n landmine survivor and campaigner Margaret Arach Orech founded the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association organization in April 2005, shown here at the May 2008 Dublin conference for the
Convention on Cluster Munitions. In 2006, Orech was appointed ambassador to the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines Decades of violence and incivility have forced some 1.8 million people to leave their homes in Northern Uganda. Since 2006, the landlocked African nation has been negotiating a peace deal with the
Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group known for terrorizing the
Acholi and
Lango people of the North through child-abductions, mutilation, massacre and sexual enslavement. There is also significant contamination in the Western region of Uganda, stemming from conflict on the Congolese border. Despite improving political conditions, however, landmine survivors continue to face serious injustices daily in Uganda, including inadequate medical support and inability to find sufficient employment or food. Moreover, victims are often shunned by their families for fear of becoming a burden. While the landmine problem in Uganda is less severe than countries like Angola, Mozambique and Afghanistan, the nature of the weapon has made it difficult to overcome. According to Ugandan officials, there are more than 350 suspected hazardous areas in the country, of which 153 are Kitgum; 91 in Gulu; 61 in Amuru and 57 in Kasese. ==See also==