JUBA, 20 January 2009 (IRIN): The Southern Sudanese state of Western Equatoria has registered thousands of refugees and displaced civilians but lacks the resources to support them, officials said.
The refugees fled a Ugandan government-led offensive in December 2008 against Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the others fled attacks on their homes by cattle-raiders from neighbouring Lakes State.
– Since the recent escalation of LRA atrocities in Western Equatoria and the displacement of so many people, the response of humanitarian organisations has, regrettably, been very slow, Jemma Nunu Kumba, state governor, said on 19 January. – The people are forced to continue enduring terrible misery.
Appealing for help, the state authorities said they had registered 8.000 people from DR Congo and 6.000 displaced Sudanese civilians who had abandoned their homes, property, farms and food stores and sought refuge in towns.
– We need help, the state Finance Minister Charles Abdu, said. – We have exhausted everything we have. Anything you can give, whether food or clothing, give.
The offensive against the LRA followed a failure by its leader Joseph Kony to sign a peace agreement with the Ugandan government. Analysts had warned that an attack on the LRA – then showing signs of weakening – could rejuvenate the rebel groups and lead to a resurgence in violence.
The rebels moved to the south-western Sudanese region as part of a ceasefire signed with the Ugandan government in 2006. The agreement required them to assemble in Ri-Kwangba from where they would be repatriated after a final peace deal.
Kony snubbed the signing over charges brought against him by the International Criminal Court.
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