wfn.org | AANA BULLETIN No. 28/03 July 21, 2003 (b)

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AANA BULLETIN No. 28/03 July 21, 2003 (b)

Uganda's Conflict Worsens Reproductive Health Rights

NAIROBI (AANA) July 21 - A reproductive health report on Uganda, released 
here on July 11 by Society for International Development (SID), an NGO, 
links continued armed conflict in northern districts of Uganda with 
increase in women's reproductive health problems.

Authored by Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, the report says that "coupled with 
breakdown of the health infrastructure... and overcrowding as a result of 
displacement, the problems in the reproductive health of women and girls in 
the aftermath of armed conflicts are enormous".

According to Ochieng, indiscriminate sex and rapes have also resulted in 
unwanted pregnancies. "Many young women in search of protection have ended 
up cohabiting with soldiers, but without access to any form of 
contraception, thus complicating their ability to control reproduction and 
to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections," she says.

She adds that because of fear of abductions, some parents in war-affected 
areas have married off their young daughters with the resulting young 
mothers in the districts significantly increasing the many reproductive 
health complications experienced.

The report notes that one in five women in Gulu town experience painful 
intercourse, and that two in five have genital health complications, which 
indicate domestic violence.

Ochieng says that although the situation is aggravated in armed conflict 
areas, in general, women and young adolescent girls continue to face 
overwhelming sexual and reproductive health problems in the country.

Most notable problems include early motherhood, unwanted pregnancies, 
infertility, maternal mortality, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), 
HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation (FGM).

The heightened rebel activities, including abductions of young girls and 
boys by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the northern and eastern 
districts of Uganda, have aggravated the situation.

According to Father Carlos Rodriguez of Minakulu Catholic Parish in Gulu, 
the LRA seizes 20 to 30 children per day.

The rebel group, which started its operations in 1988, has been launching 
massive attacks on children, raping, kidnapping, torturing and even 
murdering them.

Young girls are abducted as sex and labour slaves. Others are allegedly 
traded or given as gifts to arms dealers in neighbouring Sudan.

Reported by Henry Neondo

SPECIAL  REPORT

The Other Side Of Bush's Five-Nation Tour Of Africa

NAIROBI (AANA) July 21 - July 9 to 13 marks the period US President George 
W. Bush chose to spend his time in Africa, on official mission. The much 
publicised trip goes down in history as a significant gesture by an America 
president, to the continent.

But for the general population in countries that Bush visited, the trip is 
viewed in  different terms. To them, it is as though they temporarily lost 
their sovereignty to America.

Bush's visit to Uganda is remembered by one Goretti Kakaire, as the day she 
lost her banana crops, a precious commodity in the country.  Banana is 
Uganda's staple food item, known there as Matoke.

Planted not far from the road that Bush would use, the banana trees were 
promptly felled because, in the minds of Bush's security team, they posed a 
security risk. Terrorists bent on eliminating America's president could 
hide in them in waiting, it was presumed.

People in a hotel where Bush was to stay in Entebbe had to be relocated to 
other venues. The residents of the town had to adjust their mode of 
lifestyle. Moving out "late" in the night was banned.

But what the Ugandans experienced was probably a smaller version of what 
had been witnessed in Senegal, just before the American president arrived 
there.

It was all harassment for the residents of Dakar, the capital, where a 
source disclosed that close to 1,500 people were arrested and put in jail a 
few days before Bush's arrival.  Landmark trees, some which were more than 
100 years old, were cut down to "clear" the road for President Bush.

For almost a whole day, life came to a standstill in Dakar. Not even the 
sick could access treatment as long as one was to use any road within the 
demarcated zone for Bush's security.

According to a disgusted Dakar resident, people were subjected to such an 
ordeal, that some groups later organised several protest marches.

The most disturbing scenario was when Bush visited Goree Island, near 
Dakar, where between the 15th  and 19th  centuries, African slaves were 
parked in special structures called slave houses, pending shipment to
America.

One of these houses has been turned into a museum and has been visited by 
many renowned world figures such as Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and 
former US president, Bill Clinton, among a number of kings and queens.

Ironically, during these visits, the people of this tourist Island were 
never subjected to the kind of humiliation they experienced recently when 
Bush's arrived.

They were forced out of their houses from 5.00 PM to 12 midnight, for 
security reasons. During this time, they were ordered to leave everything 
open, including their wardrobes, to be searched by special dogs brought 
from the US.

Going back three years, a similar scenario was experienced when Bill 
Clinton visited Tanzania.  Tanzanians realised how small they could be 
treated by Americans in their own country.

Even the host president, Benjamin Mkapa, was subjected to security check. 
Security dogs had to sniff him too. In addition, Mkapa's security was 
thrown in disarray, when the US security communications systems, scrambled 
Tanzania's communications network. The Americans were in charge of the 
country, taking over even the airport.

Back to Bush visit. In South Africa, he was greeted with demonstrations and 
name-calling. They even branded him a warmonger. Though he did not set foot 
in Kenya, the comments appearing in the dailies indicated a general 
disapproval of his administration.

For example, many felt Bush's visit was useless if he was not ready to stop 
farm subsidies in the US, which have tilted the scales in favour of 
Americans in the international agricultural market.

Yet there were few who played sycophancy as they converged in Senegal to 
meet Bush on his first landing in Africa for the five-nation tour of the 
continent.  In this bandwagon are some desperate opposition Zimbabweans who 
are looking unto America to force President Robert Mugabe to step down.

Unfortunately for Africa, all these are happening under the nose of the 
Africa Union (AU), which, at the time of Bush's visit, was meeting in 
Mozambique, with one of the main agenda being to form an Africa defence 
policy for conflict resolution.

Another contentious issue is how Bush administration could have been so 
deliberate to plan the president's visit to coincide with the second 
African Heads of State Summit in Maputo.

An alliance of civil society charged that this was meant to serve as a 
distraction to the AU meeting.	Some also say that Bush visit was aimed at 
appeasing African-Americans in order that they vote for him in the next 
presidential elections.

In Kenya, there was debate as to why Bush had ignored to include Kenya in 
his itinerary to Africa, yet the country had borne the brunt of terrorist 
attacks on US interests in the region.

The official statement given by Kenya's Minister for National Security, Dr 
Chris Murungaru, was that the journey had been planned at a time when there 
was a travel advisory restricting Americans and Britons from visiting the 
country, for fear of possible terrorist attacks. But analysts give another 
reason, which revolves around Kenya's refusal to grant America an okay to 
build a military base in the country.

Meanwhile, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) viewed Bush's visit 
to Africa in a positive perspective. According to AACC, the visit offered 
an important opportunity to crystallise world attention on problems that 
afflict the continent today.

In a press release last week, the AACC acting General Secretary, Mr Bright 
Mawudor, expressed hope that the visit would provide leadership in helping 
Africa to resolve its problems, many of which have persisted for years.

The AACC applauded the stand taken by Bush over Liberia and asked that the 
same stand be extended to other war-ridden nations like the Democratic 
Republic of Congo.

Another feat the AACC applauded was the US pledge to give US$15 billion to 
fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, accusing the rest of the world for turning a 
blind eye to the pandemic.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo