Ceremony underlines Uganda peace

By Sarah Grainger
BBC News, Lira, Uganda

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Ugandans have started to return

A ceremony has taken place to mark the first closure of a camp for internally displaced people in northern Uganda.

Officials of Uganda's government, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) and diplomatic missions joined in as huts were destroyed at Otwal camp in Oyam.

At the height of the conflict between the government and Lord's Resistance Army rebels, more than 1.5 million people sought refuge across the north.

But security has improved since peace talks began more than a year ago.

Many people have now begun to return to their homes.

Camps emptying

Uganda's Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Refugees, Musa Ecweru, symbolically knocked down a hut with a pick and shovel.

We have had to bend backwards to make sure that this peace is achieved and we are committed to seeing this peace becoming a reality Musa Ecweru Refugee minister

Many of the dwellings in the camp are now empty - the UNHCR estimates that of the 12,000 people who used to live there, 90% have gone back to their villages.

The same is true in many of the camps in this district - 39 more are due to be closed by the end of 2007.

Peace talks between Lord's Resistance Army rebels and the government have brought a level of security in northern Uganda unseen for years.

At the height of the conflict, more than 1.5 million people were living in camps, herded there by the government to avoid attack by LRA rebels.

AFRICA HAVE YOUR SAY The demolition process is very symbolic and I applaud it. But I'd give it a couple of years to be sure that peace has finally returned Dennis B Aguma, London Send us your comments

But the UNHCR says the number of people living in camps is now below one million.

There is no final agreement yet at the peace talks but Mr Ecweru says this is not a cause for concern.

"We have had to bend backwards to make sure that this peace is achieved and we are committed to seeing this peace becoming a reality," he said.

"But in this part of the country people have already gone home anyway, and we think we should build on that."

But the problems are not over for the people of northern Uganda.

Many here who have left the camps complain of a lack of basic necessities, such as access to clean drinking water and medical services.

And the road infrastructure across northern Uganda remains poor.