Four internally displaced persons died instantly and six others sustained serious injuries when a bomb exploded at Ayami camp in Lira district on Sunday. The injured, most of whom were children, were rushed to Lira Hospital in critical condition. The police suspects that the bomb was abandoned by LRA rebels. The National Mine Action Team, funded by the United Nation Development Programme, has been detonating landmines in the North since the resettlement of displaced people kicked off last year. Read more at The New Vision.

Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao has said that only about 5% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were living in camps in Gulu district have returned to their villages. He said, "While we can say that about 30% of the IDPs have left the camps, the majority are still in transition settlement areas. Only about 5% have returned to their villages of origin and most new settlements are located on major roads and near social services." Mao added that until peace fully returns and security measures are in place, many displaced people will not feel safe enough to leave the camps. "Let us preach the message of peace and reconciliation in each and every village. Let us assure them that total peace is on the horizon and we should reach out and grasp it," he said. Read more at The New Vision.

With the one-year anniversary of the Juba peace talks tomorrow, The Monitor has published an editorial, which "sticks to the humanitarian view that the matter of IDP return retains primacy." They write, "In the event, whatever combination is adopted to complement the ICC, so as to avoid condoning impunity, let us keep sight of this fact. And this is why we take a very dim view of the suspected corruption that has already be-devilled the resettlement process." Read the full editorial at The Monitor.

In a letter to the Inspector General of the Ugandan Police Force (UPF), Human Rights Watch has called on the UPF to improve civilian policing in northern Uganda. The letter, sent in May of this year, details corruption and inadequate training within the UPF, including instances of police officers demanding payment for services. The report also acknowledges the resource restraints police officers in the north face and efforts by the UPF to improve policing there. Read more at The Monitor or at Human Rights Watch.

The Ugandan government should seize illegal guns owned by auxiliary forces in internally displaced people's (IDP) camps, the Uganda Human Rights Commission has suggested. The commission noted that many illegal guns were being misused to create lawlessness and hamper efforts of resettle displaced people. "Assurance of security will be the pre-condition for people to leave the camps," said Margaret Sekaggya, the head of the commission. If the guns are not withdrawn, Sekaggya warned that armed robberies, illegal shootings and other forms of crimes would replace the 20-year-old insurgency in the North. Read more at The New Vision.

Reports from non-governmental organizations and the UN working in north Uganda show further changes in displacement through May. Of the 1,840,000 people displaced at the end of 2005, 988,000 (55%) remain in the original camps. Another 395,000 are in new "decongestion" camps or in transit, while 461,000 have returned home. Over 75% of those who have retured home are in the Lango region.