“Surveys conducted by MSF in October in six internally displaced people’s camps (IDPs) in Lira and Pader districts found a Crude Mortality Rate (CMR) of 2.8 deaths per 10,000 people per day for the general population. According to the internationally agreed benchmarks, a rate of more than 2 per 10.000 people a day is classed as an emergency out of control,” Ms Monica de Castellarnau, head of mission for the France based MSF, said in a press release. Ms de Castellarnau added that the mortality rate was more alarming among children under five years of age at 5.4 deaths out of 10,000 children a day, with the rate as high as 10.5 deaths per 10,000 children a day in one location.
Reconfirmation of UN statement
“The extent of suffering is overwhelming, and the situation remains critical and requires urgent action from the international community and aid organisations,” she said. The statement said the findings of the surveys support the recent statements by United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, who referred to the crisis in northern Uganda as the “largest neglected humanitarian emergency.
