Army beefs up security on Uganda - S. Sudan border
Vigilantes perform a gun assembling exercise during the pass out at Madiopei Sub-County headquarters in 2019. PHOTO | FILE
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces have beefed up security on the Uganda-South Sudan border following attacks by armed cattle raiders suspected to be from South Sudan.
Brig William Bainomugisha, the UPDF 5th Division commander, on Monday said the deployment came after a meeting between residents of the affected areas at security agencies.
The affected areas include Nyimur, Potika, and Agoro sub-counties in Lamwo District.
“Residents wanted assurance from us [about security] and we have done that. Formerly, those (border) areas were peaceful but we have had to beef up security due to attacks by gunmen,” Brig Bainomugisha said.
“Some of them (gunmen) are from South Sudan. These groups sneak in here and cause insecurity,” he added.
Brig Bainomugisha said the army has dispatched up to three battalions of soldiers to the border, which stretches across Lamwo, Kitgum, and Agago districts.
During the security meeting at Nyimur Sub-county headquarters last week, local leaders said several residents have lost their lives and hundreds of cattle.
According to Mr Moses Bali, the LC3 chairman, the raiders storm villages and force locals to flee their homes before rounding up the cattle and fleeing with them.
“We are hopeful that the deployment of armed security personnel will calm the situation because the impact has been disastrous in the past month. In some homes, people lock themselves inside their houses with animals for fear of being attacked,” Mr Bali said.
Mr Hilary Onek, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugee, who is also the Lamwo County MP, said the raids hinder livestock farming.
Background
In June 2019, a total of 1215 vigilantes were trained and passed out at Madiopei Sub-county headquarters to guard the borders against armed cattle raiders. President Museveni said recruiting and training locals from the affected areas to fight the raiders was the best solution to the problem. He said the UPDF soldiers were only carrying out a stop-gap measure.
