{UAH} IDDI AMIN NEVER TARGETED LANGIs/ACHOLIs, THEY TARGETED HIM {---Series eighty (C) }

Gasper was interviewed by Médecins Sans Frontières from Obalanga in Katakwi district

Gaspar's story

Gaspar, a timid but wise seeming man, is a 34-year-old farmer from Obalanga in

Katakwi district. He had lived there all his life until he was forced to flee in June 2003

after the LRA killed his brother. He now lives in Soroti town with his wife, four children,

two orphans and his brother's wife and her five children.

Gaspar and his family first fled to a camp in Obalanga trading centre, where the situation

was overwhelming, with nearly 30,000 people lacking food, water, and shelter. Feeling

unsafe with the army doing little to defend the population, and quickly realizing that it

would be impossible to return to his village to farm, Gaspar decided to move his family

once again to nearby Amuria, where the situation was not much better5. He and his

family stayed in an abandoned school building with fifty others, but left a week later out

of fear. "Fear was apparent throughout the camp. There was no protection from the army.

I worried that my children would be taken from me. I had no chance to reach my

homestead and field. After a week with nothing left that I had brought with me, I saw no

reason to stay and the next day we left for Soroti town. I decided to move there because

I thought it would be safer for my family. I thought it would be better defended by the

UPDF, and further south and more out of the reach of the LRA".

But there was an attack immediately after Gaspar arrived. At least 200 people were

killed and high numbers of children abducted, including 100 schoolgirls. The attack

terrorised people. Those few who had contacts further south in Kampala or Jinja left

without delay. Gaspar, like the majority of people, stayed because he had nowhere else

to go.

Settling in Soroti town was extremely difficult. Gaspar and his family sold firewood and

survived on irregular food distributions from humanitarian agencies. "The food

distributions were erratic and there was no real system. We took what little was available

but the majority of the food went to the camp leaders".

Gaspar has now been in Soroti town for a year and half. Reported attacks by the LRA

are fewer, but the Karamajong are still perceived as a major threat. Some people,

though, have started to leave as their villages are deemed safer. Since mid-2004 there

has been increasing pressure on Gaspar and others in Soroti town to return home.

Food distributions have stopped. "I need to know that the war is really over before I can

make the move to go home. I have moved three times in the last year. I don't want to

move my family again until I am sure about the situation and have a better guarantee

that I can return. Moving home will require rebuilding my house that was burnt and

recovering some of our land. I still want to wait and see". In the meantime, Gaspar's

wife is taking tailoring classes. With the local government pressuring people to leave

Soroti by December 2004, it is unclear what he and the others will do.

EM

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"