“We remain concerned about the situation of civilians in the area of conflict,” the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.

“Access to the area is not possible for humanitarian agencies, and conditions of those who do not make it across to Uganda are unclear. It takes refugees from the Kamango area around 12 hours to walk to the Ugandan border.”

Tens of thousands of refugees first began pouring into western Uganda after fighting erupted between Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group, and DRC national troops (FARDC) in Kamango on 11 July. The Bubukwanga transit centre, which is some 25 kilometres inland from the border, is now home to over 15,000 refugees, 60 per cent of whom are under the age of 18.

“Our site planner has now assessed that this is its maximum capacity, even though the previous estimates had indicated that it could house 25,000,” Edwards said.

“Many refugees brought their animals with them from DRC and are sleeping in their tents with their ducks and goats, increasing the risk of disease in the transit centre. The emergency response will be shifting its focus on decongesting the transit centre as of this week,” he added.

The Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister has pledged to begin electronic registration using biometrics by the end of the week so they can quickly begin moving refugees – if they wish – to the Kyangwali refugee settlement for longer term protection and assistance. There they will be given plots of land to farm, as well as basic household items, Edwards said.

UNHCR staff at Bubukwanga have also been checking for cases of sexual and gender-based violence among vulnerable people arriving in the camp. Mr. Edwards said they have found no evidence so far, but added that the agency and its partners are still considering sending experts on the issue, as well as on child protection to the camp.

Meanwhile, the agency reported that fighting between Government forces and the armed group known as M23 has continued in the North Kivu capital, Goma, with no signs of ending.

When the latest round of fighting erupted last week, some 660 civilians fled to neighbouring Rwanda and about 4,200 people sought shelter at schools and churches in Goma. There has been no sign of further mass displacement, UNHCR said.

“UNHCR and government partners are running 15 trucks non-stop all day transferring refugees and their possessions to the facility,” Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told journalists in Geneva.

The Uganda Red Cross Society, which runs the Bundibugyo transit centre, estimates that more than 66,000 people have fled the fighting last week in DRC’s North Kivu province between government troops and the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group.UNHCR and government partners are running 15 trucks non-stop all day transferring refugees and their possessions to the facility.

Many walked 15 kilometres to school sites across the border. According to UNHCR, all the refugees have been relocated from four of the schools. Some 5,000 refugees remain at the main site, Butongo Primary School.

One refugee at Butongo, Marinyese Nyota, 35, told UNHCR that she had fled from the North Kivu town of Bayumba last week with her husband and five children. They spent three nights in the bush and then three nights in Butongo. “We ran without anything. When the rebels arrived, no one took anything, not even a hoe, not even bedding, not anything. You are only saving your body to get here.”

The Bundibugyo transit centre to which the refugees are being transported has 229 tents for individual families and 13 large communal shelters. The transit centre has a maximum capacity of 25,000 people, even with a new 4.5-acre land allocation by the Ugandan Government.

Some refugees are setting up their own makeshift homes out of blankets they were given at the site and using mosquito nets they brought with them as “roofing,” Mr. Edwards said.

Two communal kitchens serve three hot meals a day with food provided by the UN World Food Programme (WFP). A third kitchen is under construction.

A sufficient amount of water tanks are arriving to the transit site, but UNHCR expressed concern about water supplies as the number of refugees in the centre grows. In addition, nearly 80 individual pit latrines have been dug.

“Our main worry at the moment is sanitation and hygiene facilities for the refugees,” UNHCR Field Assistant Andrew Lubwama said. He added that if the rains come early, there might be an increased threat of disease outbreaks.

Children between the ages of nine months and 15 years are being vaccinated against measles and receiving Vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets. Medical teams are also identifying sick children and looking out for anyone whose nutrition might have suffered from going a week or more without a proper meal during their flight or stay at the border, Mr. Edwards added.

“The transit centre is intended to be the refugees’ home for no more than three weeks,” he said.

He stressed that while the centre is considered safe, UNHCR and the Government are looking into other possibilities for relocation to places where people could get protection, plots of land to farm for themselves, as well as shelter materials and food rations.

The UN and its partners are also working to get the classrooms that were used for shelter back in shape as soon as possible so that children can resume their studies.

Meanwhile, UNHCR staff said they saw hundreds of refugees returning to eastern DRC, carrying belongings, including ducks and goats. Many other refugees are living with friends and relatives on the Ugandan side. It is not clear how many remain along the border, Mr. Edwards said.

According to the agency, many people prefer to remain close to the border so that it will be easy to check on their homes and crops during daylight hours.

In the hills, they lack access to potable water, proper shelter, security and sufficient food and it is also difficult to access them, UNHCR said.

Naleba is a rice farmer in the Eastern District of Butaleja in Uganda. He has been growing rice since 1982 at his Lwoba irrigation farm in Masulula village.

“We started with low production,” Naleba says. “Now we are reaching 1.2 tons per acre.”

According to Naleba, the last few years have seen high demand from Sudan. “There’s no rice in Sudan, so this is an opportunity to harness,” he says.

A new report from the World Bank shows how, in addition to produce, this “Pearl of Africa” can export manufactured goods to the region, as well as services like education, tourism and even transit. But, it says, transport and logistics, and non-tariff barriers remain a hefty challenge.

International experience suggests that it is hard for a small landlocked country like Uganda to move alone along the path to economic development. That is the challenge the country faces today, a challenge the World Bank and its government partners are seeking to address in the new Uganda Economic Update, the first in a series of bi-annual reports taking stock of the country’s economy. The report identifies challenges and proposes solutions to facilitate inclusive and healthy growth.

The new study suggests Uganda can earn an additional US$2.5 billion from non-traditional trading partners in the region, and close the trade deficit in the next five years, if it removes trade barriers with neighbors. Other messages;

- To maximize its trade potential, Uganda must look beyond the East African Community (EAC) to all of Sub-Saharan Africa

- Uganda can grow its economy by developing deeper links between its domestic producers and external markets

- To unleash the potential of service exports, Uganda should eliminate restrictions in the strategic sectors of tourism, transport and logistics, and education and professional services

- Uganda should diversify exports beyond food commodities, improve infrastructure and reduce transport costs

The country has performed well over the past two decades, the report says, brushing aside one of the world’s highest population growth rates, to record an impressive seven percent average gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and halving the number of people living in abject poverty from 56% of the population in 1992 to 24% in 2010.

Uganda’s economy has recently faced major challenges. Economic growth slowed to 3.4% and inflation soared and remained at double-digit levels under shocks for most of 2011 and 2012. This contrasted recovery of other economies in the region.

As stability returns, the economic outlook is positive, the report says. Growth will turn around as constraints abate and begin to raise the country’s growth potential, but the key vulnerability remains as Uganda continues to export far less than it imports.

A glimpse of hope to address these vulnerabilities is in regional trade.

According to Julius Onen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Uganda has not suffered a significant decline in its trade because over 45% of the country’s commerce is within the regional market, EAC and COMESA, and the demand for the country’s products is fairly steady.

“Uganda’s strategic location at the hub of The Great Lakes region, gives it a comparative advantage in terms of moving heavy goods to the market,” says Onen. “This has also resulted into Uganda attracting investments from the region, particularly Kenya, which feels it has to be nearer to markets like DRC and Sudan.

Uganda has a comparative advantage in the trade of fruits, vegetables juices, grains and cereals, as compared to other countries in the region, but fortunes have been good and bad, according to Godfrey Ssali the Policy and Advocacy Officer of the Uganda Manufacturers Association.

“Good fortunes in that there has been growing demand from South Sudan and DRC,” Ssali says. “In the last 4 to 5 years the two destinations have been good trading partners for Uganda actually overtaking Kenya. The bad fortunes being the civil war and civil strife in South Sudan and DR Congo.”

Musa Waswa, a Ugandan businessman, frequently travels on Gulu-Nimule road from Kampala to Juba, a 24-hour journey that serves as a clear example of how trade can be improved.

“On two occasions, my truck full of fruits and vegetables has overturned along Gulu-Nimule Road,” says Waswa. “My truck overturned when I hit a pothole, the produce covered (blocked) the road. It took me almost three days to get out of there. By then all my fruits had either gone bad or were stolen.”

According to the Uganda Economic Update, Uganda must look beyond poor maintenance of roads and explore the cheaper railway and water transport options that are almost non-existent. Rail and water transport currently cater for only 10 percent of Uganda’s trade.

“To transport a container from China to Mombasa can cost one up to US$1000, but to transport the same container from Mombasa to Kampala can cost up to US$4000 to- US$4500. That shows you the real cost of transport,” says Ssali.

A plausible solution, Ssali adds, is for Uganda to better use the waterways through Kisumu, Mwanza, Portbell and Bukakata in Masaka, which would reduce traffic on the roads.

For small farmers like Hajji, his prosperity and that of future generations depend on it.

Source: World Bank

“Regional and sub-regional organizations are important partners in solving conflicts in the affected areas throughout the world,” President Pohamba said in his address to the General Debate of the Assembly’s 67th session, taking place at UN Headquarters in New York. He said the unresolved conflicts around the world demand commitment and resolve from everyone to find durable solutions.

“There is thus, a compelling need for the United Nations to take into account the views of regional organizations in the areas of mediation and peacekeeping. These institutions should be fully supported in finding lasting solutions to violent conflicts around the world,” he stated.

President Pohamba pointed out that the African Union Peace and Security Council has, since its inception, cooperated with the UN Security Council toward the shared goal of conflict resolution.

Similarly, the Southern African Development Community sub-region has put initiatives in place to resolve political conflicts in the region through mediation.

“However, we are concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” stated the President. “We, therefore, urge the international community to support the regional initiative aimed at resolving this conflict and to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons.”

He also highlighted the need for Sudan and South Sudan to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues stemming from the latter’s independence, and urged political actors in Madagascar, which experienced political upheaval last year, to carry out a roadmap leading to the holding of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections.

Denouncing the unconstitutional changes of government in Mali and Guinea-Bissau earlier this year, the Namibian leader commended the role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help resolve the conflicts in these two countries. He also urged the international community to provide support and assistance to ECOWAS.

“Namibia firmly believes that, if we all dedicate ourselves to finding lasting solutions to conflicts by peaceful means, our collective efforts will be successful,” President Pohamba said.

In his address to the Assembly’s General Debate, Uganda’s Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, also highlighted the role of regional and sub-regional bodies in resolving conflicts.

“In cases where national actors cannot resolve the problem, for some reason, then the sub-regional organizations should step in,” he said, adding that the UN and the international community would then provide the necessary support to the sub-regional and regional initiatives.

“The advantages of such an approach include utilizing actors that have more discerning knowledge of the problem, those that are in close proximity and with a greater stake in having the problem resolved, as well as the international support and legitimacy that the United Nations provides,” he noted.

Vice-President Ssekandi called on the Security Council and the international community to support the regional initiative by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the deployment of a neutral international force, and responding to the humanitarian crisis in the country.

“Our preference for homegrown solutions is premised on the realization that external influences or interventions do not necessarily offer sustainable solutions to resolve conflicts,” he noted. “On the contrary, external interventions often contribute to a cycle of destabilizing tendencies which is why we are still grappling with situations like the one in eastern DRC.”

An estimated 390,000 people have been internally displaced in eastern DRC and more than 60,000 Congolese have fled to neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda since fighting erupted in the eastern DRC in April between Government forces, supported by peacekeepers from the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), and the M23 rebel group, made up of renegade former soldiers.

In addition to President Pohamba and Vice-President Ssekandi, scores of the world’s heads of State and government and other high-level officials are presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly’s General Debate, which ends on 1 October.

“Children without a birth certificate have no legal status,” UNICEF’s Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Elke Wisch, said at the opening of the Second Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration.

“Birth registration protects children from child labour, recruitment into armed forces and militias, human trafficking, early marriage as well as other forms of exploitation,” Wisch added. “Birth registration is essential for children to access health care and education, as well as for orphans to inherit from their parents.”

The two-day conference, organized by the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other UN bodies, including UNICEF, as well as other partners, will deliberate on ways to strengthen national civil registration and vital statistics systems. In addition to the registration of births, civil registration includes the registration of death, marriage and divorce.

Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a UNICEF press release, has the lowest birth registration rates in the world, with on average only 38 per cent of children below the age of five holding a birth certificate, although there are wide disparities between countries, with South Africa, Djibouti, Burundi, Togo and Gabon all having made strong advances.

In Nigeria, Africa’s largest country with a population of 160 million, just 30 per cent of children are registered at birth. Some countries, such as Namibia, have high registration rates in urban areas, but low rates in rural zones.

UNICEF said that factors contributing to low registration rates include a lack of sustained political commitment, limited institutional capacity, costs, cultural barriers and lack of awareness among families about the importance of registering their children.

The agency stressed that innovative partnerships with the health sector and the use of mobile technologies are opportunities to achieve greater registration coverage.

In Namibia, for example, 95 per cent of pregnant women attend ante-natal care services. Within two years of introducing birth registration facilities in 23 hospitals, the number of infants registered at birth increased by 50 per cent.

In Uganda, where 43 per cent of children are not born in health facilities, UNICEF said it supported, along with Uganda Telecom, the Government’s launch of an internet-based registration system using mobile phone technology that aims to further boost registrations.

“Throughout the continent, millions of people are using the internet on a daily basis and there are few places in Africa that do not have mobile phones network coverage,” Wisch said. “But when we look at the civil registration systems, we find that some countries have not yet caught up. We have to take advantage of these new technologies to make our civil registration systems more effective.”

Laboratory results have confirmed that the last case of the wild poliovirus was a 14 month old child from Uige Province in the African country’s north-west in July 2011, following years of concerted efforts by the Government and its partners to halt the outbreak, which had spread to neighbouring countries, according to a joint press release from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Angola.

“This success is the result of the improvement in the quality of polio campaigns round after round,” said the acting WHO Representative in Angola, Jean-Marie Yameogo, who also credited the “high commitment” of Government officials at all levels and the engagement of civil society.

Other factors included improved surveillance of the disease, improved routine immunization and the coordination of efforts in neighbouring countries, along with greater access of populations to safe water and sanitation, according to the joint release.

Primarily funded by the Government, the country’s massive vaccination campaigns deployed thousands of health workers and volunteers door to door and at crossing points, main streets, markets and water points, reaching 95 per cent of children under the age of five.

The decline of new cases from 33 in 2010 to five in 2011, with none as yet in 2012, is significant, UNICEF’s Representative for Angola, Koenrad Vanormelingen, noted, while also warning against complacency.

“These investments demonstrate the importance of building strong primary health care for all the country’s children,” he said. “We have a duty to protect and ensure that all children are born and developed in a healthy polio-free environment, which means we can not stop until every child is fully vaccinated.”

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative – spearheaded by the WHO, UNICEF and a host of national, multilateral and private sector partners – has overseen a 99 per cent reduction of polio cases since its launch in 1988, with only three countries still endemic – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Also WHO reported that no new cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been reported over the past four days in Uganda, as a team of experts from the health agency and its partners continues to support the Government’s response to an outbreak in the western part of the country.

As of 8 August, a total of 23 probable and confirmed cases had been recorded, including 16 deaths, WHO stated in an update on the situation.

All people who came into contact with probable and confirmed cases of Ebola are being followed-up for a period of 21 days, the agency added, with 190 having completed 21 days of close monitoring, while 185 are still being closely monitored for any possible sign of illness.

Uganda has previously experienced outbreaks of Ebola, which can in severe cases lead to internal bleeding and is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or animals, but the most recent outbreak was declared over in early 2008.

Over the weekend, Uganda’s Ministry of Health notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Kibaale district. A total of 20 cases, including 14 deaths have been reported since the beginning of July.

“A team of experts from the Ministry of Health, WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in Kibaale to support the response operations,” WHO said in a news release.

“All possible contacts that were exposed to the suspected and confirmed cases since 6 July 2012 are being identified for active follow up,” the agency added. “The necessary supplies and logistics required for supportive management of patients are being mobilized.”

The initial case was identified in a family from the village of Nyanswiga, where nine of the deaths were recorded. The deceased include a clinical officer who attended to a patient, and her four month-old child. Nine of the 14 deaths have occurred in a single household, according to WHO.

Currently, two patients are hospitalized and are in stable condition. Both cases were admitted to hospital with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. However, neither of the cases has so far shown bleeding, a symptom that often appears in viral haemorrhagic fever patients.

Uganda has previously experienced outbreaks of Ebola fever, but the most recent outbreak was declared over in early 2008.

The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes, and it has an incubation period of two to 21 days.

Sufferers can experience fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus leads to both external and internal bleeding.

In its news release, WHO added that it does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions are applied to Uganda.

Caesar Achellam, the LRA’s military strategist and one of the most wanted top five officials of LRA, was captured on Saturday after a firefight with US-backed Ugandan troops along the River Mbou as he attempted to cross into the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A spokesman for the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), which has a full-time force hunting for Kony in the Central African Republic’s jungles backed by with other African nations and US special forces, told Reuters that Achellam’s capture would encourage other fighters to abandon the LRA.

“The arrest of Major General Caesar Achellam is big progress because he is a big fish. His capture is definitely going to cause an opinion shift within LRA,” said Felix Kulaigye, UPDF spokesman said.

UPDF said Achellam had been armed with just an AK-47 rifle and eight rounds of ammunition while was being held with his wife, a young daughter and a helper, according to Al Jazeera.

The LRA waged a war against the government in northern Uganda for nearly 20 years before it was thrown out in 2005.

In December 2008, Uganda launched Operation Lightning Thunder, dispersing the rebels and pushing them north into the Central African Republic.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for rape, mutilation and murder of civilians, as well as recruiting by force children as  sex slaves.