----- Original Message ----- 
From: [log in to unmask] 
To: [log in to unmask] ; [log in to unmask] 
Cc: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2003 3:26 AM
Subject: UN urges Uganda truce for measles immunisation


UN urges Uganda truce for measles immunisation


KAMPALA, Oct 9 (Reuters) - U.N. agencies urged the Ugandan army and northern rebel foes on Thursday to agree a week's truce to permit the immunisation of children against measles, which kills 5,000 children in the east African country every year.

"No cause and no conflict can be greater or more urgent than the cause of protecting all the children of Uganda from this deadly disease," the World Health Organisation and the U.N. Children's Fund said in a joint statement.

"Let peace reign in Uganda for at least the duration of the mass immunisation activities so that the children can be saved."

The agencies said they wanted the combatants to lay down their guns between October 14 and 21 to enable 50,000 health workers and volunteers to vaccinate every child in the country from the age of six months to 15 years.

Army spokesman Major Shaban Bantazriza said he had no record of a formal request by the world body for a truce and added the circumstances of the conflict made it hard to create a mechanism that would ensure all parties complied with any such a truce.

The two agencies, which plan to help the health ministry to vaccinate 12.7 million children that week, said the work could not take place in the north and north-east without a truce.

The north is the main battleground between the army and the rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), which is feared for maiming villagers and abducting children for use as sex slaves and child soldiers.

Led by self-proclaimed prophet and mystic Joseph Kony, the rebels say they are fighting to overthrow Museveni's government but have never spelt out detailed demands in public. The rebels have no point of contact for the media.

President Yoweri Museveni deployed more than 14,000 troops backed by helicopter gunships and tanks against the LRA last year but the rebels continue to maim, kill and abduct civilians.

The agencies said 5,000 of the 60,000 children who suffer measles every year die from the disease.


   
10/09/03 05:54 ET
    
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited.  All rights reserved.  Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.  Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.  All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~