Northern Uganda’s IDPs in transition; livestock disease strikes Karamoja

Figure 1. Uganda’s vulnerable populations FULL-SIZE IMAGE   Data: WFP, UN FAO; Graphics: FEWS NET, March 2007

Widespread food insecurity continues in northern Uganda, where at least 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in a state of transition amid uncertain civil security. In Karamoja, poor harvests have left 500,000 people dependent on food assistance. Meanwhile, disease is quickly spreading among the region’s sheep and goats, but no concerted response has been made. The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently feeding food insecure groups in both Northern Uganda and Karamoja through its Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), but expects a break in the pipeline later this month.

In northern Uganda, IDPs have begun moving closer to their homes of origin; some now drift between camps and new return sites. IDPs who have moved out of the camps report that access to cultivable areas near the return sites has improved. However, district officials and humanitarian agencies are concerned that IDPs are losing access to land around the camps, as it is increasingly being reclaimed by host communities. Planting in both areas is expected to start as soon as the rains, so far delayed, begin. Humanitarian conditions remain poor, and many IDPs still have only limited access to basic services such as water, sanitation and healthcare. Full implementation of the northern Uganda peace process, slated to resume this month, is vital for long-term improvements in food security.

In Karamoja, poor harvests have left at least 500,000 people in need of food assistance. Karamoja’s harvests last season were poor, and the region’s markets have had to import grains from neighboring districts, including Soroti and Mbale. These grains are sold at a higher price than that at which local cereals are normally sold. Although terms of trade between livestock and cereals has been favorable for pastoralists, more than half of the households in Karamoja have no livestock to sell or exchange for grains. These households depend instead on limited labor opportunities, including stone quarrying, collecting wood-fuel and poles to sell, gathering wild berries, vegetables and honey as well as hunting small animals.

An outbreak of highly contagious Pest des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a viral disease attacking sheep and goats, has been reported in Kaabong, Kotido and Moroto districts. Veterinarians first reported the disease in Kotido district on March 21, where it has reportedly killed up to two-thirds of the animals in some areas. The disease spreads quickly in large flocks and herds, but can be devastating for poor households relying on only a small number of animals for food and income. The disease is spreading fast and may have crossed into other districts with small-livestock trade. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and district officials are still assessing the situation to determine the magnitude of the problem, and no control or treatment measures are yet in place. While necessary, control measures will inevitably limit the income-earning potential for households raising small livestock.