The Ugandan government has started implementing a six-month emergency plan to resettle thousands of people in the eastern region displaced by the 20-year old northern war. "The emergency plan spans six months and is intended to help returnees rebuild their lives and have infrastructure restored, such as roads, schools and health centres," Musa Ecweru, the Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, said. However, the minister said, it does not apply to IDPs in Acholi subregion – the epicentre of the rebellion – where the government is reducing large camps by moving civilians to smaller settlements. Read more at Reuters AlertNet.

The Defense Minister, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga has apologized to the people of Teso, Acholi and Lango districts for the government’s failure to protect its citizens that led to the deaths of thousands of people at the hands of LRA. He said the people killed in the northern region was a result of government’s failure to provide security and protect its people from the enemy. Read more at The Monitor.

The Ugandan Government has finalized an emergency humanitarian plan for resettling the 1.7 million internally displaced persons in war-torn northern Uganda. Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi said in addition to providing security, the Government would focus on protecting human rights by deploying police in key areas, providing emergency food, water, shelter and health services in order to lower mortality rates and promote reconciliation in the communities. The plan of action is drawn by the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), which was set up by the government and development partners to consolidate humanitarian interventions in the north. Read more at The New Vision.

The government has said it will construct 222 police stations in northern Uganda as part of the comprehensive humanitarian plan to restore justice, law and order in the region. Read more at The New Vision.

The UN Special Representative on the Human Rights of Internally-Displaced Persons has issued a statement on the situation in northern Uganda. The statement reads, "Uganda has an excellent National Policy for Internally Displaced Persons, but special efforts are now needed to implement it...There is a dire need to shift the responsibility to uphold law and order from the UPDF back to civilian authorities and to adequately train and deploy sufficient numbers of civilian police in all parts of Northern Uganda. To provide meaningful access to justice in the north, the Government also must rebuild and strengthen the judiciary. The local governments, who are largely charged with implementing the IDP Policy, require the human resources and financial capacities to fulfill their obligations. Moreover, local governments should be more fully consulted in the on-going return process." Read more at ReliefWeb.

Leaders of some internally displaced people’s camps in northern Uganda have blamed government officials and NGOs for turning the 20-year-long insurgency into business. Unyama camp leaders, headed by Mr Raymond Oduki Lamak, on Saturday said government officials and NGOs visit camps to shoot documentaries to solicit funds from donors, but camp residents do not receive anything. Camp leaders also criticised the government for not fulfilling its pledges to IDPs since 1996. They said the government had even failed to provide basics like drugs, food, security and education. Read more at The Monitor.

The Commander of the Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala, has said the government will install alarm systems in resettlement homes in northern Uganda to fight insecurity. "A plan to have the frontline villages equipped with communication to enhance security monitoring has been put in place," Katumba said. Read more at The Monitor.