement is attributed is the fear of contamination by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). In Pader district, 164 suspected landmine or UXO locations have been reported, but descriptions of the devices, GPS coordinates and other detailed location information are available for only 51 of the locations. Mine risk education and training activities continue, but the deployment of a permanent Mine Clearance Rapid Response Team to Pader is no  expected before the third week of February.