Deforestation: New massacre in north

The destructive war in northern Uganda was lit in March 1986 then sparked in May or thereabout. For 20 years, it was devastating. On record it remains the worst, longest and certainly the first war in Uganda to witness citizens live, give birth, get born, grow and give birth while still in concentration (IDP) camps. It is an experience all Ugandans must work to ensure it is never repeated.

ALSO READ: We can restore our forest cover

Deaths, displacements, depopulation occurred in the hundreds of thousands. Thousands exiled – many still littered across Europe and North America – so much that it was cheeky amusement, almost certainly an insult when President Museveni recently claimed that we do not have ‘political refugees’.

The destruction in the north was physical, social, economic, emotional, cultural, communal, family, psychological and total. I did a scholarly research for the University of East London on the psycho-social impact of separation and re-union of Ugandan refugee women in London. The findings are devastating. Nearly all the subjects in thought were women from northern Uganda.

The collapse of the cohesive fabric, the disempowerment among men, the cycle-circle-style survival mechanism currently in force though manifest of a defeatist national pattern is as scary as it is a strategic national security crisis in the almost immediate term. But because of the corrosively imbedded impunity smoothened by elongated arrogance perfected by time, business will as usual continue tomorrow. After all, the subjects are nothing, bu mere numbers for national GDP statistics. It is subtle, desperate, yet deliberate. It is neither acceptable nor sustainable.

ALSO READ: Every Ugandan to plant 11 trees to restore forest cover

The guns went silent in northern Uganda not because Mr Museveni chose it, nor was it Joseph Kony. It was already a stalemate between the two. The absence of war in northern Uganda resulted from concerted efforts by a combination of well-meaning citizens of this country with some few humane others from afar. 

It was a process; long frustrating but imperative. I was among those who shouted to near voice loss in cold Europe, on the airwaves – radios, television studios and stations - demonstrations, conferences, pickets, (parliaments and party conferences abroad), meetings and yes, sometimes, even in spaces where we were apparently ‘inconvenient unwelcome’.  

Regardless of who shot first or fastest, we believed that these communities – as indeed this country – needed a settlement. One based on truth, healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and a fresh start. That a fudged process, especially one painted on manipulative, coercive, acquiescence wrapped in victors’ colours won’t toll.

I had pitched hope on the beauties and possibilities of regeneration, reconstruction, restoration, restitution, reparations and in the final analysis, redistribution through national strategic plan rolled out through budgetary rails. Not last week.

ALSO READ: Why restoring Uganda’s forest cover is a challenging task

The national budget would have provided for tackling continued migration of young people into abuse-traps in the Middle East due to unemployment; a Luweero-review fund, Mukura Memorial Institute for specialist health, special funds for comprehensive free education for all girl-children from primary to university in all the post-conflict regions of this country; bursaries for all orphans, special grants for widows, Shs40m grants for qualifying youth start-ups with specialist skills, especially in innovation and technology and directive to all academic institutions for affirmative action compulsory one point cut off for students from these areas in every institution until further notice.

Instead, all the way from Gulu to feed Kampala, trucks full to the extremes with charcoal, dangerously trade the road in a new massacre of their only environment, leading to loss of biodiversity, damage to natural habitat, soil erosion and impact on climate change. 

The writer is a pan-Africanist                      
[email protected]   Twitter:@Ochieno