LRA nurtures the next generation of child soldiers

UGANDA: Meningitis outbreak kills 16 in north

KAMPALA, 23 March 2012 (IRIN) - At least 16 people have died in a meningitis epidemic in two districts in northern Uganda over the past three weeks, say health officials. full report

SECURITY: Cracking open the LRA to better eliminate it

DUNGU, 21 March 2012 (IRIN) - After seven years held captive by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), 16-year-old Apiyo Tabisa’s release five months ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along with a dozen or so others was as sudden as her abduction from Uganda. full report

DRC-UGANDA: Congolese refugees hail Lubanga verdict

ISINGIRO, 19 March 2012 (IRIN) - Congolese refugees in Oruchinga camp, southwestern Uganda, have welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) guilty verdict against former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rebel leader Thomas Lubanga. Some of the refugees are survivors of attacks by Lubanga’s forces. On March 14, Lubanga was convicted of the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them to take part in hostilities. full report

SECURITY: Fighting Kony with beer, spy planes and YouTube

LIMAYI, 15 March 2012 (IRIN) - It is just before noon in the village of Limayi in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Half a dozen empty beer bottles lie scattered at the feet of five Congolese soldiers lounging in easy chairs beneath a mango tree. A freshly opened bottle is propped-up against an automatic assault rifle lying in the dust. full report

UGANDA: Rwandan refugees still reluctant to repatriate

MBARARA, 14 March 2012 (IRIN) - Thousands of Rwandan refugees living in Uganda remain unwilling to return home, citing a fear of persecution, despite the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) invocation of a clause ending their refugee status. full report

UGANDA: Cholera warning as heavy rains predicted

KAMPALA, 9 March 2012 (IRIN) - A cholera outbreak in Uganda that has claimed eight lives among 280 cases since 14 February could escalate as predicted heavy rains are likely to lead to flooding, the Health Minister warned. full report

UGANDA: Land row delays resettlement of Congolese refugees

KAMPALA, 7 March 2012 (IRIN) - The continued arrival of refugees fleeing post-election violence and militia activities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in western Uganda, and the government’s efforts to resettle them, have created a land row that has already cost the life of a government official. full report

UGANDA: Tackling nodding disease

KITGUM, 6 March 2012 (IRIN) - At a compound in La Orogali, a village in Pader district, northern Uganda, a dejected, frail 10-year-old girl sits helplessly. She has been diagnosed with nodding disease, a mysterious ailment characterized by seizures, nodding of the head, mental retardation and stunting, which affects thousands of children in the region, leading the government to draw up a wide-ranging response plan. full report

HEALTH: Malaria stunts foetal growth

BANGKOK, 6 March 2012 (IRIN) - Malaria infection during the earliest months of pregnancy stunts foetal growth even when the mothers do not have any malarial symptoms, according to a large-scale study conducted along the Thai-Burmese border. full report