22 August 2001
Kampala — The Acholi parliamentary group and religious leaders have asked government to immediately dismantle camps for the displaced people and help them return to their homes.
They have also asked Sudanese President Omar el Bashir to arrange for the return of Acholi children abducted by Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
"If President Bashir is really serious about seeing peace in northern Uganda, let him arrange for the return of Acholi children abducted by the LRA," the Bishop of Kitgum diocese, Macleod Baker Ochola, said yesterday at a press conference.
The legislators from the region also said they were planning to table a petition to enable parliament debate this humanitarian crisis.
Nobert Mao, the Gulu Municipality MP, said during the press conference orgnaised by the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative and Acholi legislators, that Parliament should deal with the Acholi issue as a humanitarian catastrophe.
The meeting was also attended by the northern Uganda anglican bishop, Nelson Onono-Onweng, the Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama and the Secretary, Justice and Peace Commission, Gulu, Fr. Carlos L. Rodriguez and Okumu Regan (MP Aswa).
More than 460,000 people representing about 50% of the people in Acholi live in 24 camps for the internally displaced persons.
He asked the Government to help the Acholi return to their homes by making adequate provision for security, while appealing to the international community to help them resettle.
Bashir, who is attending the Global 2001 SMART Partnership dialogue at the Speke Resort Beach, Munyonyo, told journalists that Kony had re-located to areas not controlled by his government.
"We have no access and control over Kony. He is now outside the territory which we used to control. Because we have stopped assisting him, Kony has started conducting operations against our government," said Bashir.
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