Kampala — The army's human rights record in the north came under serious attack at a Kampala seminar yesterday.

Rev. Fr. Carlos Rodriguez, chairman of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Catholic Mission Kitgum, yesterday blamed the UPDF for incidents in which innocent civilians were killed.

The priest was presenting a paper, 'Media Coverage of Human Rights in Conflict Situations: The Right To Information' at a seminar organised by the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC) at Makerere University Faculty of Law.

The seminar was chaired by Professor Fredrick Juuko.

"In a situation of conflict I don't know who made this statement, the first casualty is truth," Carlos a Spanish priest who has lived in Kitgum for eight years had begun.

He said there have been more serious cases of human rights abuses by the UPDF than has been reported in the media.

"On March 1, 1998, in Ogole village, five miles west of Wol Parabongo division, Kitgum district, a group of rebels who had camped in that area for two days, sent about 80 children to fetch water from the nearby river which is less than one km from the mountain where they had camped," Carlos begun.

"Many of the children captives were tied with ropes in groups, others had their hands tied up as they carried jerrycans," he added.

"When they reached the river and started collecting water, at around 6:00 in the evening, a UPDF mobile unit who had been waiting to lay an ambush opened fire killing many of the children," Carlos revealed.

He said that over 30 children were killed in this incident, although they counted only eight bodies.

He said the Catholic mission which visited the scene discovered that the UPDF could see very well from where they had laid the ambush that these were abducted children, but they went ahead and killed them.

He said apart from a local newspaper, Rupiny, no other paper reported the matter.

He complained that The New Vision reported the incident and alleged that 19 rebels had been killed.

"If it was a businessman in Kampala it would have been reported, but the fate of 30 children being killed in a cold blood!" he said.

He said, apart from that incident, rebels struck Omiya-Anyima centre and nearby villages on January 31, and abducted 70 young people although UPDF had advance knowledge of their impending invasion.

"UPDF had knowledge of the invasion but they only reached the scene two hours after the attack," he said.

He blamed the media for distorting facts in order to create the impression that UPDF has scored successes.

Carlos told the seminar that the UPDF also keeps children who escape from Kony for more than 30 days, which is a violation of their rights.

He said that when a Germany television crew visited Gulu barracks, they told them it is their (UPDF) policy to keep returnees for only four days.

"When the crew wanted to visit Kitgum they refused it," he said.

He said contrary to UPDF statements that rebels can't abduct children from protected villages the opposite has been happening.

He asked journalists to stop relying on soldiers for information and asked them to do their private investigations.

He asked the media to stop publishing rebel faxes if they want to remain agents of peace, and not confusion.

An official from a Gulu based Human Rights Focus, Nyeko Paulinus, said protected camps are not suitable for human beings.

He lamented that Acholi who have never lived on handouts are today made to line up for food items.

He said that there was a case in which a mobile military unit set a woman ablaze using Lira Lira (local potent gin).

Rev. Carlos later handed over to the media a memorandum they wrote to Museveni during his northern Uganda tour, but which they were never allowed to read out in public.