The war in northern Uganda is silent: "We were shocked to find out that 48 people have died in Barapwo stock farm camp for internally displaced people since January of this year 48," Father Sebhat Ayele, a Comboni missionary and spokesman for LRLF (Lango Religious Leaders' Forum) told MISNA following his visit to two so-called 'protected' camps sheltering hundreds of thousands of civilians seeking refuge from the violence of the LRA (lord's Resistance Army). Yesterday, the local newspaper 'Rupiny' reported that dozens of people had died from hunger in the Erute camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Lira. "It seemed impossible, and so this morning we rushed to the camps to verify the report," recounts the missionary. In the first, Barapwo, just five kilometres from the city, the camp leaders showed the Comboni father the names of the 48 people who had died from hunger and diseases such as diahrea, malaria, measles and birth complications. "We
were dumbfounded when the leader told us that in Baropwo food has been distributed twice this year: on 8 January and 8 March. On each occasion, the portion given to each person was 3.5 kg of beans and 7.5 kg of maize. No wonder people are dying." The camp contains 31,446 Ugandans seeking refuge from the rebels' fury: three weeks ago, the LRA militias massacred over 250 unarmed civilians in a camp in Barlonyo, 25 kilometres northeast of Lira. "The primary school consists of 4 roofless blocks with 4 classes each. There are 6,500 pupils in this structure," continued the missionary. The maximum set by the Ugandan education ministry is for 45 pupils per class. "However good the teachers may be, humanly speaking it is impossible to teach such a crowd, moreover hungry." The missionary also visited the secondary school for the displaced, 5 km from the camp; "700 students go by foot every morning to attend classes. We could not believe the conditions of the school. When we expressed our shock to the headmaster he told us 'better than nothing'". Father Sebhat then visited the Erute camp together with a fellow missionary: "This camp is not officially recognized by the authorities as an IDP camp within the municipality. It hosts 20,300 people. From January to yesterday, 38 people died. According to the camp leaders, the majority died of huger." There are 15 camps in total in the Lira district, adds the missionary: "We do not know exactly how many people have died". He then asks: "If people in the camps in Lira municipality, which can be reached by humanitarian organisations, are dying of hunger, what about the rest in the district who can not be reached due to insecurity?"[LC]

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