Older people internally displaced by the conflict in Northern Uganda remain in camps, facing countless challenges in returning to their homes, research undertaken by HelpAge International and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed.

Two years after a peace agreement between the Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army ended 21 years of internal fighting, the research indicates that older people make up between just 3.5 and 5 per cent of those who have been able to return to their villages of origin.  In some camps, the remaining population is comprised entirely of older people; in others, of older people and the grandchildren remaining in their care.

Some 1.8 million Acholi people were displaced by conflict in Northern Uganda. Figures from the Inter Agency Standing Committee in Uganda show that of the Acholi population as a whole, up to 63 per cent remain in camps, with many more relocated to transit sites. As few as 6 per cent have moved fully back to their villages of origin.

Through focus group discussions and interviews with older people and stakeholders including NGOs, UN agencies, and local government officials, the research explored the barriers older people face to return. These included:

Lack of shelter. Older people said they did not have the materials, nor the physical capability, to construct new homes on their return and receive little assistance from other members of the community. 

Feelings of anxiety and insecurity. Many older people fear that the peace agreement will fail and violent insurgency will return. They see the camps as a safer place to be.

Physical incapacity and lack of strength. Caring for, housing and feeding an older relative is often seen by family members as a burden and a reason to delay older people’s return.

Caring responsibilities for grandchildren orphaned by the conflict. Many older people depend on the support structure and services provided by the camps – such as access to food rations, water, education and healthcare – to help look after themselves and grandchildren in their care. 

As the humanitarian community works towards achieving durable solutions for all people affected by the conflict, efforts are being made to close IDP camps and phase out camp-based humanitarian assistance including food, education and health care. 

Evidence of older people and children remaining in closed camps therefore warns of the potential for decommissioned IDP camps becoming unsupported holding areas for older people and the children they are caring for.  Many of those who remain experience reduced support and an inability to meet their basic needs - as well as isolation, psychosocial trauma, and malnutrition.

The research report makes a series of recommendations to the United Nations Protection Cluster in the Acholi region to address these issues in order to create a lasting solution for displaced older people.

-  older people should receive targeted support from cluster members to address barriers to return

-  older people should be better consulted and their priorities and solutions to problems included in cluster responses.

-   efforts must be made to raise awareness of older people’s rights and contributions among communities and older people themselves

-   collecting disaggregated data on the situation of older people will improve cluster response and inform the creation of lasting solutions

-   access to food distributions and health services in camps for older people must be improved, particularly those who have mobility issues or are in poor health

-   access to income generation activities provides older people with the opportunity to contribute economically to their households, building self-esteem

Susan Erb led the research during a secondment from HelpAge International to the UNHCR to mainstream older people’s rights into the Protection Cluster:

“After two decades of fighting, older people want nothing more than to return home to their land before they die. This long term displacement is eroding traditional community support mechanisms and leaving many older people behind in camps, isolated and abandoned.

 “The barriers preventing older people’s return must be addressed and durable solutions found. We hope that the recommendations from this research will inform this process and ensure older people are both effectively supported and included in programme response.”

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Notes to Editors

1.Susan Erb is available for interview from the UK. Please contact Julia Pitman on 0207 278 7778 / 07980 623083

2. A copy of the research report is available from Julia Pitman on the numbers above.

3. HelpAge International has a vision of a world in which all older people fulfil their potential to lead dignified, healthy and secure lives. HelpAge International is a global network striving for the rights of disadvantaged older people to economic and physical security; healthcare and social services; and support in their caregiving role across the generations. To find out more visit www.helpage.org