Northern Uganda (Hansard, 2 March 2004)

§ 2. Ann McKechin (Glasgow, Maryhill) (Lab)
What recent discussions he has had about peace and human rights in Northern Uganda. [157412]

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Chris Mullin)
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I discussed the situation in northern Uganda with President Museveni during his visit to London on 29 January. We urged the President to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict, but we recognise that it is extremely difficult to negotiate with a terrorist organisation that has no known political agenda. I also met Acholi civil society representatives on 2 February.

§ Ann McKechin
I thank my hon. Friend for his reply. I visited Kampala two weeks ago and met several Ugandan MPs who are working for peace and reconciliation. They impressed on me that the conflict is largely about children, who are abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army, brutalised and made part of the killing machine. I ask my hon. Friend to continue to press the Ugandan Government to seek political and humanitarian solutions to the conflict rather than military ones. Will he also urge them to continue the current amnesty, which is due to expire in the next couple of months?

§ Mr. Mullin
I am grateful for my hon. Friend's interest in this matter. The conflict in northern Uganda is probably the largest unresolved conflict in Africa at the moment. Some of the events occurring, such as the recent massacre at Lira, are unspeakable. We repeatedly impressed on the Ugandan Government our view that there is no purely military solution to the conflict. My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the effect of the war on children, and we are keen to see the amnesty 740 commission continue. We have provided it with material and technical assistance. About 7,200 fighters, mostly children, have been rehabilitated, and the commission has helped to resolve insurgencies in other parts of Uganda, so we are pressing for it to continue.

§ Mr. William Cash (Stone) (Con)
As chairman of the all-party group on Uganda, and having visited Gulu in northern Uganda, I welcome the Minister's discussions with President Museveni. However, the barbaric treatment of children, with as many as 20,000 abducted and forced into fighting and killing one another, is absolutely intolerable. As the Minister says, it is one of the worst blights in Africa at the moment. Will he be good enough to attend a meeting with the high commissioner for Uganda to discuss the matter, which we could arrange somewhere in the House, because exchanges on the Floor of the House are one thing, but proper and measured discussion, which would be more constructive, quite another.

§ Mr. Mullin
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, and everything he says about the war in northern Uganda is true. I would be glad to attend what I assume would be an all-party meeting in the House of Commons. We have constant discussions with representatives of the Uganda Government at all levels from the President downwards. In the long run, the best hope of a solution is a settlement in the Sudan, next door. As the hon. Gentleman and the House will know, the core leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army are based deep inside the Sudan. In the end, that might make the greatest impact on their willingness either to negotiate or be removed from the scene.

§ Mr. Andy Reed (Loughborough) (Lab/Co-op)
My hon. Friend will be aware that I raised this question some time ago. I should like to pay tribute to my constituents, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, who have had an interest in this issue, and to recognise that the conflict has been going on for a long time. Once again, it is the children who suffer. Does my hon. Friend agree that, as poverty levels in the north of Uganda are far greater than elsewhere, we need to ensure that we provide humanitarian aid as well as trying to reduce conflict? It is the children and the poorest in northern Uganda who are suffering as a consequence of the conflict.

§ Mr. Mullin
We already make large amounts of humanitarian aid and development aid available to the Ugandan Government. What is most pressing is to find a settlement, because until there is a settlement, all the aid in the world will not help to relieve the tragic situation in Acholi land. We receive many letters from concerned British citizens on the subject, and my hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the impact on children.

§ Mr. Gary Streeter (South-West Devon) (Con)
In recent years, Uganda has been a beacon of hope in a fairly troubled continent. As hon. Members on both sides of the House have mentioned, awful atrocities have been perpetrated by the inappropriately named Lord's Resistance Army. What help have the United Kingdom Government offered? Have we offered any British expertise to try to root out the perpetrators? Have we 741 offered to galvanise the Commonwealth to give practical support? That is crucial if we are to see the future of Uganda as a beacon of hope.

§ Mr. Mullin
We have given a lot of help. Our high commissioner in Kampala has regularly visited northern Uganda. We have helped to sponsor an independent radio station as a way of getting a message across to the people of Acholi land. We have also made it clear that we are willing to help with any negotiations, and we have helped to fund some of the Acholi civic leaders who have been attempting negotiations. I can only repeat that it is extremely difficult to negotiate with such an unspeakable terrorist organisation, which has no known political demands. In addition, we have put in a lot of humanitarian aid for the people who have suffered from the recent atrocities.